• Fresh spinach salad with pomegranate

  ¼ cup lemon juice or red wine vinegar

  4 chopped scallions or 1 thinly sliced small yellow onion

  ½ tsp. salt

  ½ tsp. ground black pepper

  ¼ cup to ½ cup olive or vegetable oil (to taste)

  10 oz. (two 5-oz. containers) baby spinach

  1 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

  ½ cup pomegranate seeds

  2 to 3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced (optional)

  Steps: In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice or vinegar, scallions or onion, salt and pepper. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the oil. Drizzle over the spinach, sprinkle with the nuts and pomegranate seeds, then toss to coat. If desired, garnish with egg slices.

  Recipe adapted from Gil Marks

Autumn Dinner Menu

Salad of Fall Greens with Persimmons and Hazelnuts

Pork Chops with Cranberry-Thyme Pan Sauce

Whole Roasted Yams with Maple-Allspice Butter

Honey-Butter French Bread

Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Icing

Chardonnay

Cranberry-Thyme Pan Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

2 5- to 6-ounce boneless pork chops

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup cranberry sauce

3 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Sauté pork until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate. Add wine to same skillet. Bring to simmer, scraping up browned bits in bottom of pan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Return pork and any juices to skillet. Cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer pork to plates. Spoon sauce over and serve.

John Atkinson Grimshaw

Autumn Morning

Savory Cheddar Cheese Corn Muffins

Serves about 12

1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1-1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
1 large egg
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease 12 regular-sized muffin cups or line with paper muffin cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and the herbs. Stir in cheese.

In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, egg and milk. Add to the flour mixture and stir together until all is moistened. Do not overmix. Batter will be a little lumpy.

Divide into 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until muffins are golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a rack to cool or serve warm.

Patti Page - Old Cape Cod

I have been humming this song all morning.

"In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year,

bringing us the fruition of months of thought

and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time,

do we get such superb colour effects as

from August to November."

- Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden

The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old-fashioned,

I'll put a trinket on.

Emily Dickinson

Nature XXVII, Autumn

"But now in September the garden has cooled, and with it my possessiveness. The sun warms my back instead of beating on my head ... The harvest has dwindled, and I have grown apart from the intense midsummer relationship that brought it on."

- Robert Finch

To Remember September 11th, 2001

Dear God, as our country remembers the heartbreaking events of September 11th, 2001, we humbly turn to You in prayer. At a time where our nation is facing unprecedented challenges, we need Your Spirit, Mercy, and Strength, now more than ever, to guide us down the right path.

Cherry and Blue Cheese Salad

Raspberry-Wine Dressing (see recipe below)

3/4 cup thinly-sliced mild red onion

2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

3 quarts bite-size mixed salad greens

1 pound fresh or frozen dark sweet pitted cherries (if using frozen, thaw first)

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (gorgonzola or Roquefort cheese may be substituted)

Prepare Raspberry-Wine Dressing; set aside.

Place onions and lemon juice in a bowl with the 2 cups cold water; refrigerate 15 to 30 minutes. When done, pour off liquid and drain well.

In a large bowl, combine drained onions, salad greens, cherries, and enough Raspberry-Wine Dressing to lightly coat the greens.

Sprinkle top of salad with blue cheese and serve.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Raspberry-Wine Dressing:

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

1/4 cup red wine (I like to use pinot noir wine)

1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a blender or food processor, combine raspberry vinegar, red wine, raspberries, honey, and basil; whirl 1 minutes or until well blended. With the motor on, add olive oil in a slow steady stream, whirling until dressing is smooth. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

"By all these lovely tokens

September days are here

With summer's best of weather

And autumn's best of cheer."

~ Helen Hunt Jackson ( 1830-1885 )

Fiery Chipotle Baked Beans

Molasses sweetens the beans, vinegar adds tang, and the chipotle chile powder makes them spicy.

• 4 ounces chorizo, thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup bottled chili sauce
• 1/3 cup dark molasses
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 325°.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chorizo; sauté 2 minutes. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and remaining ingredients; bake uncovered at 325° for 1 hour.

Recipe from Cooking Light

No rest is worth anything except the rest that is earned.

The birthplace of the Memorial Day is believed to be Waterloo in New York. This place observed its first memorial day on may 5 1866, and has been doing it annually from there on. The town made Memorial Day an annual and community wide event when the business closed and the graves were decorated with flowers and flags. And in the year 1966 a presidential proclamation was signed to recognize Waterloo as the birthplace of the Memorial Day, by the federal government under the direction of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Rice Pudding

This recipe should feed 4 people, but it's easily doubled to feed a larger crowd, as long as you have a baking dish that's big enough.

1.5oz / 40g short grain pudding rice

1 pint / 600ml whole milk (or half cream half milk if you like your pudding extra rich)

2oz / 50g caster sugar

1oz / 25g unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cinnamon

Rice pudding is made all over England, and - of course - there are many variations to the traditional rice pudding recipe.

For a very rich version cook the rice in cream and add a vanilla pod (remove before serving). When ready to serve sprinkle the top thickly with sugar and caramelise under a very hot grill or with a gas gun.

While nutmeg is the traditional spice, the pudding also eats very well with cinnamon sprinkled over the top. And many children love their rice pudding served with a dollop of jam!

Pre-heat your oven to 160-170°C / 300-325°F / Gas 2-3.

In a pan mix the rice with the milk (and cream if using) and leave to soak for 5-10 minutes. Then bring the whole gently to the boil.

As soon as the milk starts to bubble pour your pudding mixture into a baking dish.

Mix in the sugar and butter and stir until dissolved. Then sprinkle the nutmeg or cinnamon over the top.

Place in the oven and bake for 1 - 1.5 hours. When ready, all the liquid will be gone and the pudding will have a golden skin on top.

Serve hot or cold with jam or pouring cream.