10 food-related reasons why I love autumn

10. Fresh nuts from the shell using a nutcracker. ‘Tis the season.

9. Oktoberfest!

8. Roasted vegetables: I always feel like I get an extra boost of beta-carotene during fall.

7. Mother Nature’s broad-strokes of gold, crimson and orange, along with the harvest moon, are all vibrant reminders of the earth’s bounty.

6. The aroma of chimney smoke makes city streets smell like the country, which also reminds me where our food grows.

5. Halloween candy! And caramel apples!

4. Summer’s over and winter’s not yet here. Now’s the time to ride the wave of nature’s most soulful season. Sure, there’s pumpkin and other squash. But think about larger joints of meat, or birds and stuffing, oily fish like sardines and mackerel, and seasonal cakes and pies (pumpkin, pecan, apple and the like). It’s like the holidays, minus the extra fat and humiliating office Xmas party PDAs.

3. I find the colour-burst of trees so breathtaking that I’m almost afraid to drive (I’m easily distracted.) So I walk a lot, in the cool temps with a warm fleece under a blue sky. And then I reward myself with a great latte and fresh-baked treat from one of my area coffee shops.

2. Roasted chestnuts.

1. Time to make the switch from G&Ts back to red wine!

Coffee crawl finale: The Noshers have their say

To finish off the National Nosh's month-long investigative journalism series on independently owned coffee shops that are walking distance from my house, I present the following cross-Canada options, as suggested by enthusiastic followers of the Nosh (Noshheads? Noshers?) This is actually a photo of a great cafe in Tel Aviv, which just goes to show that the appeal of an afternoon coffee translates everywhere. 

Victoria: A new addition to the city's serious coffee culture, Street Level Espresso's hot bevies are served with a glass of house-carbonated water to cleanse the palate. Habit Cafe and Culture, next to Mole on Pandora, is exactly what it sounds like.

Vancouver: Even thought Caffe Artigiano has been on a bit of an expansion blitz, quality has not faltered. And the last time I was there my latte foam artist drew a fairly accurate depiction of a monkey in a turban in my milk suds. At Cafe Medina you'd be a fool not to order a wee, sweet Belgian waffle with your cappuccino.  

Toronto: Balzac's boasts industrial chic surrounds and house-roasted beans. Great almond croissants too (they're also in Stratford). The Pantry actually carries Balzac's coffee, and you can also stock up on potted foie and fancy jams, or grab a fresh steak and Gorgonzola sandwich to go. 

Ottawa: Planet Coffee's boho clientele in the Byward Market isn't enough to stop one from enjoying their lemon cake, while Bridgehead is all about organic, shade-grown, fairly traded coffees, teas, healthier snacks and cool surrounds.

Montreal: For many Noshers, Olive et Gourmando is your all-star cafe in Canada. Mine too. 

Halifax: In a city overrun with Timmy's and Second Cups, Steve-O-Reno's is a beacon in the morning mist. But when I lived there my regular stomping ground was the Trident. I still long for their outsize lattes, homemade iced tea and oat cakes. 

If I didn't mention your favourite cafe in your hometown, I'm sorry, but it's because you didn't write in. That's how that works. 

Please note: I will be out of town on assignment for a couple of days, so recipe Monday will most likely be Recipe Tuesday next week. Have a great weekend! 

Toronto's best chocolate chip cookie

Heads up: This is the second last entry in our groundbreaking Coffee Crawl series. Next week, you, the readers, speak. Send your picks for favourite coffee shops where you live (and say why you love them) and we'll print them here.

So, I was strolling along a side street, en route to an afternoon latte at Ella's Uncle, a cute little grab 'n go coffee shop on Dundas Street, with sunny windows, a checkerboard floor, and something good always coming out of the oven. On the way there I see this kid walking towards me and think, "What a Michael Cera wannabe." But then, upon closer inspection, he turned out to be the real McCoy. And let me tell you: Cera definitely wears his own clothing in his movie roles. In fact, I think he was wearing one of the exact same outfits he wore in Superbad. 

Anyhow, I was just out for my latte fix, but as I went to pay the coffee guy I noticed these incredible-looking cookies under the glass cake dome.

"Are those chocolate chip?" I ask.

"They sure are," he smiles. "Just came out of the oven a half hour ago."

Sold! All-butter, with a crisp bottom, burnished edges, a dense centre full of melting chocolate, and all at not too sinful a size -- it made my day.

But I had to make sure it wasn't a fluke. So, fast-forward to later that week, I return to Ella's Uncle for another smooth organic latte and one more round of those killer cookies. I notice some oatmeal raisin, a couple of fruity looking scones, peanut butter cookies, but no chocolate chip. I am crestfallen. Crestfallen! 

"Um, don't you have any chocolate chip cookies today?" I ask, hopefully.

"We sure do," he points to a cookie sheet cooling in the open kitchen behind him. "Fresh from the oven."

Okay, it's declaration time: I hereby crown Ella's Uncle's cookies to be the new chocolate chip cookie kings of Toronto. Le Gourmand, your oversized cookies, riddled as they are with chocolate chunks, an almost raw centre and toasty exterior, have had a good run. But it's time to pass the torch. 

Latte: $2.75, cookie, $1.50

Pro: They have Ovaltine!

Con: There are a handful of stools, an al fresco bench and even free WiFi, but it's not really a space that encourages hang time. 

