Red lentil and pumpkin soup

I saw this recipe in the November issue of Cooking Light and the lentil-pumpkin combination really appealed to me. I have always enjoyed lentil soup and the addition of pumpkin just seemed like it would work well. I ended up making this soup for dinner tonight and was really happy with it. This is a great soup for fall/winter - it's healthy, filling, and flavorful, and also happens to be quick and easy to make. The pumpkin adds creaminess and a hint of sweetness to the soup, and the spices are well balanced. The recipe uses mostly pantry ingredients, so this is something that you can easily whip up when you're looking for a warm satisfying meal on a winter night.

Cranberry sherbet

I like to keep a supply of cranberries in the freezer, mostly so that I can make these cranberry pecan caramel bars any time I want. But during a recent freezer cleanout I discovered a couple bags of cranberries in there that had to be at least a year old, if not longer. Luckily cranberries do very well in the freezer so the quality of the berries was totally fine, but I figured I should use them soon. I ended up finding the perfect recipe in the November 2012 issue of Cooking Light. You might not think to make frozen desserts during the fall and winter months, but I actually think a nice fruity sherbet is a perfect dessert after a hearty hot meal.

This sherbet is on the tart side, which I love. It's also a bit boozy, due to a tablespoon of liquor in the mix. Don't leave this out - it helps keep the sherbet from getting too hard in the freezer, and it gives you an opportunity to add another dimension to the flavor of the sherbet. With its gorgeous bright color and fresh flavor, this sherbet definitely adds some happiness to these dreary days!