my favorite time of the year!

Oh, fall. Those of you who know me well know that fall is by FAR my favorite season of the year. When I think of fall, I think of: pumpkins, piles of crunchy leaves, brightly colored trees, crisp air, blue skies, fall festival at church, apple cider, the farmer's market, pumpkin pie, cinnamon, spiced nuts, a bowl of stew, trying new fall recipes, thanksgiving, family get-togethers, and best of all - the birthdays of my two precious boys. I love that God planned it so that both of my kids were born in the fall.

How could you not LOVE fall?! I know many of you don't, but it truly brings me happiness. This morning I put up my new fall wreath ($10, walmart), put some baby pumpkins and pine cones in a glass bowl to adorn my dining table, hung up a fall hand towel in the bathroom, and lit the first pumpkin spice candle of the season. These things are all so simple, yet so wonderful. Little things to remind me of the beautiful season.

Here are a couple of fall dessert recipes that I wanted to share. My friend Laura just posted a yummy looking fall recipe on her blog, so be sure to check it out. She is also beginning a fun new things called "Tasty Tuesday", where she will post a new recipe every Tuesday. If you are looking for some new things to try, be sure to stay tuned there!

Quick Apple Dumplings:

2 medium Granny Smith apples

1 (8 count) package refrigerated crescent roll dough

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup sugar

1 cup orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup very finely chopped pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

2. Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into fourths. Unroll and separate dough. Wrap each apple section in a crescent roll. Place in dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

3. Combine butter, sugar, and orange juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over dumplings. Sprinkle pecans over top. (I usually add a little more cinnamon before putting in the oven.)

4. Bake 30 minutes or until crust is golden and beginning to bubble, and apples are just tender when pierced with a fork.

5. To serve, spoon some of the syrup left in the baking dish over dumplings. Serve with ice cream if desired. Serves 8.

Pumpkin Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 tsp. ground ginger

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup chopped nuts of choice (optional)

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Cream together softened butter and sugar until lightly fluffy.

3. Stir in eggs and pumpkin.

4. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and spices until well combined.

5. Combine dry ingredients with pumpkin mixture until well blended (less than 1 minute)

6. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment paper.

7. Bake for 15 min. (cookies will not enlarge very much. check to make sure they are done by sticking a toothpick inside one.)

Let me know if you try these and how they turn out!

Happy fall everyone!