Your Fall Pantry Guide

It's time to rethink and restock your pantry and fridge now that fall is just around the corner. What do you need for cooking and baking? What  veggies should you be buying right now

? There's a whole list of ingredients that you'll need as the temps drop.

Of course pumpkin spice is everywhere, from lattes to even dish washing soap. It's basically a mix of the spices used in pumpkin pie - ground ginger and cinnamon. Each on their own is vital to fall cooking. Ground ginger can be used to give zing to pork chops and roast chicken. It can be used as a rub or part of one for wings and drumsticks and even part of breading for cauliflower. Ground ginger can also be used in sweet recipes and elevates ordinary muffins , cakes and cookies. Cinnamon is the quintessential fall spice. This ground bark from the canella tree graces everything during the cooler months.It's a must for autumn baking and you should be buy a larger containers that hold 8.75 ounces (McCormick sells these in all the grocery stores). You'll definitely use it for at home baking but it will also probably be used to make cinnamon rolls and spices cookies for school bake sales. Another fall must have is the herb sage. It's used in homemade dressings along with flavoring for chicken. Combine it with browned butter for a sauce for pumpkin or squash ravioli.

As far as veggies, what should you stock up on? The aforementioned pumpkin and squash.It pays to have one or two cans of pumpkin puree(don't confuse it with pumpkin pie filling which has sugar an all those spices in it).Yes, it can be used for pies and even tartlets, but the mash has a savory side too. Combined with chicken or vegetable broth and sauteed onions, it's the Piedmontese zuppa di zucca. This is a great soup to make on a Saturday or Sunday night. Remember that pumpkin puree can be used for ravioli filling too if you're into making homemade pasta. You could buy fresh pumpkins too but there's a lot of work involved gutting them and making your own puree. Sub in those summer zucchinis now with acorn and butternut squashes. These are easy to make and one half of one makes for an excellent, filling side. Acorn squash can also be mashed similar to potatoes. Turn the leftovers into puffs or croquettes.Brussels sprouts are on the scene again. Home  and commercial chefs alike love them. They can be turned into crispy chips or served whole, parboiled, topped with melted butter and Parmesan cheese.

These are some of the more vital ingredients you'll need this fall. Stock your pantry and fridge with them. They're important in autumn cooking and baking.

The Complete Squash Guide

One of the best foods of autumn is squash. This versatile veggie can be transformed into a warming soup, a hearty roast or adelicious side.The only problem -how can you tell which is which and what do you use the for. Luckily there is a guide to help you pick the right gourd.

Florence Fabricant created this for yesterday's New York Times Foo section. It is definitely a  keeper, especially for home chefs , new to cooking squash.. There is a description along with a picture for the twelve kinds which will be helpful for those thinking of serving it for Thanksgiving. The most popular and the most known is the acorn squash. This familiar round globe is covered in a leathery dark green skin.The skin or peel is not for eating. The flesh is fairly sweet and it's best for roasting or stuffing.Ms. Fabricant also recommends cutting it up in chunks and pureeing them.Another popular one is the butternut. Again, this is a popular one, usually a foot long in length. It has a fat bottom and light tan skin.It's sweet and nutty tasting and can be mashed or baked into a layer cake.Cute, round squashes are the carnival and cheese pumpkin. The first is reminiscent of the acorn and has a lovely maple flavor. The cheese pumpkin is more savory and can be incorporated into pies, soups or purees.Another sweet tasting gourd is the delicata.It has green and white stripes with a thin skin.The best use? Turn it into a creamy and thick bisque. The Honeynut is the newcomer in the family. It sprang from Cornell University's labs.It's a hybrid of the butternut squash, but sweeter and richer in taste. It would be ideal for desserts.

Looking for super cute? Then try the squash with the super cute name. Jack-Be-Little. This orange or white ball can be filled with soup, a gratin or even a custard. It is mild tasting, perfect for a strong main dish.Craving sweet potatoes?Try the gourd with the exotic name - kabocha. Its' nubbly rind can be eaten with the flesh. Roast pieces or use in soups and stews.Another exotic cucurbita is the Japanese kuri.This is an anomaly in the squash family. Its' flavor is more like chestnut. This makes it perfect for stirfries and stews. The creamy white mashed potatoes is an albino version of its' cousin, the acorn. The inside is dense and scooped out to be fluffed with butter and salt.Ms. Fabricant also recommends halving them and serving with cheese. Spaghetti squash is the most popular with gardeners.Ir's an easy, problem free grow in almost every summer backyard garden.  It's oval and yellowish - about the size of a football. Its' name derives from its' string like flesh that can serve as a sub in for pasta. Then there is the sweet dumpling.It resembles the carnival squash but is green and white in appearance.The skin is thin and edible and can be roasted , stuffing or baking.

