Welcome Fall: A Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils

“Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” ― Tom Hanks, You've Got Mail (Nora Ephron)

The quote is one of my favorites and a quote that always comes to my mind as soon as I turn a calendar page to September. The slow change from summer to fall scenery in September reminds me of the scene in the movie You've Got Mail, where our characters, Joe and Kathleen, pass each other on the sidewalks of New York City. They walk to their business destinations through a few fallen leaves; she passes by a bakery and he passes by a nut shop, and they both pass by a Starbucks on the corner.  She eventually stops at an outdoor flower shop to buy a bouquet of fall-colored flowers and a pumpkin. In the background both characters are walking to the song Dreams sung by Dolores (RIP) of the Cranberries. 

It's my favorite time of the year. I love September, October, and November. I bring out a few pieces of fall decor, mostly my collection of glass pumpkins and a few "spooky" types of books to celebrate Halloween. I keep the pumpkins out through November when my glass and pottery turkey collection will join the pumpkins. 

Speaking of pumpkins, this is the time of year when the cooking emails I subscribe to change their recipes from cucumbers and tomatoes to pumpkins and apples. A few days ago, I received an email with the heading: You only need 2 ingredients to make this deliciously moist pumpkin bread. 

Could it be my favorite and easiest pumpkin bread/muffin recipe, which I bake repeatedly during this time of year? Sure enough, it was the cake mix and a can of pureed pumpkin recipe. My photo shows a yellow cake mix, but I learned that when and if a spice cake mix isn't available (which often happens this time of year), a yellow cake mix will work—adding a generous teaspoon of pumpkin spice, of course. 

Don't you love the fall season? It makes me want to bake. I would send you a basket of pumpkin muffins or a loaf of pumpkin bread if I knew your name and address.