It's Fall, Y'all (and hi again!)

I had a preamble written about my hiatus but I guess it doesn't really matter - hi, happy fall to all my fans and followers, here are some recipes I've made lately and what I'm hoping to crank out in the next six weeks!

As I flip through my cookbooks throughout the year, there are always seasonally-themed recipes - and then, because time is a thief, the season comes and goes and I didn't make the things and have to wait another 9 months for it to feel right in my spirit. Hopefully the list at the bottom will be a nice little antidote. If you've got my phone number, keep me accountable - or volunteer yourself to come eat something.

Before that, though, here's what's been on my table the last couple of weeks.


Harvest Butternut Squash and Apple Pizza from Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple - I ran into my friend Meghan at the grocery store while I was buying these supplies and asked her if she thought my husband would eat it, and she laughed at me. I texted some friends a picture of the recipe and asked, "Will you guys eat an adventurous pizza or no? Tell me the truth." They said yes and and 3/4 of us LOVED IT! The base is apple butter, and it features honeycrisp apples, ribbons of butternut squash, crispy prosciutto, blue cheese, and (hot) honey. This was a hit*. 

*The only modification I made to this recipe was that I did not add sage. I am an astoundingly open-minded eater but I DO NOT like sage. I've tried. It gives me the ick. Furthermore, in case anyone was wondering, the Guava La Croix flavor is reminiscent of sage to me so I will not be drinking that anymore either. I will also not be accepting questions about that at this time.


Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta from the Half Baked Harvest Blog (click me) - I had more than half of a butternut squash to use up (because a pizza can only handle so many butternut squash ribbons) and I had seen Tieghan post a video about this pasta recently, so I googled for it and hit the jackpot. Instead of roasting a head of garlic with the squash, though, I added a couple scoops of the Trader Joe's Garlic Spread/Dip that I needed to use up. Worked like a charm. As a side note while I'm thinking about it, one of my friends who's a vegan would always bring over that dip as well as Zhoug Sauce and they pair super well together and are far more unique than the traditional party dip.

Back to the pasta, make sure you save enough pasta water as instructed because this sauce got pretty thick and difficult. I used angel hair because it's my husband's favorite but a short cut of pasta like rigatoni could probably handle the thicker sauce. You do you.


One-Pot Spanish Chorizo, Shrimp, and Rice Pilaf from Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple - Alright this isn't a fall recipe, sue me. It's one I couldn't believe I hadn't made yet but will absolutely be making again for company. Instead of broken spaghetti, I used some tiny egg noodles I had laying around. Instead of chorizo, I used a pecan-smoked sausage I had in the freezer from when I bought some on BOGO a while back. Chorizo can be a little overwhelming in this style of dish so I thought that substitution was excellent and it also meant I didn't need to look for the right kind of chorizo and look dumb in front of the Publix butcher. 


Autumn Harvest Salad from Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple - Nothing gets me giddy like a well-constructed salad. I saw a meme about how some salads are delicious, but others feel like you're eating leaves in purgatory forever (hahaha, true). This one's delicious. The leaves are kale but I swear you can't taste it, if you're concerned. Main starts here are honeycrisp apples, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and bacon. You should use more bacon than necessary because that's a rule of life. This was super.

* * *

Fall Recipes to Make this Year:


From Half Baked Harvest Super Simple:
- Cinnamon Butter Brioche French Toast (on my list for this weekend)
- Pumpkin Butter Crème Fraiche Pancakes
- Maple-Glazed Cardamom Apple Fritters
- Pumpkin-Sage Lasagna with Fontina (BUT I WILL NOT BE ADDING SAGE. And I will continue to act needlessly defensive about it.)
- Golden Butternut Squash Soup
- Pomegranate-Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Mash

From Magnolia Table:
- Vanilla Cake Donuts (Guys, these have to be fried and stuff. Deep sigh.)
- Roasted Asparagus and Sauce
- Spiced Pecan Pie

From Dinner: A Love Story:
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Pomegranate Pork Loin (since I'll have pomegranate juice in the house from the short ribs above...)
- Turkey Chili
- Butternut Squash Soup with Apples (oh my gosh my husband is going to have butternut squash soup coming out of his eyeballs and he's going to be so mad at me)
- Baked Sausage with Apples, Potatoes, and Onions
- Mustardy Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

Magnolia Table II:
- Coffee Cake
- Pecan Pancakes with Maple Butter
- Honey Thyme Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potatoes
- Creamy Polenta 
- Whole Roasted Chicken with Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, and Broccolini
- Dutch Oven Lasagna 
- Friendsgiving Casserole

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