My seed-y habit...

What's for dinner?

Whether it's advertising or changing seasons, I tend to be a highly-suggestible eater. On winter days, I relish root vegetables, roasted with a good olive oil and simply seasoned with salt and cracked pepper. In the spring, soups chock full of leeks and other delicious greens catch my fancy. Come summer, I crave the crunch of jicama and the fresh flavor of fruit salads tossed with minty citrus dressings.

In the fall, I get a hankering for some, shall we say, less-normal, but equally seasonal, goodies. My odd cravings include mellowcreme pumpkins and roasted pumkin seeds. With Halloween gone, I'm over the former, but the latter has a firm grip on me. I've been popping pumpkin seeds for the last week now.

Not into my seed-y scene? That's OK. Try this recipe using the meat of the pumpkin instead: Penne with Pumpkin Sauce. I plan to make it tonight, although I'll probably omit the red pepper (I know my palate, and I don't think that's a good combo for me) and kick up the seasoning a bit.

It's reminiscent of the phenomenal pumpkin ravioli with brown butter-sage sauce I had at my wedding reception in 2005 at Sammy's in the Flats in Cleveland. It was so good that family and friends are still talking about it! I doubt it will be as luxurious as what we had that February night, but it might come close enough to bring back some good memories.

Best dishes...