The sound of crunching leaves underneath my feet.

The scent of a burning fire.

Warm afternoons; chilly evenings.

The last of the fading crickets chirping into the night.

These are just some of the things I love about fall. My favorite season brings with it football games, chili, and the auburn light of an earlier sunset

After a long, hot, humid Midwest summer, folks in these parts look forward to crisp days, blue skies, and better hair days.

And food.

Oh my! Don’t you just love the smell of hot apple cider simmering on the stove or a hearty beef stew cooking in the oven? Or how about a warm apple pie made with just-picked apples from the orchard?

Can you tell I love food?! There’s just nothing better than gathering around a table with good friends and family to celebrate all things fall.

So this month, rather than deep mother/daughter thoughts, I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite fall recipes. It’s one of those super-easy recipes that my mom would call a “plunk-and-dump”—you just plunk the ingredients into a bowl, stir them together, and dump them into a pan. It’s that easy, really!

Grab your daughter and give this one a try together!

Pumpkin Squares

4 eggs

1 2/3 C. sugar

1 can pureed pumpkin (15 oz.)

1 C. vegetable oil

2 C. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

A dash of ginger, nutmeg, or cloves, if desired (I use the ginger and nutmeg)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. In a second mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and other spices. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Pour batter into an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Or pour batter into a 9×13 pan and bake for 25-35 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, very soft

1 stick butter, very soft

2 t. vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and blend. Add powdered sugar and blend. Add cinnamon and blend. Spread over cooled cake.

If you’d like a printed copy of this recipe, you can click here. If you’d like to peruse other recipes that I’ve featured on my blog, click here.