Halloween is behind us, and the holiday season is just around the corner. I get excited for all the trappings of the season -- the gift shopping, the decorating, all the festivities, but my real love lies in stocking my kitchen with goodies for holiday baking, cooking, and entertaining. Your basics might be different than mine, but it’s time to take inventory and make a list of the things you need. Here’s my “must-haves” list to provide some inspiration.

As autumn settles in and we can feel the chill of winter coming on, I start to crave warm, comforting foods to serve on these cold days. Chili is almost always the first thing that comes to mind!

Halloween is such a fun holiday when your kids are at an age that they’re excited about it, and I’m lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that enjoys the celebration. However, trick or treat usually falls on a weeknight, and for most of us, it’s a workday as well. I always tell myself that I’m going to knock off early on this day – you know, be home early to help the kids with costumes, get my own home ready to hand out candy, and maybe I’ll have time to put my witch costume on myself! Invariably we’re invited to a gathering on the street that requires I bring a dish to share, so I’ll need time to prepare something worthy of taking.

Fall has finally arrived, which means it’s time to embrace the changing colors of the leaves, pumpkin spice, and of course, celebrate apple season! Crisp, sweet, refreshing, and a true symbol of fall, the flavor of an apple freshly picked from a tree is one of the best things on this earth. Apples also provide our bodies with lasting energy, plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. There are over 7500 varieties of apples worldwide. Some are great for eating right from the tree, others are perfect for baking, while others are praised specifically for the juice and cider they create.

We spend so much time in our kitchens preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as cleaning up afterwards. If you’re like me, I’m always looking for efficient ways to save time and anything that makes my job easier. Work smarter, not harder, right? These kitchen gadgets help simplify the processes and reduce the elbow grease spent on preparing a delicious meal. Practical and innovative, these ingenious kitchen accessories are a few of the “go-to” gadgets that make my life easier: