October is a great month! The weather is (kind of) cooler, the holidays are getting ready to kick into high gear, and the kids are revved up for Halloween. Oh, the adults too, I’m sure. So we start this month in Kelly’s Kitchen with five fun things to share with you.

1. One word...Oktoberfest! Oktoberfest is a sixteen day funfest in Munich that actually began as the celebration for Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig upon his marriage Princess Theresa. Now it’s six million people in the capital, downing five million liters of beer. Talk about bloat. I’m sure we do our best to keep up, with more than enough events on both sides of the bay to check out, but the German American Society of Pinellas County is celebrating their 60^th anniversary this year. See what they’re up to at www.germanamericansociety-stpetersburg.com/Oktoberfest .

2. Halloween, it’s not just for kids as we well know in Tampa Bay. And when we think Halloween, we think chocolate. So what exactly is chocolate? It’s actually a fruit; the cacao beans used to create this heavenly confection are inside the pod of the cacao tree, and first came to the United States in 1765 when cocoa beans were brought from the West Indies to Dorchester, Massachusetts.

3. We don’t exactly get to enjoy the autumn colors here in Florida, but you know there’s a web site for everything, including The Fall Foliage Network; log on to www.foliagenetwork.com. Either that, or fill up the tank and start heading north! What I wouldn't give to be in the mountains of North Carolina right now...

4. With the nicer weather, I think we all get the urge to do more outdoors and there are a tremendous amount of walks, runs, 5K’s, marathons, you name it, it's happening. Check back blogs of Kelly’s Kitchen to get some tremendous training information from Debbie Voiles from www.runtampa.com, and makes plans to join us for Making Strides against Breast Cancer/Put on Your Pink Bra on October 22^nd! Hear from our team leaders and sign up yourself now at http://putonyourpinkbra.com/ . I’ll be in Tampa at The Forum, and Keith Connors will be in Vinoy Park.

5. And finally, October might bring the start of craving for our favorite comfort foods. So which are the top five, when it comes to what makes us feel like a kid again? Survey says, our beloved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are top of the list, followed by grilled cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and pot roast. What would you add to list? Leave your comments below, and Happy October to everyone from Kelly’s Kitchen!

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

Cold beer and pizza are spiritual. ~Betsy Garmon