Yesterday I bought a small baking pumpkin and two bags of cranberries.  I haven't yet decided what to do with the pumpkin; I will probably chop it in half and roast it in the oven with some spices and brown sugar.  I started the cranberry madness with a simple jello salad.  Here is my somewhat vague recipe:

1 pkg .3 oz raspberry jello
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped cranberries

Prepare the jello according to the directions on the package.  Stir in the pineapple and cranberries.  Hey, guess what?  Cranberries float.  What to do about that?  Well, let the jello sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two (until it starts to thicken) and then stir it up.  Chill for a few hours until the jello is set.  

If you're feeling adventurous you could also add in some chopped walnuts.  Or chopped celery.  Or use cherry jello instead.  This is just a basic recipe so do your own thing.  

Another thing I've been making is yogurt.  Yogurt definitely isn't just for fall, but since this is a post about cooking and food I thought I'd write about it anyway.  Last year I bought a yogurt making from William Sonoma, and it has become one of my favorite kitchen appliances.  Yogurt is easy to make and much healthier than the fruit flavored yogurts in the grocery store.  I like to make the yogurt plain then add honey, jam, or nuts on top right before eating.  I prefer middle eastern style yogurt, which is very thick and tart.  It took some trial and error to get the consistency right.  The secret is to heat up the milk more slowly and cook it in the yogurt maker for a longer time.  Instead of heating up the milk over medium-high heat like the instructions say, I used medium heat.  Wait for it to foam up right before boiling.  Definitely don't let it boil!  It will rapidly foam up and spill over the edges of the pot and make a mess in your kitchen.  Using a higher fat content in the milk will make a thicker yogurt, but will also probably give you a thicker waistline too.  I used 2% milk and cooked it for 10 hours (instead of the suggested 9 hours).  What did I get?  Perfectly thick and tart yogurt.  

If you want to make some lebne (or labneh, depending on how spell the english translation), pour some yogurt onto several layers of wet cheesecloth and gather it up into a bundle and secure with a rubber band.  Or make a muslin bag if you plan to do this often.  Let it sit in a bowl in the fridge for a few hours.  Every hour or so pour out the liquid that has accumulated in the bowl.  Perfect on top of kousa, or kibbe, or just eaten with a spoon.

Happy cookinng and happy Fall!!