8 reasons to get excited about sweater-weather season
Recipes to fall for
As thoughts turn toward autumn’s heavenly harvests, there’s no better time to dive into a cookbook to discover new mouthwatering ways to celebrate the fare-fabulous holidays ahead. Two out this month fit the bill perfectly.
Farmhouse Rules: Simple, Seasonal Meals for the Whole Family (Grand Central Life & Style, $30) is based on the popular Food Network show of the same name and features family-friendly recipes from the show’s star, Nancy Fuller, who whips up tasty, ultra-fresh treats on her picture-perfect farm in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Fuller’s cornucopia of ideas ranges from the Simply Savory Perfect Pear Tart and Butternut Because Soup to Pot Roast Done Easy and Farmer’s Favorite Molasses Ginger Cookies.
If your taste buds lie firmly south of the Mason-Dixon Line, settle in with The Southerner’s Cookbook: Recipes, Wisdom, and Stories by the editors of Garden and Gun (Harper Wave, $37.50). More than 100 recipes are packed into what the publisher calls an “heirloom-quality” guide, which hit the shelves Tuesday.
Not to be missed: Mardi Gras Moon Pies and an updated King Ranch casserole recipe with buttery bechamel sauce and freshly roasted poblanos.
A warm welcome
For a farmland feel, Pottery Barn’s Corn Husk Collection features a soft, golden color scheme and twigs and husks on a generously sized 30-inch wreath ($149). The matching 60-inch garland costs is on sale online for $103. potterybarn.com.
Bake bread together
The only thing that surpasses the joy of breaking bread together around the family dinner table is baking fresh bread together. When the air outside turns crisp, we gather our little ones and delight in their wide-eyed curiosity as they measure ingredients, knead dough and watch it rise. The aroma that fills the house as it’s baking to golden perfection becomes spellbinding.
If you’re short on time to make bread from scratch, consider a quick-bread mix in a seasonal flavor such as cinnamon-pecan or gingerbread. Williams-Sonoma makes some of the best tastes-like-scratch mixes out there, and the Nordic Ware Elegant Pumpkin Loaf Pan (on sale online, $26.36-$44.95) and Fall Cakelet Pan (on sale online, $26.56-$48.95) bring beauty to baking by creating breads and cakes that turn out in the shapes of pumpkins, acorns and leaves. In stores and online at williams-sonoma.com.
Plant and bloom
Cool-weather blooms like chrysanthemums are a welcome sight after our summer flowers have faded (or burned up), and the fiery colors of crotons and crossandra (also called firecracker flower) set landscapes ablaze.
Designers at local nurseries like Calloway’s are available to suggest seasonal favorites to plant. They’ll even create customized arrangements accented with fall favorites like petunias, sweet potato vine, cabbage and kale, plus decorative touches such as ornamental peppers and miniature pumpkins; arrangements shown, $39.99-$79.99.
Set the mood
The image of swirling leaves on a blustery fall day is a popular one in decor. And why not? It carries us all the way through Thanksgiving. Pier 1 Imports adds variety to the leaf-loving craze with items like a Beaded Leaves Table Runner ($49.95), plus Layered Maple Leaves Placemats ($5.95) and Harvest Leaves Painted Stemware ($8.95-$9.95).
Shedding some extra light on either a tablescape or a mantel, Pier 1’s 10-inch leaf-shaped LED Glimmer Strings ($22.95) add a delicate touch. For extra convenience, the lights can be turned on and off with a remote control (sold separately). In stores and online at pier1.com.
Breathe in the season
Fall is a particularly special time for filling each room of the home with the authentic, comforting fragrances that encourage cold-weather nesting. You don’t have to go far (or spend too much money) to find candles that invite the season inside. Bath & Body Works embraces autumn’s arrival with fragrant candles, soaps, lotions and body sprays bearing names like Bright Autumn Day, Sweater Weather and Fall Lakeside Breeze.
And the scent of the season — pumpkin — is paired with everything from apples and cinnamon to marshmallows, lattes and waffles. While Pumpkin Pecan Waffles is always a bestseller, new scentsations include Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake and Brown Sugar Allspice; $4-$22.50. In stores and online at bathandbodyworks.com.
Snuggle up
Fleece and faux-fur throws start showing up on store shelves this time of year, and most will do a fine job of keeping the chill at bay. The selection of color options and brands found at HomeGoods, however, practically creates a throw store within a home store. Discounted prices on name brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Isaac Mizrahi New York and Lauren Ralph Lauren make it easy to color-coordinate comfy throws throughout the house.
Offerings include a plush knitted cream throw and a loose-weave throw in pumpkin-spice tones, both from Cynthia Rowley ($30 and $20, respectively). Availablity varies per store.
Candy crush
Want to know the true signal that fall has arrived? It’s when the bags of candy corn start showing up in the candy aisle, of course. These little white, orange and yellow triangles are pure deliciousness (and pure sugar, too). But did you know: It was invented in the 1880s, has been manufactured since 1900 and was once called Chicken Feed? (Haters claim candy corn still exists from that very first batch.)
Almost 9 billion pieces will be produced this year at about 7 calories per kernel. And there’s no correct way to eat it.
We hope you celebrated National Candy Corn Day on Oct. 30 with a big handful , but if not, who’s going to tell if you do so a day or two late? Oh, candy corn, you never let us down. And it wouldn’t be fall without it.
This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 2:40 PM.