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As the rain fell last Friday, I finally felt the heat of summer wash away and crisp, fall air slowly made an appearance. She was almost fashionably late, but fall arrived just in time for its official beginning on Sunday.

I started to get excited about fall colors, clothes, football, back to school, rainy days, cool temperatures and best of all – comfort food.

Because summer heat hangs around so long, when the comfortable and cool temperatures begin, my favorite time of year begins. So, as I rearrange the closet, watch football or shop for new fall fashion, there are several delicious recipes that will be simmering on the stove or waiting in the crock-pot.

One-pot meals are never a one-hit wonder. They become classics that have graced dinner tables for centuries. Sometimes disregarded as a pot of mushy flavor, if they’re done right they can create soul-satisfying flavor that warms your stomach and spirit.

The one-pot meal category actually encompasses many things. It can be a stew, soup, risotto, braised meats – chicken, beef or lamb – and even a big pot of long-simmering marinara.

But I am not ready, and I am sure you’re not either, to serve up a big bowl of beef stew or steamy soup. Since the temperatures are still on the warm side, I will wait a few weeks until it officially feels like fall. Then we might be ready for some recipes that will keep you warm when the temperatures turn cool.

So send me your recipes for one-pot meals and favorite slow-cooker time savers. On October 16, I hope to share everyone’s favorite one-pot meals. Ready or not, we might need to prepare for a cold winter. And lots of warm recipes will keep us happy until spring.

Send your recipes to food@tylerpaper.com or Tyler Morning Telegraph, Attn: Food, 110 E. Erwin, Tyler, TX, 75702