Fall

Fall is when my kitchen finally gets to exhale. The produce that comes into season — apples, pears, squash, sweet potatoes, cranberries — practically writes the menu for me, and the cooking shifts from light and bright to warm and deeply satisfying. This is the season I cook most, and it shows.

For weeknight dinners, the Stovetop Butternut Squash Soup and Dumplings and One-Pan Roasted Chicken and Winter Vegetables are my most-reached-for recipes when the temperature drops. When it’s time to slow down and actually cook, Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli and Lamb Shepherd’s Pie with Red Wine Gravy are the recipes that make the whole house smell like fall.

Fall desserts deserve their own moment. The Spiced Pear Cobbler, Mini Apple Pies, and Slow Cooker Bourbon Apple Butter are all built around the season’s best fruit. And if you make one thing from this collection, make the Apple Cinnamon Rolls — they’re the recipe that officially kicks off fall in my house.