While I’m grateful that summer weather has finally arrived in San Francisco, I’m ready to move on from summer recipes. Despite the blue skies and warm weather here, I’ve decided it’s time to fully embrace fall recipes because this is my favorite season for cooking and baking! I look forward to this season of comfort foods and beautiful produce all year, so I thought I’d share some of the autumnal recipes that are inspiring me in the kitchen these days. It may not be sweater weather yet, but we can still embrace fall in the kitchen!
Apple Crisp Recipe
Ok, let’s start with something I make every fall: apple crisp! Crisp is so much simpler than pie, and I love the texture and crunch from oats and nuts. I have a tried and true crisp recipe that I typically use, but this year I’m going to branch out and try this one. The Bojon Gourmet creates recipes right here in SF, so I thought it would be fun to give her version a try!
Kale Salad Recipe
What do you need after eating a few too many servings of apple crisp? A good kale salad! I love a big, healthy salad to balance out fall indulgences, but my husband is typically less enthused about having salad for dinner. I can win him over if the salad has exciting toppings and a good dressing, both of which this recipe promises. I haven’t made it yet, but I think this recipe is one we will both love!
Fall Weeknight Pasta
Easy weeknight pasta recipes are essential when you have small children. I love that this recipe has 2 steps and can be customized based on what you have at home (ex: swap sweet potato for the butternut squash or swiss chard for the kale). My son, Henry, is obsessed with “butterfly pasta” (aka farfalle) these days, so I’d likely use that instead of orecchiette. Basically, this recipe is a template, which is the very best type of recipe for busy weeknights.
Speaking of recipes that are perfect for a tasty, quick dinner…
Pumpkin Soup
This pumpkin soup only takes 20 minutes and doesn’t involve steps like scooping out the seeds or roasting— it’s my kind of weeknight soup recipe! I love that this recipe elevates canned pumpkin and simple pantry ingredients, and I can’t wait to try it. I might even top it with a little crispy, crumbled bacon when I make it!
Now let’s talk about some snacks and sweets.
Paleo Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
I made some gluten-free pumpkin muffins last week from the box mix at Trader Joe’s and they were a hit! I can only imagine how quickly pumpkin muffins would be devoured at my house if I made them from scratch AND they had a cinnamon streusel topping. Bonus: this recipe is gluten and dairy free so you can share it with friends who have food sensitivities/allergies.
Apple Butter Recipe
This recipe for apple butter looks like a sweet weekend project. My grandma used to make apple butter on the stove, simmering it for hours and swatting our hands away if we tried to sneak a taste before it was done. I think it’s an underrated condiment, and love to eat it slathered on toast. Cute jars filled with this apple butter would also make a great gift for family or friends!
Boo! Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Looking for a spooky treat to make for Halloween that is no-bake and requires only 6 pantry ingredients? These Boo! Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars would make a great baking project with kids because they’re basically impossible to mess up! I think older kids would have a blast decorating the bars with ghost shapes or spider webs, and younger kids could practice scooping the cornflakes and stirring the sticky cereal mixture together. If you have peanut allergies in your family, I’m sure these bars would also taste great with almond or cashew butter.
Smoke in the Orchard Cocktail Recipe
Lastly, no recipe roundup would be complete without a good cocktail recipe. The name of this fall cocktail, Smoke in the Orchard, was enough to pique my interest. Then I read the combination of ingredients, mezcal + apple+ ginger, and was hooked. I cannot wait to shake up this cocktail on a Friday night to kick off the weekend!
If you have any favorite fall recipes, share them in the comments below!
I tried both the pumpkin soup and the pasta recipes this week! The soup was really tasty and definitely easy to make, although it did take me longer than 20 minutes. That probably has more to do with the two kids that interrupted me every 5 minutes than it did the recipe. The pasta was even easier because everything gets tossed into the oven. I drizzled a little balsamic vinegar over the dish at the end to give it an extra umph of flavor and also served balsamic and rosemary marinated chicken on the side for extra protein. Love fall recipes!