Fall at Mary's

By: Carla Hays

There is that brief interlude between the busy, fun days of summer, and the lazy, hibernating days of winter, and here in Southern Illinois we call it Fall.  Fall is glorious with it's perfect weather, colorful leaves, football, and comfort foods.  At Mary's, it's that quiet time when we're opening up the fireplaces in anticipation of cold, blustery evenings, putting out the mums, and pulling up the geraniums and impatiens.  It's sad in a way, to leave summer behind, but Thanksgiving is the piece-de-resistance that makes fall bearable. Who doesn't look forward to turkey roasting in the oven, pies cooling on the counter, and the hordes of family piling in for that once a year event?  Thoughts turn to hearty soups and fall vegetables like squash and sweet potatoes.  We have stocked up on sweet potatoes from the local farms, and plan to whip some up with smoky chipotle, and slice some paper thin to serve as sweet potato chips.  Come in this fall to warm up by the fire, and let Mike, Jeff and Ryan tell you about our menu. We would like to introduce Danny, the newest member to our waitstaff, who is getting warmed up for the December parties.  Did I say December?  Time surely does fly, but I'll save Christmas talk for another day.