Autumn = Apple, Pear, Cranberry Pie

 I made an Apple Pear Cranberry Pie with an almond biscuit crust. This magical pie fed 9 people, 7 of whom were watching my FAVORITE Halloween movie: Hocus Pocus.

 I got the recipe for the crust from the latest Martha Stewart Magazine. For some reason she sent the November issue to me at the beginning of October -honestly 2 weeks after receiving the October one. Whoa, slow down there, let me enjoy both of my favorite months? Anyway, I was skeptical about the biscuit topping, but it was actually really good. I also loved the combination of pears and apples with the cranberries. And no, mom, I did not reduce the sugar. Who wants to eat low-sugar pie? If I eat pie, I want to enjoy it. I'll just have a smaller piece.

 A week or so ago Matt and I went for a little walk in Rock Canyon. We took a few photos. Mostly I had to beg him to smile in a photo. He hates the first one because he looks like he was trying to show off his chest by having his shirt unbuttoned so low. (He was.)

And this is a photo of one of the creatures infesting our yard and eating my dying plants. My pumpkins are pretty much dead. All the leaves have withered. I can't imagine why! I water them and love them and pray for them. But they are dying. I have three pumpkins that will not turn orange! One of them looks like a cat has been attacking it in the night. There are lesions all over the surface -poor thing. I doubt we'll even be able to get seeds from the other two. They're too green.  I'm so sad.

Pumpkin Season has begun!

We, as an apartment family, officially began our autumn celebrations with our first pumpkin! This pumpkin has been growing in my garden for a few months. I made a pie with a gingersnap cookie crust for Nicole's birthday. It was delicious.

Plus it's starting to get cooler in the mornings, and there are Halloween decorations in all the stores. I'm starting to freak out. I LOVE FALL!


When I was baking the pie, I was singing "It's beginning to smell a lot like Autumn, everywhere you turn..."

Upside-down Plum Cake...

...equals the BEST CAKE EVER. Matthew has said this a few times. He also said that he wants a grooms cake of that variety, but I'm not going to make a cake so close to the wedding.
It really was delicious. I made it last night and it's gone, less than 24 hours later. Nicole and Brooke are partly to blame. The rest of the blame goes to Matthew. Rudy could only take one bite before the sugar was too much for her.

It was a delicious upside-down cake with plums and a peach, and I topped it all off with a plum glaze (plum jam, which equals the best jam I've ever made/eaten, watered down and some powdered sugar added and drizzled over the top)

SO Delicious. I wish it wasn't gone. I would like another piece.