Fall is absolutely, hands down, my favorite time of year. The infernal heat of summer transferring its intensity to the blazing leaves of the trees. Harvest festivals, apple cider, farm field trips, pumpkin carving, cool mountain hikes, Halloween, Thanksgiving.
One of my favorite fall events is the perfect trifecta that is All Hallowed’s Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. My son thinks there’s nothing better than a holiday that allows him to hack into pumpkins, dress up in a scary costume, and stay up late to wander the neighborhoods collecting an enormous bag of candy.
After all of that excitement, our family spends the next day in the cozier activity of baking bread. Pan de Muerto to be exact. There’s just something about baking bread. And baking bread in the shape of a skull is, apparently, kid nirvana. For me, I’ve found bread baking to be the perfect way to commemorate a holy day which, in our culture at least, is not widely celebrated. It’s an all day activity, and each time we go back to the dough, my mind is brought back to the importance of the day. It’s become one of my favorite fall traditions.
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| Pan de Muerto 2009 |
