I Give In

Every where I look, people seem to be in love with autumn. It isn't just the Halloween decorations and Thanksgiving food stuffs lining the store shelves. I mean, the Christmas stuff is the next aisle over from the Halloween costumes at Target. It is more the blogs, the magazines, friends, and all the talk of apples, pumpkins, changing leaves, crisp air, the "I love autumn!" all over the place.

Oh yeah, well, I love summer. I am loathe to see it go. I am never ready for autumn. I could spend more days at the beach. Can you really compare a ripe summer peach to an apple? Don't you miss long, warm nights, popsicles in the afternoon and eating breakfast outside?

I know this is not very PC. I know it puts me on the same footing as the one house in the neighborhood that doesn't pass out Halloween candy, or the person that says "I just can't stand kittens and rainbows."

But really, I just read an article in a magazine praising root vegetables. Root vegetables? Are you kidding me? Does anyone actually believe a turnip in anyway compares to a perfectly ripe, red, sweet and juicy summer time tomato? Isn't singing the praises of turnips and parsnips reaching, just a little, in your praise for fall?

I rest my case.

But then, there's pumpkin bread. Pumpkin bread means fall to me. My Mom made pumpkin bread by the double batch and it would all get eaten in a day. We were all known to sample the batter even, before it made its way into the oven. My Mom's pumpkin bread is delicious.

Last night, I had to use my down comforter. When we woke up, our house was cold. The morning air made us want to stay inside and drink hot chocolate. Even as the day warmed up, something felt different. The light is softer. There is a coolness in the breeze. The leaves are falling off the tree in my front yard.

And I wanted to make pumpkin bread.

Suddenly I was filled with a yearning to hang a fall leaf garland in my window. To take the little people on a leaf walk and press our findings between the pages of a big, heavy book. To put pumpkins on the front porch. To make the pumpkin gratin that I saw in Bon Appetit magazine. To start planning Thanksgiving dinner. To roast pumpkin seeds in the oven. To go apple picking. To wear a sweater.

I was falling in love with fall.

Yes, summer will always be my first love. But I think I can make room in my heart for autumn, too. There there will not be, however, any love shown toward turnips. A girl can only go so far.

The recipe for my Mom's pumpkin bread can be found here. It works equally well in muffin tins, min loaf pans or standard size loaf pans.

Hope this fall weekend finds you in the kitchen making pumpkin or apple something. Or outside enjoying the changing leaves and the crisp air.

Happy Fall to you all!