Apologies all. No excuses can make up for the long dry spell of non-posting. Just know that we miss you and think of you often. Things will be back to normal very very soon.

But there is always new food news to peruse and today is no exception

This week, the New York Times blog City Room is calling for questions on the history and culture of food in New York City. The questions will be answered by the co-editors of “Gastropolis: Food and New York City.” Answers will begin on Wednesday and – I assume – run over the course of three days.

City Room does this type of thing all the time and not only are the Q&As always interesting, the tangential conversations that seem to evolve in the comment threads of each days are just as interesting if not – in quite a few cases – more so.

Today is a notably fall day on the culinary calendar. October 13th is the day of both the National Peanut Festival and the National Pumpkin Festival. I can’t say I feel strongly about peanuts. Now and again, I will munch them on their own if a nut mix is placed in front of my on a bar. But I loathe them in chocolate and even more on ice cream desserts. Pumpkins. You know, I’m sure there are many ways to prepare and eat pumpkin that I have yet to encounter but to me it’s less a food stuff and more a decorative item. I did once have some lovely pumpkin soup at a friend’s house and I have yet to find its equal.

Much more of interest to me is October 15. And not just because it’s the day I leave for my two weeks cruise to the Mediterranean. No, it’s also of interest to me because it is National Mushroom Day. Now sprinkling mushrooms on things, I can get behind. Put them in salads, on sandwiches, over steaks, in stews, in pasta sauces, on pasta itself. Stir them up with onions and pour the whole thing on crunchy toasty bread. Crunchy, toasty garlicky bread if you want to ward off vampires and keep yourself to yourself (and aren’t we all in that mood occasionally).

Thanks to my trip, I will miss many culinary celebrations dear to my heart.

• I will not be here for National Pasta Day on the 17th. A shame really because I have much I could say on the subject. One thing that I feel can never be said enough – less is more when it comes to sauces and dressings. I’m not saying to barely dress your pasta. But you should still be able to see the pasta and it should not be floating (unless it is in soup. in which case, why are you using sauce?).
• I will also miss National Chocolate Cupcake Day on the 18th. By the way – best cupcakes in NYC? Not where you think. Magnolia is all well and good but can’t hold a candle to the red velvet cupcakes at Make My Cake
• I’m not too devastated at missing National Brandied Fruit Day on the 20th but that’s because the whole idea of brandied fruit makes me slightly quesey and – possibly unfairly – makes me think of fruitcake.
• National Nut Day is on the 22nd and as I feel about most nuts the way I feel about peanuts, I’m not too upset about being away for that either. I mean – nut-lovers rejoice. I shall be on the Lido deck if anyone needs me
• National Boston Cream Pie Day on the 23rd and I can’t help but get nostalgic for the House of Pies on Westheimer in Houston. I know they probably don’t have the BEST Boston Cream Pie but it a late night staple at a chaotic time. When you bond with a foodstuff in your difficult teenage years, actual quality is less important than the quality viewed through rose-colored glasses.
• National Bologna Day is on the 24th. “My bolongna has a first name, It’s O-S-C-A-R . . .“  What? Oh come on! You know you started singing it as well.
• National Mincemeat Day on the 26th is a mystery to me. As indeed, is mincemeat itself.
• National Chocolate Day on the 28th is, I presume, for those who didn’t get quite enough chocolate 10 days before. Don’t worry. There is always room for chocolate
• National Oatmeal Day on the 29th and I have recently been informed by my doctor that I need to embrace oatmeal. Sigh. I’ll try. Honest. But I can’t promise anything. My mother informs me that as a child I did eat it and even enjoyed it I don’t recall that. But I can’t see why she would lie about something like that.

But I return October 30 just in time for National Candy Corn Day. Whoooooooo hooooooooooo! Or should that be the more seasonal “Boo!”