Autumn Pleasures

I love the cooler weather and the turning of the leaves. Some of my favorite autumn pleasures include fires in the fireplace, apple cider or hot chocolate, and chocolate chip pumpkin muffins. I just made a double batch of muffins which makes about 50, plenty for my family and to share with friends. Our home is saturated with the smells of pumpkin and spices. Yum!

Another of my favorite autumn pleasures is reading. I have a stack of books waiting in my bookshelf headboard (every book lover should have one), each one beckoning. One book I'm looking especially forward to reading is The Secret Diary of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James who wrote the fantastic The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. I know some who feel no one should attempt to write anything remotely pretending to be Charlotte Bronte or Jane Austen and oftentimes I feel the same way. But in the very capable hands of Syrie James such an attempt is well worth reading. I'll let you know what I think of her newest book once I've read it.

I hope this post finds you doing well and enjoying the scents, sights and feel of autumn. Thank you so much for your letters and notes. I love hearing from you. I'm sending well wishes for a Happy Autumn along with a recipe for some yummy hot cocoa (an autumn and winter favorite):

Easiest-Ever Hot Cocoa Recipe

4 cups powdered milk
2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa

Mix all of the ingredients together. Scoop out 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the hot cocoa mix and add to 8 ounces of hot water. Stir. Add some whipping cream or marshmallows and enjoy. Stores beautifully for a cup of cocoa on demand.