Falling for Autumn

Typically, I mourn the anticipation of autumn. To me, fall means shorter days, milder sun, and saying farewell to the lazy days of summer. But every year, when October trickles into my calendar, I have to smile at the crisper air, falling leaves (OK, OK, I know there are no leaves of any kind in LA. But I just got back from DC, so don't ruin my fantasy), and scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sage in the air. This year is no different. It's FALL, and for the first time, I couldn't be happier!

Here are some ideas for you to help you enjoy the early autumn season as much as I am:

1. Nibble on the flavors of fall by making Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.
2. Did you know? The Halloween custom of bobbing for apples began as a Celtic matchmaking game. The first person to bite into an apple was deemed the next to marry. So have your single friends over and bob away!
3. Indulge your inner Martha and make a festive fall centerpiece.
4. Sip on this month's featured drink at Starbucks: the Maple Macchiato.
5. Make Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Grapes and Sage, one of my favorite fall side dishes. Or, toss it with pasta and chicken for a main course and serve with.....
6. Eberle 2004 Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvingnon is a full-bodied and flavorful fall wine. Pick a bottle up at your local wine store for $17.

Young, Broke, Drunk, and Fabulous

Though we would all love to indulge in a bottle of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild Grand Cru Bordeaux every night, most twenty- or thirty- something Angelenos need better jobs, or at least cheaper rents, before this will ever be the case. Therefore, in an effort to find the most perfect and budget-friendly beverage out there, host an evening of wine tasting that will cost you less than would one glass at any LA restaurant (OK, OK, except for World Cafe from 4-7 daily!)

So here's the deal: You provide appetizers, and have your friends play sommelier by bringing a bottle or two of their favorite wine -- red, white, or champagne -- but it must be under $5 per bottle. The idea is to try as many different wines as possible.

Set up all of the wines on a table or bar, along with enough glasses for a crowd (with wine markers so no one loses track of his or her glass.) Then make scorecards like the one to the right to keep track of everyone's opinions, so that even when the night, and your memories of it, are over--your research is recorded forever!


Here are a few ideas--though by no means are a complete list. The more wines, and the more creative, the better!

Vitavin Egri Bikavér Bull's Blood of Eger 2002
$3.50-$6 wherever wines are sold.

Le Grotte Reggiano Lambrusco NV
$4.50 at Trader Joe's

Yellow Tail Pinot Grigio 2005
$4.95 at Albertson's

Moreau Blanc
$3.99 at Trader Joe's

Columbia Crest Columbia Valley Gewürztraminer 2002 and 2004
$4.99 (on sale) at Albertson's