Alley's Recipe Book: autumn

Showing posts with label autumn. Show all posts

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash - total time 40 minutes

The fun thing about eating more seasonally (besides eating foods when they're in their absolute prime and tastiness) is that you have something to look forward to every season which keeps your meal plans fresh too. Now that we're halfway into fall, I have a counter full of squash begging to be roasted! There are so many to choose from, they come in all shapes and flavors. You might already have a few butternut recipes, but here's a new acorn squash recipe to add to your fall meal planning arsenal.

This is the perfect comfort food when the temperatures start to dip. Sausage has that smokey flavor that pairs just right with acorn squash. The addition of sage just completes the fall flavors. Baking the sausage in the squash is super cute presentation that is great for a dinner party or a fancy Thanksgiving. It's also pretty easy! :)

One cooking secret I learned from my mom was how to make the best grilled cheese sandwiches EVER! My sandwiches have come a long way from Kraft singles and Wonder bread. Rustic wheat breads, sophisticated cheeses, complex flavor combinations... you name it, I have probably made it into a melty cheesy sandwich.

I mentioned a week or so ago that I was inspired by one of Harvest Moon Cafe's bison burgers with caramelized onions, pears, and brie... soo good! I knew it would taste just as good (or better) without the meat. So only a few days later, I made these sandwiches, and then again, and again. Definitely addicting! Perfect to go with a cup of soup or a side salad. And it doesn't take long at all.

It's time for the biggest cooking day of the year! When experienced and novice chefs alike plan out a menu, buy tons of food, work hard in the kitchen, and serve up something delicious for their friends and family.

Of course it is also time to give thanks, and not just for the feast and family in front of you. Too many families are in need, especially this time of year. And that is why Whence is partnering up with Godman Guild to provide Thanksgiving meals to families here in Columbus. Please consider donating through the Whence app this week to help others have a healthy, happy Thanksgiving!

Since we are all planning for Thanksgiving, and our Bowman Landes turkey will be delivered by Green Bean Delivery, which means I need to start planning space in my refrigerator! So here is a list of some Thanksgiving must-have (and a few unique) recipes to have on your Thanksgiving table...

Turkey
cranberry-orange glazed turkey
stuffed turkey tenderloin
turkey cheddar apple panini

Sides
crispy roast potatoes
butternut leek soup
brussel sprout gratin
stuffing muffins
butternut mac and cheese

Desserts
caramel apple struesel
mini pumpkin pies
baileys brownies
apple pie chips

Here's to a fun day of cooking!

Stuffing Muffins - total time 45 minutes

So one time in high school, I made a box of Stove Top stuffing and ate the whole thing for dinner! Ick! Just think of all the sodium and preservatives in that heaping plate. I wasn't even a big fan of stuffing... I was just hungry and that was the easiest thing to make. I avoided stuffing for years afterward...

Fast forward to today and I still can't eat Stove Top... but homemade stuffing, now that is a different story. Using artisan crusty bread with fresh vegetables and veggie stock makes this side dish stand out. I wanted to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year... turkey with sage and rosemary, buttermilk mashed potatoes, green bean casserole... and of course stuffing. I also wanted to have a bread basket, whether it be rolls or croissants... but there are already so many carbs involved in Thanksgiving. So bake the stuffing in a muffin pan and... voila... you get both! Stuffing in perfect individual serving sizes that can be passed around in a bread basket, no serving utensils required.

What's more American than apple pie? Well, a lot of things. What's more American than apple pie on Thanksgiving surrounded by family? Hmm... okay, now that's pretty American.

I've made traditional apple pie before... and you know, it's as easy as... pie. Even making the pie crust from scratch is pretty easy. Then I had a Dutch apple pie made by Amish bakers. Can I just say, yum! I looove cinnamon sugar in any combination I can think of... so packing even more of that deliciousness on top for a crunchy, cinnamon-y crust... that has to be the perfect pie right there!

For Thanksgiving, I wanted to incorporate that Dutch apple pie idea and add a little something to it. I have been on a caramel kick lately after including Ghirardelli's Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Caramel in our trick-or-treat candy bowl (one for you, two for me). So caramel apple filling it is!

Still trying to come up with another side for your Thanksgiving feast? Tired of mashed potatoes? (Although that has always been one of my favorites.) These crispy roast potatoes are somewhere between a baked potato and home fries with soft, fluffy insides and a crunchy, buttery outside making this a perfect side dish!

I have been making these since I first saw Jamie Oliver make them on his holiday series on the Food Network a couple years ago. I love Jamie's passion for food and food education. It was so interesting to see on Food Revolution what is in school lunches and how easy it is to make a couple swaps without increasing the cost to make healthier meals. And also to see how children aren't able to identify most produce. I couldn't believe it... but at their age, my answers probably would have been pretty similar. Now between Green BEAN delivery, our CSA, and summer garden... our kitchen is always packed with produce and I couldn't imagine it any other way. Amazing how things change!

