Autumn. It’s the time of year for cooler weather, football, and social get-togethers around a campfire. The holidays are quickly approaching, and our thoughts begin to turn to festive and tasty fall foods. With harvest winding down there are plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables available for fall cooking, and special foods like pumpkins, cranberries and pomegranates are only available this time of year. Sure - our thoughts are already wandering to the Thanksgiving table with its traditional and fine array of fall favorites. But you don’t have to wait! Take a gander as some these fall dishes and try them out before the holidays to help you decide whether to offer them to the Thanksgiving crowd or not.  After all, half the fun is the getting there! Pine Nut Chicken & Vegetables 4 chicken breasts (boneless) 2 stalks celery, chopped 1/2 to 1 green pepper, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1/4 cup butter Lemon pepper Mrs. Dash seasoning Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and lay in a buttered, 9 1/2 x 11-inch baking dish. Dice and saute celery, green pepper and onion in butter. Pour vegetables over chicken; sprinkle with pine nuts or almond slivers; add seasonings. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve over wild rice. Easy and delicious. Fall Fruit Salad 1 pkg. ground, raw cranberries 3 cups miniature marshmallows 3/4 cup sugar 2 cups cut-up tart apples, unpeeled 1/2 cup broken nuts 1 cup grapes 1 cup sour cream Combine first 3 ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate for 12 hours. Add remaining ingredients. blend well and refrigerate. Serves 8. Fall Pumpkin Bread 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup shortening 2 lg. eggs 1 (16 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) 1 cup pitted prunes, chopped 1 (4 oz.) can walnuts (1 c.), chopped Add all ingredients and mix well. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until bread pulls away from sides of pan. A toothpick inserted into center of bread should come out clean. Fall Tuna Patties 1 med. zucchini, grated/dried on paper towels 1 (6 oz.) can tuna, drained & flaked 3 slices bread, cubed 1 egg 2 tsp. grated onion 1 tsp. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper Mix all ingredients with hands. Shape into 2-3" patties. Bake at 350 degrees on foil for 30 minutes. Peach-Cranberry Pie 1 pkg. yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines) 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 2 sticks butter, softened 1/2 cup nuts 1 (21 oz.) peach pie filling 1 can whole cranberry sauce Combine dry cake mix, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Set aside. Combine pie filling and cranberry sauce in ungreased 13 x 9 pan. Mix well. Sprinkle crumb mixture over fruit. Bake 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve with Cool Whip or ice cream. Butter Nut Squash-Sweet Potato Bisque 1 (2 pound) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into large chunks 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 1 onion, peeled and chopped 1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 1/2 quarts water, or amount to cover 1 cup plain yogurt, or amount desired (optional) salt and ground black pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Place the squash, sweet potatoes, onion, ginger, and garlic in a large pot. Pour in enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring to simmer over medium heat, and cook until vegetables are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Place soup in batches into a blender or the bowl of a food process. Pulse until smooth. Return soup to pot, and whisk in yogurt. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If necessary, reheat soup over low heat, but do not allow to boil. Sausage, Apple, Cranberry Stuffing 1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread 3 3/4 cups cubed white bread 1 pound ground turkey sausage 1 cup chopped onion 3/4 cup chopped celery 2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped 3/4 cup dried cranberries 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley 1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped 3/4 cup turkey stock 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl. In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosely fill. Hot Spiced Cranberry Cider 6 cups apple cider 5 cups Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar 4 cinnamon sticks 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves 3/4 lemon, thinly sliced Add apple cider, cranberry juice cocktail, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and lemon slices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove cinnamon, cloves, and lemon slices with a slotted spoon. Serve hot.