Column from October 7, 2010

An award-winning season

October is one of my favorite months of the year. I just love the changing leaves and the whole idea of a harvest season.

Of course, I don’t like the idea of shorter, colder days or that winter is right around the corner, but there is a lot to enjoy this time of year.

Take Halloween, for instance. It’s so much fun seeing all the great decorations and the excitement of the kids as they begin getting ready for the holiday. There are even a few folks here in Othello who put up orange lights around their houses.

Another great thing about October is the annual Washington Newspaper Publishers Association convention. This year, it was held in Wenatchee and we had a super time rubbing elbows with fellow journalists, advertisers, editors and publishers.

This year’s sessions gave us information we can use as we strive to make The Othello Outlook a better paper. For example, I sat in on a talk about how to write a compelling budget story.

That’s never an easy task. No one wants to read about a bunch of numbers because it can be very boring.

But the speaker provided us with some ways to make those stories more interesting, while still giving the reader the information he or she needs to understand where tax dollars are being spent.

We also took home some awards, which are even more special because they were given to us by our peers. It means a lot when other newspaper people appreciate our work. It definitely tells us we are doing a good job of relaying the news to our readers.

The one thing that isn’t that great about the convention is always the food. We are served the typical fare that is usually tasteless and not very appetizing.

So, I was so glad to get back home and have a decent meal.

Some of the great flavors of the season include apples, pears, pumpkins, squash and nuts galore. I recently picked up a little cookbook that has a variety of fall baking ideas. Some of the recipes show how to decorate food for Halloween. Many feature some of the flavors mentioned above.

As I was looking through the book, one recipe in particular jumped out at me. It features apples and pecans in an easy to make cookie bar. It’s definitely an award winner.

Caramel apple nut bars

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup caramel topping

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 medium apple, peeled and chopped (1 cup)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of a 13-by-9 inch pan. In large bowl, beat 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and butter with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly. Press about 3 cups of the mixture in pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix caramel topping and 3 tablespoons flour. Sprinkle apple and pecans over partially baked crust. Drizzle with caramel mixture. Sprinkle with remaining crust mixture.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into 36 servings.