Oh, man.

Mulled apple cider, the smell of burning leaves, touch football -- what isn't there to like about fall?

[Editor's Note: Or, as the Pasta Burner calls it, "the last few days while it's still not winter."]

It's a great season, especially for those of us in the Northeast. One of my favorite things about the season are the preponderance of apple festivals around the region -- but it's not the apples that I'm excited about. You see, where there's apple festivals, there's kettle corn; delicious, hot, just slightly sticky-sweet kettle corn.

The big secret, however, is that you don't have to wait for the whims of Mennonites to enjoy this delicious fall snack. Do you have five minutes and a pot that has a lid? Oh, good. Let's get cooking.

There are few things that mean "fall" to me more than ginger snaps. In particular, Sweetzel's Spiced Wafers, the birthright of any southeastern Pennsylvania child, are specifically responsible for my Pavlovian response.

[Editor's Note: Ivins' Spiced Wafers, another Pennsylvania classic, are a fine choice as well.]

I can remember eating giant stacks of them with glasses of hot apple cider at both my grandparents' houses; the best ones were those that were just a little stale, when they'd lose their snap and get just a little chewy. Due to my love of the wafers (particularly the soft ones), I've been trying to develop a good Molasses-Ginger Cookie recipe of my own, combining and enhancing my favorite parts of the original.

Well, I think I've done it. These cookies not only provide that great chewy texture, they turn the volume way up on the spice level -- the distinct, peppery "heat" that will be sure to win the heart of the ginger-lover in your life.

I'm very proud of these -- dare I say it, I might even prefer them to the original.

Two quick notes before we begin this week's post!

First, thanks go out to eagle-eyed reader Sarah Y. for catching an error in our last post. In the description of how to melt the chocolate, the text originally read to melt down "one stick of butter per 12 ounces of chocolate." It should have read "1/2 of a stick of butter per 12 ounces." The correction has been made to the page, hopefully soon enough to save all of you from runny chocolate and unnecessary coronary episodes.

Second, we couldn't help but notice that, six days after our own recipe for Grilled Lamb Chops with Sun-Dried Tomato Chimichurri went live, the New York Times ran this remarkably similar recipe. We here at Burning Pasta don't assume that Ms. Clark or any other NYT staffers read this page, but we do love a good coincidence.

On to this week's post!

Candy-making can be intimidating, it's true. No one likes struggling with molten sugar and thermometers, and, all too often, what ends up being produced at home still isn't up to the quality and craftsmanship of store-bought treats.

And yet, there are a few quick treats that are, relatively speaking, painless to create, and which look as (if not more) attractive than their professionally-made cousins. Today's recipe falls into both of those categories, and it's incredibly versatile to boot.

The techniques and shortcuts I'm going to present today aren't particularly revolutionary, at least in candy-making circles. That being said, they're not well-known by most home cooks. Consider today's post a way to acquire a handy ability, a way to develop yet another skill you'll be able to call upon in the kitchen. Let's get to it.

I have, putting it mildly, an ice cream problem.

There's always a half-dozen pints in the fridge, and, on more than one night, I've been known to head back to the kitchen for multiple servings; I'm waiting for the day when my pores leak egg yolks and cream. For someone who supposedly has "no sweet tooth," my attitude towards ice cream presents a contradiction at 32 degrees F, a paradox comprised of Pistachio and Butter Pecan.

To my credit, those two above flavors are among my favorites, along with other varieties on the less-sweet side of the scale: Peanut Butter, Vanilla Bean, Rum Raisin, Green Tea. More importantly, when I break out the ice cream maker to create my own recipes, I use very little sugar; I want people to enjoy the taste of each individual element.

Recently, I've been on a kick to incorporate more savory flavors into sweet dishes; to expand the idea of what dessert should be, to investigate great ways to finish a meal and still challenge and stimulate the palate. A little sweet, a little salty, but all delicious, this is one dish that will keep your guests guessing. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think in the comments.

What isn't better pickled? And why don't more people ask themselves that question?

Kosher dills, bread & butters, sweet gherkins, or cornichons -- the appearance of those jarred delights is a certain sign that summer has arrived. That being said, too many people limit themselves to cucumbers alone. Even the most adventurous pickle mavens end their pursuit in the world of vegetables -- a couple cloves of garlic here, a handful of carrots there.

What they might not realize is that fruits, as well, make delightful candidates for vinegar baths; the sweet and sour result ends up as a delightful addition to both sugary and savory preparations alike.

One of my favorites is the pickled freestone peach, well spiced, more than a bit sour, and addictively delicious. Believe me; you'll wonder how you ever lived without them.