Apple-Sausage Rigatoni

I LOVE autumn. It is my FAVORITE time of year. I love the trees turning color, and I love wearing sweaters. But most of all, I love baking and cooking with the marvelous produce available in the fall. The pumpkin, the squash, the nuts...and best of all, THE APPLES.

Here, in South Florida, I am denied my favorite time of year. I have perpetual summer.

Don't get me wrong. I love summer, too. I love the blooming tropical flowers, and the palms heavy with coconuts. I love the hot sand and warm Caribbean waters. I love all the things I get to cook in the summer...cool salads and light pasta dishes, grilled chicken and Fourth of July Hot Dogs. Ice cream creations galore...

But after 12 months, you start to miss the other things...the warm spicy breads. The creamy soups. The simmering roasts and hearty stews that guide you into winter.

It's hard to cook those foods when it's 80+ degrees outside. They're just too heavy.

But, thankfully, we're having a cold snap. Temperatures are down to a brisk 40 degrees. And that means I can cook my favorite fall foods...in February.

Note: This recipe calls for rigatoni, but you can use any thick pasta. I love cavatappi. Penne would also be grand. Just don't run out to the store if you don't have EXACTLY what a pasta recipe calls for...look for something in your pantry that is similar in shape/ thickness/ or texture. It's all good. And in case your knowledge of pasta shapes and what they're suited for is limited to spaghetti, check out the National Pasta Association at http://www.ilovepasta.org/shapes.html.

This serves four. Double if you have more to feed.

Apple-Sausage Rigatoni

6 oz. dried rigatoni

8 oz. cooked smoked sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces (use turkey sausage to cut calories...or the real stuff for a delicious treat)

1-1/2 lb. Golden Delicious apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese

Snipped fresh basil

- In a 4-qt. Dutch oven, cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Set aside.

- In same Dutch oven cook sausage until lightly browned.

- Add apples; cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are lightly golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

- Stir in cooked pasta, whipped cream, and cheese. Heat through. Garnish with basil.

courtesy Better Homes and Gardens