All the Delights of the Season

Today is a grey, quiet sort of day. Perfect for puttering, reading, and baking. There's a batch of bread in the oven and a pumpkin carving party with friends to look forward to this evening.

I've been reveling in the beauty of my favorite season. And to my delight, we've had a month of some *perfect* Fall weather! This is my first Autumn in this particular nook of Florida, and I think the seasonal changes are more obvious here. For one thing, the wildflowers in our backyard have been absolutely gorgeous. And the adolescent maple in our front yard has been showing off its finest shades of amber.

Best of all, maple foliage makes for simple fall decorating.

Yesterday I started pulling out the Indian corn and the Sycamore achenes (some furry, some bumpy) and paired them with a candle for a centerpiece. Because candles just seem necessary for fall.

But these are not the only Delights of the Season -- not by a long shot.

Because there's Pumpkin Crisp, still warm and ready for the pumpkin carving party tonight. When I was deciding on a dessert, Pumpkin Crisp immediately popped into my mind -- but my mom had the recipe, and I knew they were leaving in less than 24 hours to go to New Zealand. Not the best time to ask her to dig it out for me...



But despite not remembering the name of the recipe, I was able to find it online.

Notes: I ended up only using half a cake mix for the topping, and half the amount of butter -- which is good, because two sticks of butter are good neither for the figure nor the grocery budget! I'd also recommend covering with foil for the last 20-30 minutes, to prevent excessive browning.

If my memories from the last few years are remotely accurate, this will definitely qualify as a seasonal delight.

Now to find a creative way to decorate the front door with Indian corn...