A River in Egypt

Denial is not just a river in Egypt: it's what happens when you get back from vacation.

In case you didn't notice, our office was away last week: at the beach, in the mountains, in Sweden -- essentially, anywhere other than New York. So this week, we've had to readjust to the reality of city life, and office life, and not-being-on-vacation life. Also, everyone keeps telling us that summer is over, and we're simply not having it. We're in full-on denial mode.

Exhibit A: Pears at the greenmarket. Let's slow things down a minute, shall we? It's not November yet. It's not time for cinnamon sticks or nutmeg or cider. We're determined to hold onto the last days of summer as tightly as possible. These beauties went untouched.

We were lucky, though, in that our first day back at the office was filled with treats. Hannah brought back fudge from her home state of Maine, and Brette brought Knäckebröd rye crackers from Stockholm, which are just as fun to eat as they are to say.

In another instance of perfect timing, our day started with Joan Nathan's Challah, straight out of the oven, in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. Chewy, just slightly sweet, with just enough crust -- L'shanah tovah, indeed.

And our day ended with another bite of comfort food for good measure: plain, simple, grilled cheese. No bells, no whistles, no frills. We'll be sharing our technique soon (we promise!).

Lastly, a glimpse of hope: ripe, juicy plums, still abundant at the market. We'll take a few pounds each, and eat them with abandon, as we find comfort in a few more long days and not-yet-faded memories of far-off places. Surely, at some point, we'll be ready for the fall. Just not today.

Tell us: Are you excited for fall? Or are you holding off on apples and pears as long as possible?