If you're looking for pretty serving pieces to dress up your dinner table for Thanksgiving, or any time this fall, Pfaltzgraff has some great options. I love the Plymouth dinnerware collection, with its harvest motif of pumpkins, squash, acorns and leaves. The Pfaltzgraff Plymouth Pie Server (Compare prices) is a great option if your metal pie pans are a little worse for the wear - just pop the whole pie, pan and all, into the server for a gorgeous presentation at the dessert table.

New pieces in the Pfaltzgraff Plymouth collection this year include a celery-shaped dish, a a squash-shaped vegetable bowl and a covered squash-shaped serving bowl. They look almost as delicious as whatever you put inside will look!

Image courtesy PriceGrabber.

Chances are, if you frequent this site, you love to cook. And with all the cooks I've met over the years, no two stories are the same about why they have a passion for cooking, where they learned how to cook, and what their favorite dishes are to make.

So I'd like to hear from you: Why do you love to cook?

For inspiration, check out some of the answers that readers have already submitted about why they love to cook.

Do you Twitter? If so, be sure to follow me at JessicaCooks to get all the latest cooking equipment news, sales updates, and even the occasional glimpse at what's going on in my own kitchen!

Amazon.com is celebrating "crock-tober" by offering up to 30 percent off selected slow cookers. One of the best deals is for Cuisinart's 4-quart slow cooker, which is marked down to $78 from $145, but other brands available include West Bend, KitchenAid, Crockpot, Dr. Weil and Euro-Pro. With the cold weather coming, this is a great chance to stock up.

• Tips on buying and using a slow cooker
• Slow cooker recipes
• Comparing Crock Pot and West Bend Slow Cookers

If you already know that your stand mixer will be working overtime from now til the end of the holiday season, you might consider investing in the BeaterBlade Pro for your KitchenAid stand mixer. Like the original BeaterBlade, it's designed to continuously scrape the sides of the bowl while mixing, and mix batters and doughs more quickly than the traditional paddles. This yellow Pro version is designed for more frequent and vigorous use by both professional bakers and prolific home bakers, and can withstand frequent dishwasher use. Right now, it's only available for KitchenAid tilt-head or lift bowls and sells for around $40.

Compare prices for the BeaterBlade Pro for KitchenAid tilt-head mixers.

In the U.K., chef Gordon Ramsay has launched a line of kitchenware with the tongue-in-cheek tagline, "Kitchenware you can swear by." Ramsay is best known here in the U.S. for his television shows like Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, in which it's not uncommon for him to bring a hapless cook to tears with his scathing criticism.

A blog in the Guardian speculates that the phenomenon of Ramsay and other esteemed British chefs lending their names to lines of kitchen products, packaged foods and other licensed goods is a sure sign that these chefs are past their prime, or at the very least, trading in their tough hours at the stove for a lifestyle that's far more comfortable - and profitable. Concludes the author, "Great chefs cook. Old chefs endorse products." Ouch!

In the U.S., if there's a similar sentiment, we've long since gotten over it. After all, nearly every well-known chef has attached his or her name to a line of kitchen products. I'd like to hope that these chefs do indeed have a hand in the development and design of the line, and that they've chosen to partner with a manufacturer whose reputation and quality they trust. If that's the case, the face of Emeril, Mario or Rachael on the package becomes just one more way that we can make educated decisions based on what we consider to be important when we're shopping for cooking equipment.

An article in the Telegraph gives more details about Gordon Ramsay's kitchenware products. Will you buy Ramsay's gadgets when they're available here in the United States?

It's not too late to support breast cancer research by purchasing kitchenware products from manufacturers who have pledged some of the proceeds to breast cancer research organizations. As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, you'll see plenty of pink kitchenware for sale supporting this important cause. Take a look at my list of the hottest kitchen-related "pink ribbon products," updated for this year. And, if you're concerned that your purchase isn't doing the good you hope, read about how to wisely choose pink ribbon products that most legitimately support the cause.

When you're a celebrity chef, it seems like it's not enough just to have a hit TV show. No, these days you've also got to share your wisdom even further by writing a cookbook. This seems particularly true this fall, when there seems to be a bumper crop of cookbooks from famous faces. I've rounded up ten of the most highly anticipated books from well-known food personalities that are hitting bookstores this fall. Whether you're getting a head start on your holiday gift shopping, or simply looking to expand your own cookbook collection, hopefully you'll find an offering from one of your favorite celeb chefs!

The Latest Celebrity Chef Cookbooks

Do you have a tried-and-true cookbook written by a celebrity chef that you turn to again and again? Share your favorites with other readers.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and of course KitchenAid, as one of the cooking equipment industry's biggest supporters of the cause, has a whole new crop of products whose purchase support breast cancer research and awareness.

That's why I've highlighted KitchenAid's Cook for the Cure Artisan Stand Mixer in my latest Product Spotlight. If you don't already have a stand mixer, this is a great opportunity to buy one and to support an important cause at the same time.

But, if you've already got a stand mixer, or if you're looking for a more economical way to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there are plenty of other products to choose from KitchenAid. One of my favorites is the Cook for the Cure Baker's Suite Gift Set (Buy Direct), which includes a pink measuring cup and spoons set, a silicone mixing spatula, a silicone heart-shaped pan and a cute "Cook for the Cure" apron. It is priced at $39.99.

To learn more about breast cancer awareness month and to find other ways of supporting this important cause, be sure to visit About.com's Breast Cancer site.

Who doesn't love getting something for free? Amazon is currently having a 4 for 3 offer in which you can buy three eligible items and get a fourth for free. There is a pretty decent assortment of products that are eligible, including Silpat baking mats; an apple peeler and a home canning kit, both from Back to Basics; an OXO pastry scraper; and a Lodge Logic seasoned cast iron pan (see my review of Lodge Logic cast iron cookware).

Add four participating products to your shopping cart, and at check-out, the least expensive item will be discounted. You still have to pay for shipping for everything, even the bonus items, however. No word on how long this offer will last, so if you're in need of cooking or baking items for the upcoming fall holidays, now's a good chance to stock up!