Yes we have said adieu to summer, there is a slight nip in the air, & I love it. My yard  looks bathed, happy & fresh. Finally it is sinking in that Fall is here.  The tomatoes are growing, so are the bell peppers & hot peppers & other little things.

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The kids are back to school. Summer is at the tail end; in Texas we will still have a few weeks of heat  & then the more pleasant weather creeps in. Hot it is here, but I still feel sorry to see the summer go.The Labor Day, almost officially announced that summer will be gone soon, & gone will be the delightful fruits, berries, the warmth & the colors.

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Cinnamon, perhaps one of the most popular and tastiest of spices used for sweet & savory recipes.  What many do not know is that cinnamon is actually the bark of a tree. I remember visiting the little farm of one my uncles when I was little. He once took me under a tree, took out a pocket knife & sliced out a soft bark from the tree & told me to first smell it & then chew on it! It was cinnamon.. this bark was still young, & had not matured enough to form the cinnamon sticks. The bark of the tree is pounded & soaked in sea water & distilled to make cinnamon oil.

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I have said this before. A spoon (or more ) of chutney after meals is a must in all traditional Bengali meals. Known to have a sweet tooth, it is not limited to just desserts – the meal must end in a sweet note too. Which is really nice & fulfilling I would say. That craving for a dessert is eliminated, that hunt around the house for a broken piece of chocolate is longer a compulsion.

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Dal(Lentil) paratha/flat bread is something which I learned from my grandmother. My grandparents lived only a few minutes away from our home. And it would be often that my grandpa would walk by with a bag of hot, freshly made parathas and a bunch of flowers for me.

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I just finished putting up my Christmas Tree & the lights. This time the kids are big enough to help me with decorating the tree. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of work, but we are finally done. The only thing we need to do is wait for Santa. On that note, my little one, pulled out a red stocking from the box and came and told me that “Santa Claus lost a sock” & she found it! She has a funny bone.

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I remember the time when back in India many moons back we used to live in a joint family. My grandparents, uncles, aunts  & cousins all lived in a big house, ate all together in one long dining table. Sunday afternoon lunches were always beautiful times when everyone was home, relaxed & talking for hours over food. Even tho’ I might have been only about 6 or 7 years old, I still  remember that one of the dishes used to be mutton curry or chicken curry. The hot steaming curry, used to be placed at the  center of the table, & all us little kids eyed it with utmost enthusiasm, while waiting for our turns.

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Spiced Apple Ginger Bread

Really who can resist the aroma of apple, cinnamon and hot bread filling up the entire house? Even if the temperature is still climbing mid 80’s here in October, it is still officially fall:-D I am not complaining (well may be a little bit) about Texas, but I do miss the change of fall colors of the North East. We lived there for quite a few years. The crisp breeze, the floating colored leaves are a dream now. We used to live across the street of the Cheesequake State park, and the view from every window of our house was breathtaking during this time. We do have the photographs for consolation.

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Stuffed Pear in Spiced Orange Sauce

The Only Lonely pear stared back at me from the fruit basket. And I did not feel like eating this fruit at all. I knew if I was another day late, it would start having the stale brown spots.  Well to save this little soul, I tried out this yummy fruity dessert. Long long time back I had come across a recipe( I do not remember where), which called for baking pears with the dessert wine Asti. I did not have any, so I just cooked up this easy way to boil it in the orange sauce. (I always love anything with orange or orange zest.)

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