WHY FALL IS BETTER THAN SUMMER :
• Fall gives us nature’s own organic fireworks display: A typical 4th of July fireworks display lasts less than an hour. Trees show their own explosions of color over the course of several weeks.
• Harvest: Apples, cranberries, pears, squash, pumpkins and other goodies are in season. Nothing beats warm apple cider on a crisp day, or going pumpkin picking and eating pies. Plus Octoberfest beers get rolled out around this time, too. You can’t drink warm tomato cider, and there aren’t any good watermelon beers, are there?
• Your car isn’t an oven.
• The smell. Fall’s smells outnumber summer’s, and are more pleasant.
• No more “I’m bored” from the kids because the kids have returned to school. No more having to devise ways to keep them occupied. Just drop them off at school and breathe a little easier.
REASONS TO EAT MACARONI AND CHEESE _ Ask any kid and they’ll tell you mac and cheese is a year-round food. But if you had to choose a season or two when mac and cheese tastes best, it would be fall and winter. Here’s why we love mac and cheese!
• You can still eat it after you lose your teeth.
• It protects your fall if you nod off at the dinner table.
• It doesn’t taste like brussels sprouts.
• If you hold it to your ears, you can hear the wind rustling through the cheese fields.
• Even if it clogs your arteries, the blood can still flow through the little tubes.
STATE FAIR OF TEXAS FOODS _ The State Fair of Texas begins today (September 25) and it’s known for a lot of things — including the food. After months of prep and competition, the annual Big Tex Choice Awards were handed out last month and fair-goers will be able to enjoy the winning foods — and non-winning foods — in just a few days. Some of the Big Tex Choice Awards winners:
• BURGER CHOP TATER TACOS — A chopped burger patty with sautéed onions, jalapeños, and melted cheeses is served over cheddar tater tots formed into a taco shell and finished with buffalo buttermilk ranch coleslaw, garlic parmesan buffalo sauce, and additional tots.
• DICKEL’S TEXAS TWO STEP TACOS — This taco duo features one blue corn tortilla filled with a fire-roasted jalapeño stuffed with pineapple pork sausage and mozzarella, paired with a yellow corn tortilla filled with smoked brisket wrapped around a roasted jalapeño with melted mozzarella, pickled red onion, and barbecue or habanero sauce.
• FLAMIN’ CRUNCH PIZZA — Hand-tossed pizza dough is coated with a jalapeño cheddar queso base, topped with mozzarella and cheddar, and finished after baking with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, queso blanco, buffalo buttermilk ranch, and Cheetos dust.
• GOLDEN CRUNCH MELT — A grilled tortilla with a signature seasoned butter finish is packed with chicken pastor, fire-roasted peppers, caramelized onions, chipotle mayonnaise, a three-cheese blend, crispy potato strings, and a smoky chipotle crema drizzle.
• NACHO WINGS — Crispy chicken wings tossed in taco seasoning are smothered in nacho cheese, cilantro, green onions, cotija cheese, tomatoes, pickled red onions, and jalapeños over a bed of hot fries with a ranch drizzle.
