Here in Iowa fall has hit. Hard. Oh wait, did I say fall? I mean it’s so cold I used to be a man but this wind went back in time and froze my bits off. Ok, so it’s not that bad, but it is spicy hot apple cider weather, yummy soup weather, and… pumpkin weather!

Recipes we’re loving right now:

• Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Bars: More cake than bar, these were a crowd-pleaser. Took them about 8 minutes longer to cook than the recipe called for though. Includes a great cream cheese frosting recipe! Warning - it’s a Paula Deen recipe. ‘Nuf said.
• Black Bean Soup: I made a ton of this and froze it. The first batch went in the crockpot yesterday morning, and was served for dinner last night with cheese and sour cream, with fresh baked bread on the side. It was thick and yummy, with just enough kick - and even the kids ate it! You could easily make this hotter by using a spicier salsa or adding green chilis. Corn would be good to sneak in there too.

This past Saturday we finally carved our jack o’ lanterns. Or not - Boy-o was fine with the gutting, but cut holes in his precious pumkin? How dare you even think it? Nonetheless, getting together with friends to eat chili and get orange and sticky is always a good time. Queenie, of course, does love to pose.

Oh, and if anyone was watching the Channel 8 news at 10pm coverage of the Bettendorf Halloween Parade this year… Yes! That was our Queenie being interviewed! Sadly, the station has not put the footage on their website. That’s twice Queenie has been on the news, and once in the paper… It makes me wonder if she’s going to get more than 15 minutes…