Fall Colors in the Kitchen

I love Autumn. The greens and golds and oranges and deep reds. While the trees are beautiful this time of year, I'm actually referring to the vegetables. I love seeing, eating, cooking and smelling the products of the Fall Harvest.

People talk about lighting a fire for the crisp, cool autumn weather and I'm in the kitchen turning on the oven and the stove.

There are the winter squash, pumpkin, rutabagas and turnips, brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes (although I find them all year round). Apples, cranberries, chestnuts and pears. It is time to check my spice closet for plenty of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, brown sugar and maple syrup. It's also time to check the clothes closet for drawstring pants.

Roasted turkey and roasted pork with hearty vegetables and smooth sauces; beef stew and slow cooked chili and vegetable soup; pea soup and lentil soup and sweet corn chowder; pumpkin bread and cranberry muffins and apple cinnamon coffee cake.

I have always said that Autumn was my favorite time of the year. And, I wonder why. I grew up in South Florida and only dreamed of being in the cooler climate of the north, surrounded by the changing landscape and the cooler and longer days. I would go to school with the traditional plaid skirts and fall sweaters only to be dripping with perspiration by the end of the day. The smells of autumn were confined to the kitchen. The cooking of the fall harvests provided the warmth and safety of the season.

I have changing landscapes now and I can layer on sweaters as the days cool down. But the real joys of this time of year come out the kitchen in waifing aromas of feasts from days gone by.

There is a turkey breast roasting in the oven; along with a herbed stuffing. Beside the turkey, cooking in a mixture of brown sugar, allspice, walnuts and maple syrup are my first acorn squash of the season. It smells sooooooooo good. Dinner is at 6 PM.