Some autumn days seem cold, wet, and dreary…unless you put on the rain gear and walk right out into them! Or, on other days, you can wait for a break in the raindrops, then go out to enjoy the aftermath of the autumn showers. Either way, I love autumn, and I find these rainy days to be refreshing and beautiful.

When the skies are gray, and the leaves and the earth are wet, even dripping, there is a special sparkle, a shimmer, to the natural elements. I love to look at the raindrops laying on the vibrantly colored leaves. Those colors appear different against a gray sky, making a beautiful contrast against the gray gloom.

So, on a gloomy day this week, well most of the days this past week have been gloomy, I went out to see nature. Nature always makes me more alive, and helps me see the promises ahead, after the rain, when the sun returns.

Coming in from the rain, coming into our warm house, I want only a hot cup of coffee…except on those days that I want to make it even better with a fall treat I love to make, pumpkin donuts! There is no better way to warm up than to be near a hot oven, while listening to a pot of fresh coffee brewing in the pot. Did I mention I love this time of year…even when the days are cold, wet and rainy?

Autumn Pumpkin Donuts

I look forward to these donuts each autumn. They are baked, so technically, except for the sugar, they are better for us!

I always use pumpkins I have baked and pureed in my kitchen. That way I know it is only pumpkin, no squash added. But that is not the only reason…fresh, pureed pumpkin is just one of the special things that come out of the trip to the pumpkin patch each year. I also freeze pureed pumpkin for those times, maybe in spring, when I hanker for a taste of autumn past.

By the way, these donuts taste equally good after a beautiful, rain-free autumn day like the one we had today!

And while this recipe makes twelve pumpkin donuts…you will find only eleven on the plate. That is because Jim grabbed one before I got the picture taken! And I thought all the kids were grown and out of the house!