Autumn finally breezes in after taking its time through a slow simmer summer. Friends and neighbors gather more frequently and you can welcome them with a delightful autumn platter of open-faced flat bread sandwiches. This selection is versatile as hors d’oeuvres, brunch, lunch, picnic, or before the theatre. The focal impact is to cut pastry leaves with a leaf cookie cutter and pre-bake the leaves to set on top of each open-face flatbread sandwich.  As for the flatbread preparation, suggestions are naan bread, thin focaccia, or thin crust pizza bread cut into rounds or squares. Top the flat bread with interesting culinary choices such as golden and red sliced tomatoes on Manchego cheese; beet slices on goat cheese; arugula and fresh uncooked spinach with a blue cheese crumble; chicken and watercress on flavored cream cheese; or fanned slices of avocado with fetta cheese. Top each flatbread open-faced sandwich with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and a golden baked pastry leaf. Serve these artful delights at your gathering for a fall in love with fall occasion. © Kelly McBride Loft