The Tastes of Fall

It's official: fall is here.  After returning home from being out all day last week, I realized my house was only 62 degrees inside.  That meant it was time to switch on the heat (darn!) which of course means that summer and the hope for warmer days is long gone.  I don't mind too much...I love fall.  I was married in the fall and I think it's a really special time of the year.

Now that we're firmly planted in shorter days and longer nights, my palate is changing and I am wanting fall foods.  Here are some of my culinary signs of fall...let me know what fall flavors you crave in the comments!

• Spiced Apple Cider.  I don't love the taste of apple cider, but my husband does.  I do love the way it smells--like apples and spices, essentially autumn in a cup!  Heat it up and it makes the whole house smell amazing.  I recently snagged a big bottle of Trader Joe's Spiced Apple Cider for about $3.  Not bad.
• Pumpkin Seeds.  Every Halloween, my father would roast up our pumpkin seeds. He cooked them low and slow--giving them hours in the oven to crisp up.  He added salt and occasionally garlic to the seeds which gave them a huge flavor burst.  I still have a hard time saying NO to roasted pumpkin seeds!
• Pumpkin everything!  While I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, I do love pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and (most of all) pumpkin cream cheese on a pumpernickel bagel.  OMG that's the best bagel/cream cheese combo ever.
• Rice Crispy Treats.  For some reason, these things scream FALL!  They're so simple to make and taste so yummy.  Again...another treat that's impossible to resist.
• Stew.  I  was walking by Williams Sonoma the other day and noticed their advertising.  They had a huge photo of a bowl of stew and man...I wanted to take a bit.  There's nothing quite like super-tender meat that's been simmering away all day in a concoction of veggies, broth, wine, etc.  Yes, please!
• Chili.  Just like stew, a good bowl of chili is hard to resist.  And, unlike stew, you get to personalize chili with your own toppings.  I love a hot bowl of chili with melty shredded cheddar cheese, freshly diced onion, and a spoonful of sour cream.  Now we're talking fall!

What's your favorite fall food?  Leave a comment and let us know!