In honor of the advent of fall, my husband and I took a long drive through the Cascade mountains of Washington.

There’s a wonderful spot—I think it’s new—called the Washington Overlook— on highway 20 near the summit. You can park and walk some winding trails that lead to spectacular scenes, like the one my husband snapped of me in front of these mountains.

As soon as we stepped out of our car, we were immediately greeted in noisy fashion by Stellar Jays and Grey Jays. These greedy beggars nearly flew into our open sky light. They hopped right up to us, reading our intent with bold inquisitiveness.

“I’m sorry, birds. No snacks today. Next time, we’ll have plenty of handouts for ya.”

A few hours later we pulled into Leavenworth, a charming, small town known for its Swiss architecture and tourist shops and restaurants.

Leaves are turning and the air is getting crisp. Our drive, and the changing air put me in a mind to find a good fall-type recipe.

So last week, energized by the cool, moist northwestern air, I tried to come up with my own version of an apple and sweet potato hash.

If you’re like me and you can’t or shouldn’t eat regular white potatoes, this Yam/apple hash might fill the bill:

Yam/Apple Hash (@ 3 to 4 servings)

One good-sized yam or sweet potato, peeled and thin sliced and diced

Two apples, your choice, peeled and thin diced

Olive oil or another healthy oil

Four breakfast sausage links.

One smallish yellow onion, diced

Salt (1/4 teasp)

pepper,to taste

cayenne (@ 1/8 teasp),

cinnamon (@1/4 teasp)

optional: Maple syrup (Grade B)

(If you’d rather, you can roast the yams in a hot oven for about half an hour) But I was impatient, so my recipe says:

Peel and thin slice and dice the yam. In a good-sized skillet, brown and cook the yam in the oil until almost tender. Add the onion and continue to cook. Meanwhile, slice and brown the sausage in another smaller skillet. To the bigger skillet, add the diced apple. Stir to mix., and scrape the pan often. When the yams and apples are soft, add the sliced sausage. Sprinkle in the pepper, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon.

Serve with Paleo or gluten free muffins, some eggs, some coffee. Yummy breakfast!

Bruce likes to put a little bit of syrup over his hash. Whatever.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Remember, you can always adjust the amounts and add other ingredients. This is just a basic guideline, and springboard for your creativity.

Enjoy your fall season!