Back to the potatoes! They are really easy and super customizable. I love butter and potatoes together, but you could totally use olive oil or truffle oil... or bacon fat. The herbs are the same way... rosemary, thyme, sage... whatever your favorites are. Change up the potatoes too; fingerling, yukon gold, blue potatoes, red potatoes... really any potato works (my favorite are the blue potatoes, they are so pretty and are packed with flavor and nutrients).

It is getting cold outside... bring on the comfort foods!

It took me several tries before I got homemade mac and cheese right. Every time I would try making the cheese sauce separately in a sauce pan and every time it would kind of curdle. Really gross and a big waste of yummy cheeses. Now I realize it was because everything was still right-out-of-the-fridge cold and that kind of quick temperature change does bad things to dairy.

I promised myself I would give it one more go, but I had to use a different method. Instead of making the sauce separate... I let all of the ingredients warm to room temperature in the casserole dish, then add the steaming hot pasta and mix it together. The cheese, cream, onions, etc combine nicely... and whatever doesn't melt will melt in the oven. Not only does this method work, but it keeps a pot clean... and a cheese pot is one of the hardest to clean... so this is definitely a win-win.

Now that we have a base recipe, I can create variations that bring in some vegetables so the dish isn't just a pure carb fest! Enter butternut squash! A versatile vegetable loaded with beta carotene, potassium, and anti-oxidants. It lends a kind of buttery texture while adding a touch of sweetness. This mac and cheese is definitely in our fall/winter recipe rotation... especially when it is extra cold outside!

Okay, so I am late to jump on the kale chip bandwagon... like, really, really late. But, in my defense, I have tried kale before and it was so gross, I spit it out. Things like raw kale is why most people think vegetables are gross and the better something is for you, the worse it tastes (which is totally wrong, except in the case of kale).

Add a little bit of oil, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of parm... bring on some heat... and somehow this bitter leafy green becomes a delicious, salty, crunchy treat! I have been meaning to try making kale chips for forever. The longer it sits in your fridge, the more bitter it gets (I hear)... so I have delayed this experiment to avoid another bitter beer face (ha, remember those commercials?!). But now my feelings toward kale have changed and I even adjusted my Green BEAN order to get more kale! Consider me converted!

We haven't had deli meat in our house for a while. When I realized how much was added to make deli meat what it is, it made my stomach hurt. I have always wondered why we eat things that doctors recommend pregnant women to avoid.

No deli meat certainly does not mean that we don't eat sandwiches at home! We frequently have shredded chicken leftovers in our fridge. This time we had some turkey leftover from a turkey tenderloin I made earlier in the week (so this would make a great sandwich for you leftover Thanksgiving turkey).

In the past I have been wary about adding fruit to savory meals. I never really understood adding fruit to salad (except tomatoes). But now I rarely make a salad without some kind of fruit, whether its is dried cranberries, fresh strawberries, or sliced apples. I felt the same way about sandwiches... I mean adding cheese to an apple didn't seem like a flavor combination I would enjoy. But I wanted to try it, and this sandwich changed my mind!

The crispness of the apple, the creamy, sharp cheese, and the savory, tender turkey makes this sandwich the trifecta of textures and flavors!

It is winter squash season again and we get bombarded with pumpkin flavored advertising. Although the pumpkin is one of the unofficial mascots of Halloween, I never really understood the pumpkin craze during this time of year. With so many winter squash options, why is it pumpkin that gets the lattes, rolls, cupcakes, and so much more. Personally, I prefer butternut squash and the smell of it roasting in my oven filling my house with yummy smells.

Since it is always cold in Ohio when winter squash season rolls around, I end up using them in soups and pastas almost exclusively. This recipe is no different. After a long day outside tearing down my summer garden in the cold winds, what better way to warm up than a bowl full of creamy butternut soup?!

This soup is a little on the sweet side because of the butternut and cream. To balance that out is some crispy sage and paprika that brings a little "Thanksgiving-y" flavor and the truffle oil adds even more richness to the soup. The soup is bold enough to stand alone as a meal, but even better paired with your favorite grilled cheese.

A week of Christmas baking with several new cookies on tap! The first one is perfectly seasonal too. Our apple pile from the orchard is starting to dwindle and a couple were a little soft, so they were great to use in this recipe. The cookie tastes like an apple cinnamon shortbread. Warm the cookie up and the caramel is ooey goey. If you won't be able to warm the cookies up where you are taking them, a better alternative may be to frost them with a caramel frosting instead of the caramel candy inside (I am definitely trying this soon!).

