Official Declaration of Fall by a Native Virginian

We moved to Houston in early September, and I fully anticipated that we would have a few weeks of heat and humidity before fall began. But, I didn't anticipate that 90 degree temperatures would last into October. My four year old has learned the definition of humid and uses the word appropriately on a regular basis (as in, "Mommy, I am grumpy because it is so humid").

I keep telling myself that upper 80 degree Octobers are the price you pay for 60 degree winters, palm trees, and year 'round flip flops. But, I miss those crisp autumn East Coast mornings. I miss cranking up the seat warmers. I miss the bright red maple tree located just outside my former Metro station.

This week, I found myself asking everyone,"Is this normal weather for this time of year?" I've received a variety of responses. My kid's teachers both confirmed that this is normal. The checkout guy at Target today  said this is to be expected. The lady in line behind me at Target also said this is typical as did the native Houstonian I asked at Jazzercise. In fact, it's only the UPS delivery guy that said this is unusually warm weather for October. Since he works outside all day, I'm hoping he's correct.

Regardless, I have decided to declare fall. My family picked pumpkins last week. My children have been doing Halloween-related crafts after school. This weekend, our entire family is headed to the family farmland to paint pumpkins. So today, in anticipation of our weekend gathering, I'm pulling out all the stops. I'm making Pumpkin Squares.

To make Pumpkin Squares, you need this:

Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter is simply divine and can be used in numerous recipes, as evidenced by the Muirhead website. You can either purchase the pumpkin butter from Muirhead directly or pick up a few jars at William Sonoma. According to the Muirhead website, the Pumpkin Square recipe was actually invented by William Sonoma. These treats are very easy to make and are always popular. They can even be served on Thanksgiving instead of, or in addition to, the traditional pumpkin pie.

I've provided the recipe below. Enjoy! Here's to hoping that by baking Pumpkin Squares today, fall will arrive soon in Houston!

Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix (set aside 1 cup)
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, large
1 jar of Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Divide yellow cake mix, placing all but one cup in a mixing bowl. Stir the melted butter and one egg into the cake mix. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9X13 inch pan.
3. Mix the jar of pumpkin butter with two eggs and milk. Pour this over the cake mix.
4. Stir the reserved cup of cake mix with the flour, sugar, softened butter, and cinnamon. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over the pumpkin layer.
5. Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Cool. Cut into 2 inch squares. Serves 24

Recipe credit: William Sonoma