Squash is a must have at any fall meal. Cook or bake it for a delicious side or dessert. It'll add color and flavor to the meal.

Squash For Dessert

Now is the time for all things squash.It's can be sauteed with garlic , baked with butter, and stuffed with breadcrumbs. It can also be the basis of cakes and sauce too. Now you can have it with a cup of coffee or tea for a sweet snack or dessert.

What can you do with this curcurbita? Surprisingly you can roast it in sections and serve with ice cream or even spiced whipped cream. It's just  cutting them into sections and de-seeding them so that they resemble cantaloupe, ,baste them with melted butter or coconut oil and then sprinkle on either pumpkin pie spice blend or cinnamon .Roast in a 400 degree oven for forty-five minutes to an hour. Serve warm with spiced whipped or butter pecan ice cream (or both!)Mash it and it can become an ice cream topping - squash sundae anyone? This requires a cup of brown sugar along with orange juice and a tiny pinch of salt, cooked with the veggie and then mashed into a thick compote.Squash bites are another sweet treat.These are Middle Eastern inspired , spiked with saffron and turmeric and mixed with a dough of mashed almonds and pitted medjool dates. The butternut squash has to be zoodled or spiralized which creates fun orange stripes running through the bites. Ground cardamom seeds are also used for more flavor. It can be put in a dehydrator however if you don;t have one , try a low oven at 125 degrees F for about half hour to forty-five minutes.

Of course you can bake squash into bars and cookies. A great recipe for bars is one topped with streusel, in a kind of marriage between coffee cake and pumpkin pie , It's a cake bottom with a pumpkin pie like filling, thanks to the cinnamon, nutmeg , and ground ginger. The streusel is a yummy mix of butter, cinnamon and brown sugar and pecans. A fun way to get the kids to eat relatively healthy is to make squash cookies.The butternut squash is cooked and mashed, again spiked with ginger and cinnamon. The gourd can be a star ingredient in many different kind of cakes too. A fall dinner party can end with an elegant layer cake , highlighted with only maple and filled and frosted with a brown sugar Swiss. meringue. A great snacking cake is the butternut coffee cake. It's a spiced up pecan loaded version of  the regular kind which would be fun at a  brunch or weekend picnic. Another fun version is a butternut sponge roll filled with a fluffy light cream cheese frosting. Again maple and walnut give the cake added flavor. A different birthday party treat is butternut  squash cupcakes with caramel cream cheese frosting.It's basically the same as the other cakes but in cupcake form with caramel sauce added.I'd use Smucker's salted caramel  to give it a savory kick.

Squash is primarily a side or a vegetarian main dish. Yet it can be made into a tasty dessert using fall flavors. Try it as an ice cream sauce, cake, cupcake or cookie, Get to know its' sweet side.

Squash Time

Now that fall is officially here it's time to look into that perennial autumn treat: the squash. These pumpkin cousins are loaded taste but with essential vitamins. You can cut them up, and roast, bake or microwave them.

Right now there are several different fall squashes out there on the market. Last month (if you can remember) I wrote about eating summer squash such as zucchini in the winter along with the other summer varieties. Now other the winter or late harvested squashes are readily available. All of these have thick rinds and orange pulp. Winter squash requires cooking. The most popular types are acorn and butternut which can be baked and split to be served with butter. Buttercup squash is another popular fall and winter favorite. It can be used as a main meal but also turned into creamy soup.

Squash is load with beta carotene as well as fiber. It's also a good source of niacin and iron Try to incorporate it into your meals as often as you can. if the kids balk at eating it, then cook and mash it. Serve with butter or margarine. They'll enjoy the creamy texture plus loading it up with extras.

This fall sink your teeth into winter squash. These harbingers of autumn are perfect whether as the entree or a side dish. Enjoy them as often as you can!