Happy Halloween!

three favorite treats I love to make

Hello friend,

As I continue to wrap up my readings of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, I am finding myself wishing October could be twice as long.

The grape leaves in my yard have turned a gorgeous yellow-gold and the rose bushes have sent out their final, voluminous flowers of the year. I woke a few days ago to an enormous dinner-plate sized pink rose in the back corner of my rose bushes and laughed out loud at the spark of it against the grey sky. Thanks to frost, it has already started to wilt and wither—a final burst of summer color in the October gloom.

We treasure this transition time precisely because it is so brief, and so it is no wonder I wish it could stay.

For the tricks and treats customary of the day, I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite fall recipes. I am not a person who enjoys being in the kitchen too much—the clutter of dishes and messy bowls and a mess to clean is just about my least favorite thing in the world—but I do love warm bowls of soup and fresh spicy baked things in the fall and winter.

Here are my fall faves I’m willing to make a mess for.