Squash Season!

I love winter squash. Actually, I like just about every member of the Cucerbitacae family: zucchini, summer squashes, melons, pumpkins, even cucumbers, sometimes. But there is nothing better than a well-spiced winter squash on a cold day. Some of my favorite recipes (which, like the Delicata squash pictured here, will surely appear on my recipe blog in the upcoming months) include pureed Butternut squash and candied pumpkin (an Afghani recipe called Kadu), Acorn squash soup, and of course pumpkin pie.

These are just a few of the reasons that I am so excited to have October upon us. The weather has turned crisp, and in the evenings you can smell woodsmoke billowing out of neighborhood chimneys. I've been eyeing the cranberries that have started to appear in the market, and soon enough (next week?) I can start buying pumpkins to carve! I love going to our local pumpkin patch and picking the perfect gourds. I have already started planning the menu for my annual pumpkin-carving party...