This post was written by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc, author of Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice.
I live in the Northeastern part of the United States, and the leaves have just started to change color. The windows at my house are open, and during the day a pleasant breeze wafts through. The nights are cool, and in the mornings I wake up cozily wrapped in my blankets. It’s only mid-September, not even the first day of fall yet, and I’m already looking forward to local fall events.
As cliché as it may be, one of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. Just like Lucy in Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice, I am fortunate enough to live close to many apple orchards. As odd as it may sound, the actual apple picking isn’t what I look forward to the most. Don’t get me wrong, I delight in pulling fresh apples from the trees, adding them to the growing collection in my bag, sampling one or two along the way. But what I love even more is the drive to the orchards: over rolling hills, bordered by trees with leaves in every hue and shade of orange, red, yellow, and brown. I love the crisp air, the smell in the air, the late-afternoon sky, the overall warm, cozy feeling of fall. I also love all the desserts and treats sold at the orchard stores: apple crisp, apple muffins, apple cake, apple butter, apple cider, apple pie. And, my absolute favorite (and one of Lucy’s favorites)–apple cider donuts. I know, also not very original, but I challenge you not to find yourself in heaven as you bite into a warm apple cider donut. Is your mouth watering yet? How about now: imagine dipping that donut into a pumpkin spice latte. Lucy would be appalled, but I can’t think of a more perfect fall treat.
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Another one of my favorite fall activities is my town’s pumpkin festival, and it inspired me to write about the fall festival in Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice. There isn’t any sort of dessert contest at my pumpkin festival, but there is…pumpkin pie. Delicious, creamy, you-don’t-want-it-to-end pumpkin pie. In the book, Lucy makes a pumpkin pie for the contest, and I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ll say that the pie is so good she finds herself wondering if the pie could somehow be turned into a pumpkin spice latte. Just like in the book, my festival is full of live music, and that same sense of wonder and excitement. Excitement, because Halloween is just around the corner, and wonder, because while I can’t speak for everyone, I think sometimes we forget just how spectacular fall is until we’re experiencing the magic of the season.
Get your copy of Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc here.