We’re neck deep in pumpkin spice season, and I consider that a fairly scary theme for this week as we approach Halloween, so here are some tips to help you get through the season without flushing your blood system with pumpkin-related recipes.

1. Bake in Season!
Everyone’s been having a conniption over pumpkins over the past couple of months, subsequentially killing the hype before autumn even began, but an easy way to revive the excitement of fall is by baking up delicious, non-pumpkin things! Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Seasonal Produce Guide, all of the fruits and veggies are mapped out by the season they’re harvested in and there is, in fact, more to fall than squash. Apples are in season for a classic apple pie or raspberries for a tart cobbler, or lemons and cranberries for a zesty flavor combo to make any muffin magnificent–anything goes! The types of casseroles you can make with the available veggies are endless too; green bean casserole, chicken casserole with fresh mushrooms and onions. Even those grody kale chips everyone pretends to like are up for grabs, and since they’re in season they’re likely in abundance, therefore cheaper!

2. ALWAYS roast your nuts!
I don’t care what kind of nut it is or what it is you’re making; banana bread, almond biscotti, maple-glazed pecan chicken, walnut-chocolate chips–whatever. ALWAYS. ROAST. YOUR. NUTS. You are underserving your dish if you are not tapping into the bridled, buttery-toasty notes nuts add to the dish when they are roasted rather than raw. I also don’t care how you do it; over the stovetop on low heat for 5-10 minutes works great for me, especially with a sprinkle of sea salt to balance the mixture. You can also roast them in the oven before baking with them (they also store pretty great in either the freezer or refrigerator). But if you have nuts embedded in a crumble mixture topping, say a cobbler, then leave the nuts to roast themselves while they’re baking since they’re in direct contact with the oven’s heat. The best part is the mixture usually has butter and brown sugar loosely incorporated, giving the surrounding nuts the perfect ingredients to caramelize themselves without any extra effort!
3. A dollop of sour cream
And finally, a little tip from my mom to add moisture wherever it is needed: add 1/2 cup of sour cream. I add this to every dessert loaf I make and it has yet to fail me. This measurement is suggested for a batch of about 4-5 smaller loaves or 2-3 bigger ones, and you can adjust the amount as needed. Other viable substitutes include Greek yogurt and– don’t gag– mayonnaise. If I’m too lazy to go back out and get the sour cream I almost always forget, my go-to is mayo simply because of the fat content’s effect on the moisture of the bread. It DOES NOT affect the taste, I promise. It may be a little difficult to incorporate but go easy with the hand mixer or whisk and it’ll be worth the moisture boost.