This weekend’s edition of Retreats… how I’m unwinding and recharging in 2.5 days flat.

When I think of fall flavors, the three that immediately pop into mind are pumpkin, apple, and maple. And when I think of delicious holidays, the clear winner for me is Thanksgiving. Combine the latter two and you have the best pie I’ve ever eaten.

I was searching for the perfect pumpkin bread recipe a few years ago and was instead lured by cookie recipes everywhere tempting me with the words "melt in your mouth". I opted out of my original idea, and justified this with my unceasing notion that not much beats a freshly baked cookie. I adapted a recipe from Better Homes & Gardens: half the granulated sugar so the (optional) addition of frosting doesn't make it sicky-sweet, filling in with brown sugar for a warmer, richer sweetness. I added ginger to mimic my grandmother's pumpkin pie recipe, and made a standard cream cheese frosting.

October graced us with both warm and crisp autumn days, brightly colored leaves, deep blue skies brought to us by dry air, and pumpkins dotting porches - all some of my favorite things about Autumn. And as Halloween draws near, I always love to see the houses in town decked out in seasonal and spooky decor, laying in wait for the annual onslaught of giggling kids in costumes stuffing bags with what is only the start of the seasonal sugar ration. Yesterday I took a stroll with Hunter down South Avenue, the main trick-or-treating drag of New Canaan, to see what folks were dressing their houses in this year...