Butternut Squash and Ricotta Pizza

The clouds are gathering over the city and the raindrops are splatting and splotching over the windows, and I find myself heating up cup after cup of hot cocoa to stave off the gloominess that inevitably accompanies a dark cloudy afternoon. And although chocolatey goodness is all well and good in the chilly afternoons, one can't just live off hot chocolate (can that be the new diet trend please - it might be one I'd actually want to try) and now that it's nighttime by 5pm, dinner seems to call for something hearty and warm, with a good helping of fun as well. 

Something caramelized and chewy and roasty and toasty. And cheesy of course. Always cheesy.

Apple Crisp

If you spent this weekend at an orchard engaging in one of the quintessential American Fall pastimes - apple picking - you might be staring at your haul in a bit of horror. How, you might be thinking, does one get through enough apples to feed ten horses? What, you might be saying to yourself, was I thinking? Well, enough of these horror-ful speculations. You know you'd do the same thing if you went back to an orchard next weekend. Who can say no to bountiful apple trees?!

Thankfully, since it's apple season, it's also the season for applie pie and apple sauce and all manner of crisps and crumbles (always to be accompanied with some mulled cider of course).

Heirloom Tomato Fennel Salad with Fennel Tahini Dressing

Usually when salads get dressed at casa M in the World, they're dressed in vinaigrettes, light and airy, sometimes spicy, sometimes honeyed. But here we are at the very tail end of summer, and although some delicious heirloom tomatoes are still peeking out of the corner of stalls at local farmer's markets, the air is crisp, the wind has a bite to it, and it just seems like everything, including salads, needs to be a little sturdier, a little more substantial.