Is It Fall Yet?

I am sure that in many parts of the US, it does not come anywhere near to feeling like fall yet. I must admit, it is my favourite time of year, though, and so I hasten it's arrival whether the temperatures concur with me or not. In fact, I am a firm believer that fall is a state of the mind and kitchen!!

For that reason, I have decorated for it and started baking for it in an attempt to beckon its arrival!! One recipe that is sure to put us in a fall kind of mood is this one ~

Barb's Apple Chip Cake

1 1/4 c. oil (I use olive oil)
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts
3 c. peeled, chopped apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl combine oil, sugar and eggs. Beat until smooth. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon and beat into the wet ingredients to form a stiff batter. Add vanilla, chopped nuts and chopped apples and stir to blend. Spoon the batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bake 1 hour.

To say that it is yummy goes without saying and to say that it makes your home smell delectable is an understatement!

I have a friend who lives in another part of the world who made this recipe this weekend. Where she lives the temps indicate that fall is a long way off. She made it anyway and said that it transported her back to her childhood and a recipe her mom had often made from recollection, not from any pass-downable recipe. (Not sure if pass-downable can be found in the English language, but it seemed to fit! ;O) ) She said it brought back sweet memories and made her feel close to her mom for an evening.

That's why I love cooking and love having foods that are a family tradition. There is nothing better than taking a whiff of something, only to be transported back to another time and another place where all the cares of the world were far off and the comforts of home were wrapped securely around us!

Are you creating traditions that are special for your family? Do you have foods that represent comfort and tradition for your kids?

Why don't you light some fall candles, sprinkle some brightly coloured leaves around and get to baking? It just may be something your kids will never forget!!

ETA: Think food doesn't trigger memories? Read this note I got today from a friend who had made this cake today for someone she knew...

The cake was so good..thank you for sharing! I love to have something yummy for the patients who come over on Tuesdays...one patient tasted the cake and started to cry...she said her sister (who passed away recently from cancer) used to make her apple cake every year for her birthday...she hasn't had it since.
It's amazing how food brings out memories and feelings of special people and things... thank you for sharing the recipe and allowing that wonderful cake to touch Carol's heart.