Research says that we cook the same 20 dishes again and again. Again and again. Again and again. (And again.) Sure, every six months, we drop one and replace it with another. Eating in rhythm with the seasons changes that. Each season, each month, there's something new to pique our curiosity and tickle our tastebuds, something that just last month wasn't available or wasn't at its freshest or had to travel from, alors, South America to reach your table. So, tis late fall. Tomatoes are two months gone and asparagus are five, maybe six, months away. What's special about what we cook in November? Here are three vegetables that will turn November into something special, something memorable.

Mention spaghetti and most people probably think of red sauce, meatballs, and maybe some Parmesan cheese on top. Of course there's nothing wrong with that combination, but lately I've been seeing so many interesting ways to cook noodles that I thought I'd see if I could entice BlogHer readers to branch out in their spaghetti options. What seems newer than new these days is combining spaghetti with vegetables for pasta dishes that are ultra nutritious. If there's been a bit too much Halloween candy on the menu at your house, how about cooking one of these combinations over the weekend?

Somehow it seems apt that the time changed for many of us at the close of October, the eve of November. The evening's darkness, it seems to signify a time for nesting, for nestling in with family and loved ones, 'not forgetting your own dear' self as my grandmother used to say. So what might we do -- food-wise, budget-wise, life-wise -- in November, stuff that fits the month like the gloves we'll soon be needing.

The holidays are upon us. No, really, they are. Halloween just ended, and that means it's time to talk holiday fun! BlogHer will kick off the month of December with a meet-up on each coast near each BlogHer office. This year, we'll also do a food drive at each meet-up, so we can help spread the cheer.

Día de los Muerto, Latin America's 'Day of the Dead' and its developments across the diaspora, is not somber or gruesome or scary, it's a joyous celebration to honor departed loved ones.

Is it possible to eat cookies and lose weight?  Well, Dr. Sanford Siegal would certainly like you to think so.  After all, at $56 for a week's supply, Dr. Siegal is going to make an estimated $18 million this year selling his weight-loss cookies.   It's called The Cookie Diet, and if you like cookies it may sound like a great way to lose weight.  But is it?

How do you feel about butternut squash? Personally I never liked squash as a kid, but as an adult, I can't get enough of it, and I consider butternut to be the premium type of squash for roasting, using in casseroles, or for making yummy butternut squash soup. When variations of butternut squash soup start showing up on food blogs, you know Autumn is really here.

What is about pudding that sweeps me straight back to childhood? Mention tapioca pudding and instantly I'm standing at my mom's side in the kitchen, talking with my hands to show her -- in detail, exactly -- what happened on the playground at school when Candy grabbed the jump rope from Cheryl. She's at the stove (and maybe wearing an apron? surely not, that's so TV-commercial stereotypical, right?) stirring something in the green saucepan from the matched set purchased one piece at a time from the grocery store in town. What's in that pot? Pudding! It was one of Mom's maaaaany answers to the question, What to make when supper's a little skimpy?

As October comes to a close, the Eat Local Challenge is thinking bigger and looking for ways to spread locavorism beyond our home kitchens. Week Four (October 24 - 31): Taking it to the Community Week four will focus on eating locally within our communities. We can host potlucks and eat local parties, we can check in with our schools to hear whether they are supporting local farmers with their buying decisions.

October is Celiac Awareness Month in the United States, designated to encourage all types of public media to share information about celiac disease. There's no doubt that diagnosed cases of Celiac disease, sometimes called gluten intolerance, have risen dramatically in recent years, but the good news is that there's also a corresponding increase in resources for people who need to avoid gluten in their diet.

When I slipped into Santa Fe for a few days last summer, a friend clued me in. "Keep your eyes open for Debbie Madison, she's a regular at the Santa Fe farmers market." No such luck! But when the subject of favorite vegetarian cookbooks -- heavens, even just favorite cookbooks -- is broached, Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" often comes up. When I started to look around, turns out, one Deborah Madison cookbook after another could claim the 'favorite' title.

What's more ironic than local, organic, seasonal food encased in plastic? That's what I wondered back in 2007 when I first started my quest to eliminate unnecessary plastic from my life. A trip to my local farmers market revealed more than just fruits and vegetables. Have a look at a few photos I shot: