It's time to gear up for shorter days, longer nights and pumpkin-spice everything! Cranking up the oven is finally sounding like a good idea. Fall lends itself to comforting heartier dishes that are inspired by fall produce, like apples, sweet potatoes, squash, and root vegetables. It is time to be inspired by autumn's flavors. Each of these recipes is easy enough for even the busiest of schedules and will tide you over until wintertime.
The apple scalloped potatoes make a perfect side dish for your favorite pork chops; if company is coming just double the recipe in a larger cast-iron skillet. This silky butternut squash soup gives you the option of cutting up your home-grown squash or choosing the convenience of pre-cut cubed butternut squash. By adding the crumbled bacon and diced apple, it will be a memory maker for fall entertaining. The cheese and garlic biscuits make the perfect accompaniment to your soup or any of your comforting fall dinners. Fall is the perfect time for sheet pan meals and the maple-roasted chicken thighs with the caramelized vegetables, bright tart dried cranberries and chopped walnuts for crunch make a delicious autumn dinner. Saving the best for last is an easy recipe that salutes the revival of bread pudding. You get to choose your favorite bread; just be sure it is stale and the vanilla cream sauce is literally the frosting on the cake. I hope these recipes will inspire you to a fall seasonal refresh of one of the best times of the year!
Apple Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. butter
½ cup sliced sweet onion
5 medium red potatoes (about 1 pound), thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
½ tsp. minced fresh thyme
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Chopped fresh parsley, optional
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine apple slices, sugar, and lemon juice; toss to coat. Set aside. In an 8- or 9-in. cast iron or other ovenproof skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Alternately arrange potato and apple slices in a single layer in the same skillet. Combine ¾ cup Parmesan cheese with cream, thyme, salt, and pepper; pour over top. Bake uncovered 50 minutes. Top with bacon and the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake until potatoes are tender and top is lightly browned, 5-10 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 4
Autumn Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
3 lbs. cubed butternut squash
1 medium onion, halved and sliced into wedges
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. avocado oil or another heat-safe oil
3 cups chicken broth or more, as needed
1 cup heavy cream
Optional: diced apple and crumbled, cooked bacon
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Put squash cubes, onion, and garlic cloves on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle oil over top. Use your hands to toss everything around so it's evenly coated. Roast for 35–40 minutes on a lower oven rack, tossing things around with a spatula a couple of times during cooking. Transfer roasted items to a medium to large soup pot. Add chicken broth and heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes and then blend it with an immersion blender (or in batches with a counter-top blender) until smooth. Stir in cream. Add a little more salt, if needed, before serving. Top with diced apple and crumbled, cooked bacon, if desired.
Serves 4
Cheese and Garlic Biscuits
Ingredients
2 ½ cups biscuit/baking mix
¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ranch salad dressing mix
1 cup buttermilk
Topping:
½ cup butter, melted
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. ranch salad dressing mix
Everything but the Bagel seasoning
In a large bowl, combine the baking mix, cheese, garlic powder and salad dressing mix. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets or parchment lined sheets. Bake at 375? until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine topping ingredients. Brush over biscuits when removed from oven. Sprinkle with Everything but the Bagel. Serve warm.
Makes 1½ dozen
Honey Maple Roasted Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
1/3 cup honey
¼ cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh thyme
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp tsp. salt, divided
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper, divided
1½ lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges
1½ lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 large yellow onion sliced
1 medium crown of broccoli, flowerets separated
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
¾ cup chopped dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a 10x15-inch baking pan with foil. Whisk together honey, maple syrup, thyme, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper in a small bowl. Set aside. Toss together sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, onion and broccoli. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Set aside. Brush chicken with the remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil; sprinkle with remaining teaspoon salt and teaspoon pepper. Arrange chicken in the center of the prepared pan. Arrange sweet potato mixture around chicken. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn chicken over, brush chicken, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts with maple syrup mixture. Continue to roast until sweet potatoes are tender and chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with walnuts and cranberries to serve.
Serves 6
Bread Pudding
Ingredients
2 cups half and half
2 Tbsp. softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
4 eggs, beaten
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 loaf day old bread cut into 1-inch cubes, about 7 cups (I used cinnamon rolls)
Vanilla Cream Sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Heat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl add half and half, softened butter, vanilla, sugar and salt. Add the beaten eggs and cinnamon to the milk mixture and whisk well to combine. Add the bread to the bowl and stir to coat. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish large enough to fit (any shallow casserole dish; I used a 7×11-inch pan). Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly and edges of bread have lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature. Drizzle with vanilla cream sauce, if desired.
For the Vanilla Cream Sauce:
Add sugar, butter, and cream to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter has melted. Bring mixture to a boil stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Allow to cool for a few minutes and thicken before pouring over the bread pudding.
Serves 6-8
