Fall Flavors

Fall...Autumn...

An incredibly sensuous season, above other seasons Fall delights my senses the most. The colors, of course, most noticeably grab my visual attention. The sounds of crackling leaves underfoot, and geese honking as they fly overhead and football sounds on TV and in the backyard all prevail. To the touch, the chill in the air means I can enjoy being outside more, too...dislike heat and humidity.

But these first few weeks in October have been about the smells and the tastes of Fall. As the cooler air came in, one son felt the nudge for the comfort meal of a turkey, with some of the trimmings of Thanksgiving. I was happy to oblige. At our house, the Turkey is the first night's meal, the next night...and for days afterwards....it's all about da soup!

Or LIQUID GOLD, as I call it.

Thanksgiving in a bowl. The turkey drippings and carcass simmer with bouquet garni (carrots, onions, root vegetables, herbs) in a huge pot of water all night. In the morning I turn it off, strain it, cool it, and refrigerate it till dinner. (That way I can easily scrape the fat off the top before warming again for soup.) During the day, a crockpot cooks up more poultry to later shred into this blessed broth. This son likes to add wild rice to his soup and this time we even added in left over stuffing, hence the name...Thanksgiving in a bowl. Beer bread on the side, we ate this for lunch and dinner for a few days, smiling over each slurp.

And then, today, the other great tradition...A Saturday morning with Pumpkin Pancakes topped with Hot Apple Cider sauce. Growing up, my mother always made these the first Saturday in October.

Basically, I just add some canned pumpkin and applecider into the recipe for pancakes. In a saucepot I add sliced apples sauteed in butter and pumpkin pie spice to maple syrup and warm to pour over the pancakes. The smell...the taste...

On Thursday, GrandDandy came again and after doing lessons with her granddaughter she had a tasty craft for "the littles" to make and the rest of us to enjoy. Perhaps a new tradition from the lady who has inspired me to continue many of her traditions...

These mice are made with Hershey kisses, maraschino cherries, sliced almonds, chocolate dipping sauce, a tiny tube of white icing and chocolate jimmies.

There are more Fall favorites and flavors to come. For more on my luv of Autumn, see my posts labeled Autumn Passes Quickly. And I am always looking for new inspirations...

Do you have any autumnal-type recipes and traditions you'd like to share? Leave me a comment. I'd love to hear about it.