The Coffee Crawl: Part 3

In this, the third installment in our groundbreaking five-part series, which involves me visiting independently owned coffee shops that are walking distance from my house -- I stop by a newbie called the White Squirrel Coffee Shop. 

My hopes are high for the place because until recently, co-owner David Ginsberg was one of the guys behind Aunties & Uncles, which still remains one of my all-star brunch spots. 

The White Squirrel's bi-level space is beautifully designed, all sunlight and communal tables with a focal point wall-sized Toronto Archives city map, which will come in handy should you decide to take advantage of a springtime stroll downtown, or some fun in the expansive Trinity Bellwoods Park, right across the street. 

While the White Squirrel has lots of homemade, affordable snacks, including lemony cornmeal muffins, mandelbroit (AKA Jewish biscotti), giant gingersnap cookies, brownies, crusty sandwiches and cupcake-sized crustless stratas (like a wee quiche), "I want to be known as a coffee shop first," says Ginsberg. To that end, lattes are made from fair trade organic beans; a custom blend that Ginsberg devised, consisting of four different beans making for a medium dark roast. It's all smooth and nuanced and tastes like coming home.

Afternoons bring additional baked pick-me-ups; some days it could be empanadas, others, whole wheat pizzas. There are also 10 flavours of Greg's ice cream on tap, and with the coffee shop's location being spitting distance from the park, well, the whole Greg's thing is a bit of genius. After all, explains Ginsberg, "Now that summer's almost here, we have the biggest patio in the city."

Lattes: $3.25, Cornmeal muffin: $1.50

Pro: Tasty snacks and ice cream and you can't beat the location.

Con: The framed photos of the cafe's namesake albino squirrels of the Trinity Bellwoods park, are somewhat disconcerting. 

Coffee Crawl: Part 2

In our continuing series on small, independently owned coffee shops that are walking distance from my house, today we pay a visit to Ezra's Pound. 

Brand new to my 'hood, while the other location has become a favourite place to meet my uptown friends on Dupont, Ezra's Pound is a coffee joint with a conscience. Namesake owner Ezra Braves has designed the inviting space, all sunny Dundas-facing picture windows and Bellwoods corner patio, using lots of salvaged pieces. Take-away items are served in paper or non-toxic, biodegradable cups and packaging. Their cleaning products are all-natural. Eat in, and your water is Toronto's finest, served in reclaimed glass bottles. It's all spelled out on the chalkboard behind the counter: Ezra's, 99.5% All natural, recyclable, compostable, organic. "My big thing is, if you make garbage, you should be responsible for it," says Braves.

The lattes, complete with pretty foam art, are the opposite of garbage: The beans are Ezra's own roast, and for my money, are the city's best. He uses a pesticide-free bird-friendly source that is just one step removed from the farmer. "We're not hiding behind a label that's been produced by a third party," he says. "We know the guys." And his Faema E61, "is the machine from which all other machines were cut." 

As for snacks, the food is mostly organic and includes continental breakfasts, salads and baked goodies like dense chocolate tarts and wild blueberry scones. All-butter croissants pop out of the oven every morning, still warm when regulars start streaming in.

Small lattes $3.71, croissants $2.62

Pros: Addictive coffee and croissants. Easy on the earth and the eyes.

Con: A little pricer than most. But I don't mind paying a bit extra for piece of mind. 

Convenience is not a four-letter word

Did I ever say I was against convenience foods? Because I'm not. Far from it.

In fact, just the other day I was holding up a canister while thinking, "Now thaaaat's convenience." Toaster strudel? Convenient! Curry sauce in a jar? Convenient! Having someone else grind the coffee beans, pull the espresso and steam milk for my afternoon latte? Convenient! 

What's not so convenient is waiting in line at Starbucks for 10 minutes and then being rewarded with an often mediocre product. Which is why, a couple of years ago, I made the switch to small, unique independently owned coffee shops for my afternoon constitutional -- a half hour or so when I take a break from my home office and venture out into the greater world to watch birds and squirrels and sip a hot beverage. 

As a happy offshoot, I've made some friends along the way, but more importantly, the lattes and snacks are way better than Starbucks. (Can you feel an announcement coming on?) And so, it is with great pleasure that I announce my first annual Coffee Crawl, whereby I visit a different downtown purveyor of coffee and snacks once a week for the next month or so, and then tell you all about it. Check back on Wednesday for my first stop.

But for now, enjoy the convenience of this fast and tasty dinner.

STUFFED PASTA AND VEGETABLES

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 package President's Choice Veneto Pumpkin Triangoli (or other stuffed pasta you like or have on hand)

about a cup of green beans

some leftover roasted butternut squash (or almost any other vegetable you like and have on hand)

3 Tbsp butter

freshly grated Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Put water on to boil for the pasta.

Tip beans, rinse with water, and then put them in a bowl, cover, and microwave for a minute. Cut beans in half. (I used beans here because I wanted some healthy, green crunch and had them on hand. Asparagus would also be lovely right now. Toasted nuts are another bright idea.)

Add salt to boiling pot of water, and add pasta, cooking as per package directions, usually about 4 minutes for fresh stuffed pasta. 

Warm up cubes of roasted squash in microwave.

Drain cooked pasta in a colander and while it's draining, add butter to pot. Heat on low until butter foams, then toss in pasta, coat with butter, then add beans and squash and gently mix together. Season with salt and pepper and a mitt-full of Parmesan.