Fall is in the air. Can you feel it? Ok, all I’m feeling right now is the humidity, but I can smell it. The sweet sugar is releasing from caramelized apples and tickling my nostrils. Pecans are toasting in the oven until fragrant and fig jam is simmering on the stovetop.

Maybe it’s just my kitchen. But I have the feeling that folks across the country are just chomping at the bit for fall and all the festivities that come with it. Sure, summer is great with its cookouts and pool parties and popsicles, but there’s something special, almost magical, about fall. It’s the changing leaves, the slight chill in the air, the year’s best holidays (who can argue with one holiday based around costumes and another holiday based around turkey and stuffing?), and, most importantly, it’s the food. There’s something familiar and cozy about fall cuisine. Casseroles and stews bring a lot of people back to their childhoods. It’s a time for family and it’s a time for gathering.

While there are plenty of things to celebrate in fall, I love to have fall parties for no good reason other than to celebrate the fall harvest. And parties mean appetizers – my favorite food group. There’s nothing better than mingling around a party with a cocktail in one hand and a small plate full of finger foods in the other hand. To me, there is no finger food more diverse than the crostini. You start with a little slice of toasted bread and the sky’s the limit from there.

So, this fall, I’m throwing a crostini party to celebrate some of my favorite fall flavors. I created three crostinis with three unique, but familiar, flavor combinations. First up is the goat cheese and fig jam crostini with toasted pecans. The tangy goat cheese matches perfectly with the sweet fig jam, and the toasted pecans fill your kitchen with an aroma that screams fall. This crostini will be a major crowd pleaser.

Next up is the pumpkin and ricotta crostini with brown sugar bacon. Nothing says fall like pumpkin. But pureed pumpkin can be a strong flavor all on its own, which is why a lot of people choose to bake it into a pie or a muffin mixed with a lot of sugar. Here, the creamy ricotta tempers the pumpkin flavor while still letting it be the star of the show. And, brown sugar bacon, do we need a reason?

The final crostini is topped with brie and cranberry-apple chutney. You knew cranberry and apples had to come into play at some point, right? The brie is so smooth and creamy and the tart chutney flavors just explode in your mouth.

Head over to Funtober.com for all three crostini recipes.