LAKE FOREST, CALIFORNIA – When the “lazy, hazy” days of summer come to a close, many families of school age children brace for the “insanely hectic” days of fall.  In addition to back-to-school, there’s also back-to-soccer, back-to-scouts, back-to-art lessons, music lessons, football, karate, and all of the myriad extra-curricular activities in which children are involved.  Between working, driving carpools and keeping up with household chores, many parents give up on the notion of cooking dinner and opt for fast food or pizza instead.

For the millions of families with food allergic children, however, the only safe option is often a home cooked meal.  But who has time to cook?

It seems that raw foods are all the rage these days, at least in health-conscious circles and for more open-minded foodies. It can be a proposition that's a bit difficult to swallow, whether you follow the guidelines in full or attempt a diet of partially raw edibles and cooked dishes, due to difficulty more than anything else. Preparing a few simple snacks such as crackers or cookies? No problem, only it will take you at least half a day to dehydrate anything to the point of approaching crispiness. Craving something comforting like meatloaf or veggie burgers? Easy enough to fix, but you may just need to hunt down rare, hard to find ingredients online.

The worst offenders, however, tend to be the desserts. Typically requiring crazy equipment, expensive ingredients, and up to two days of waiting before you can even take the first bite, it's hard for this die-hard baker to fully embrace such a diet. That doesn't mean I would snub a whole wide universe of vegan food, simply based on the concept of applying no heat above 110 degrees. Always eager to try new things, I was excited to get my hands on a promising new book called Raw for Dessert, by Jennifer Cornbleet ...

Recipes that glug back 1/2 cup of maple syrup or more do make me cringe. Who has that kind of money?! However, pure maple syrup is an indulgence that I believe everyone should enjoy ... in moderation ... and on sale. Which is why I load up when I find a fantastic maple syrup deal like this one:

Coombs Family Farms 100% Pure Maple Syrup [Organic option] for as low as $12.50 per 2 lb jug (32 ounces), delivered. Yes, that is no tax, on your doorstep, not even fifty cents to drive to the store, end price, that is it. I challenge you to find pure maple syrup for less than $6.25/lb! Use the coupon code BASCOM35, and sign up for subscribe & save (can be cancelled at any time after your order), to get the full discount (details on this page). This deal pops up once in a blue moon on Amazon, but I haven't found any rhyme or reason to the timing. All I know is that the offer expires at the end of the month (September 30, 2009), so head to the Coomb's Sale Now!

Note: I bought two jugs of the grade B, which has a richer maple flavor. If you prefer, Grade A is available for the same price. 

Do you find your tastes migrating as the summer heat dwindles? I mean, I know I will be craving hearty soups and pumpkin goodies very soon, but even my salad desires are slowly drifting.

Since we will be moving to a much cooler climate, I am sure that some warm salads will be on the horizon, but right now I guess my tastes are simply transitioning from “bright and fresh” to “comforting.” It is still 90+ degrees out, so by comforting I mean dishes like a quick quiche (recipe coming soon!) and this Chinese Chicken Salad. This is one of those simple and flavorful dishes that I have always loved, but for some reason, until now, had never, ever made at home. What a fool I have been … so delicious! As an added bonus, unlike restaurant versions of this popular salad, this one is quite low in fat, and very inexpensive to make! View the full recipe on One Frugal Foodie.

Hannah Kaminsky, author of the dessert cookbook My Sweet Vegan and talented blogger at Bittersweet, shares her childhood memories of the Jewish New Year and her new grown-up take on a celebratory dessert that is vegan (dairy-free, egg-free, and honey-free) as well as nut- and soy-free for those with food allergies:

"As a kid, my favorite part of this day would always be the traditional bowl of sliced apples placed at the center of the table, accompanied by a deep dish of amber honey. Of course, I would dive straight into the sea of gold syrup unencumbered by any of those “boring” apples, fingers knotted tightly together to shovel the sticky stuff straight into my mouth.

Having grown up a bit and matured (I hope) since then, the holiday has certainly become a less messy occasion, and instead of honey, I smother my crisp apples with agave. The thought of this simple pairing led me to contemplate other customary treats for Rosh Hashana, and it was no time before I hit upon the perfect thing to bring to dinner this year: Honey cake.