I love the word "autumn." It captures the beauty of the season...the change in the light, the crispness of the air, the colorful foliage. Unlike "fall," which evokes images of endless leaf raking and the trading in of blissful summer freedom for homework and early bedtimes.
So autumn it will be on this blog.
This is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it: the weather, the scenery, the clothes, the food and the promise of holidays just around the corner. I'm a bit sad to see summer go...it was a short one this year for me. But I've moved on now. Bathing suit, what? Hand me that sweater.
I am already thinking about decor themes for Thanksgiving and contemplating what hearty new recipes to try. In particular, I've been thinking about all the ways I can use squash in my cooking. My thought process as I fall asleep is akin to Bubba's from Forrest Gump: baked squash, grilled squash, squash soup, squash hashbrowns, squash kebabs...
Squash, to me, is the ultimate comfort food. With such a widevariety of flavors and textures, it is one of my superfoods: butternut squash soup, pumpkin pie, zucchini bread...need I say more. This versatility, fortunately for me, means I can put it in almost anything I make. Sadly, my boyfriend does not share my appreciation for this culinary chameleon. My mission this autumn is to change his mind, one squash at a time.
I will start with familiar territory: pumpkin pie. Although I am a huge proponent of cooking from scratch, taking a pumpkin from gourd to pie-plate has always seemed a bit extreme. However, today I bought a pie pumpkin and will be turning it into a real, homemade pie soon (stories and pictures to come).
Next I plan to lure the boyfriend into a false sense of security by using spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute, smothering it in italian sausage, sundried tomatoes and a sage-brownbutter sauce. If that doesn't do the trick I don't know what will.