.5 cup apple juice
1-2 apples, chopped
1.5 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg
1 tsp all spice
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 dozen caramels

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small pot, cook apple juice and apple chunks over low heat to create an 'apple reduction'.
2. Whip butter in mixer, then add butter, and continue to whip. Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice and blend together.
3. Take apples off heat and allow to cool. The reduction should make about 3 tablespoons of apple syrup. Once cooled, add into batter.
4. Add flour a small amount at a time until everything has combined. Wrap dough in plastic and refridgerate for at least one hour.
5. Shape dough into two inch disks fold caramel into each one. Bake for 14 minutes. Reheat in microwave for 10 seconds before serving to soften caramel.

Cinnamon Applesauce - total time 6 hours

Another apple recipe that you do a little prep work and forget about it while it cooks. Of course I put cinnamon and sugar in my applesauce... I can't get enough of that flavor. Mmmm...

8-12 apples, chopped
.5 brown sugar
1 tbsp nutmeg
6 cinnamon sticks
3 tbsp butter
1 lemon, juiced

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Turn on low for six hours. Fish out any remaining whole cinnamon sticks. That's it! Enjoy warm or chilled.

Apple Pie Chips - total time 7.5 hours

Eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away is not going to get through the bushel of apples I bought from the local orchard fast enough. So even though I love eating apples plain... I needed to find another way to preserve and share them. This recipe is super simple, but takes forever in the oven. With apple pie spices, these could be a snack or dessert!

8-12 apples
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg

1. Slice apples into thin slices (less than .25 inch). You could use a mandolin, but be careful!
2. Preheat oven to lowest temperature, mine was 175 degrees.
3. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then coat each apple slice. Lay apple slices on lined baking trays and bake for three hours, flip slices, and bake for four additional hours.

Personal Apple Pie a la Mode - total time 50 minutes

The hardest part of making a pie is keeping it together when cutting and serving. So I am taking the phrase 'easy as pie' one step further and taking the hardest part out! Plus, I really like using my muffin tin... And you could accommodate individual tastes by making different flavors without making several whole pies.

Pie Crust
2.5 cups flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup cold butter
1 pinch salt
.25 cup ice cold water

Pie Filling
4 cup apples, chopped
1 tbsp butter
.5 brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg

1. Make pie dough in advance. Fill mixing bowl with flour, sugar, and salt. Cut cold butter into the flour (or pulse in food processor). Incorporate a small amount of cold water at a time until you can form a ball with the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl combine chopped apples, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg. Cut small pieces of butter and stir into bowl.
3. Rip off small chunks from the pie dough ball, form into smaller balls, and roll out onto a powder sugared surface (tastier than flour!) Spray muffin tin lightly with oil and form the pie crusts into the muffin cups.
4. Scoop apple mixture into each mini pie crust and cover with little lattice pieces. Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is light golden brown. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream!

Roasted Chestnuts - total time 55 minutes

Roasted chestnuts... the quintessential holiday snack. Eat them warm from the shell or pop a few open to enjoy in a salad, muffin, or cookie. They are pretty easy to roast in your oven if it is too cold outside to roast them over a fire (and you have a closed gas fireplace like me).

1. Cut a long slit into each chestnut using a serrated bread knife.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chestnuts in a pan, cover with water, bring to a simmer for eight minutes.
3. Drain and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Cranberry-Orange Glazed Turkey - total time 2.5 hours

A holiday based on people coming together to cook and enjoy the harvest, being thankful for life's blessings while spending time with friends and family... what a great holiday! Too bad the day is often defined by the usual centerpiece when there are plenty of vegetarian options that could celebrate the harvest even better. With that being said, I ended up going the traditional route for 'Turkey Day' with a cranberry and orange glazed free range turkey (which was the only leftovers, everything else was gobbled up, ha). So now I need to think of some recipes to use this turkey in...

1 turkey, separated

6 ounces whole cranberries

1 cup orange juice

1 tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp butter

4 sprigs rosemary

thyme

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop turkey into pieces (legs, breasts, wings) because it will cook in less time without drying out. Place breasts and legs in a casserole dish and rub with butter, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for one hour.

2. In a small pot, pour cranberries into pot and cover barely cover berries with water. Sprinkle a little brown sugar which will help thicken it up. Heat to a simmer and cranberries will start bursting. Smash berries, then strain to remove berry skins. Pour cranberry sauce back into pot and add orange juice, rosemary, and thyme. Simmer for 10 minutes or until preferred thickness.

3. Coat turkey with half of the glaze and place back in oven for another hour. After the second hour, coat turkey with remaining glaze and allow turkey to rest for 25 minutes.

Cook the wings separately and reserve remaining turkey to make stock for soups and stews!