It’s been chilly in NYC this week and aside from a new fluffy pink scarf I still needed some comfort.  Fall’s my favorite season and there’s lots of cooking and baking to be done.  After Laura and Miku’s wedding it was a lazy Sunday until Something’s Gotta Give came on and Diane Keaton served Jack Nicholson spaghetti with clams as they summered in the Hamptons.  And that kicked off the craving.  Thanks to knife skills class at The Brooklyn Kitchen dicing shallots was no problem this time.My intro to this dish was a canned sauce at a high school boyfriend’s house so this was my first time buying and cooking whole clams.The recipe by Giada De Laurentiis was gentle on me and I actually got them to open!Delicious.Baking I’m more comfortable with, but becoming gluten free this year has been a little different.  The cakelets with Gluten-Free Girl’s flour mix went well for Easter and I liked it in this bread too:a simple recipe from Food.com that I added 2 handfuls of cranberries to.Easy and indeed a quick bread.  Tasting it I think about how much my Dad loves when the cranberries hit the market and my Mom’s baking turns to autumn flavors, so I felt very warm having it for breakfast.And last night in yet another busy week I was grateful for how fast it was to make the brussels sprouts gratin from White on Rice Couple: cute, little sprouts in a creamy cheese sauce that smelled great in the oven and warmed up the house.  It said it served 4, but, um, oops…