Fall Harvest Recipe Round-Up!

Are you on a hunt for some wonderful Autumn treats for this Hauntingly Fun Halloween Weekend?!  I have assembled for you some of my most favorites, that will definitely be a hit at any party- and especially at your own dinner table!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Both a Savory and a Sweet Version!

Traditional Garlic and Worcestershire Pumpkin Seeds and also  Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Cider Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Favorites

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom:
Kolokithopita- Savory Greek Pumpkin Pie
Low Carb Spiced Pumpkin Bread
Yum Yum Brownie Muffins
Caramelized Onion Pumpkin and Ricotta Tortellini's with a Walnut and Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Apple Treats 

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom:
Apple Cream Cheese Quick Bread
Apple Dapple Cake
Traditional Apple Crisp
Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar

Owl and Bat Cupcakes

And just incase you are looking for some fun ways to decorate your cupcakes for the Halloween Party, these are always a huge party hit!

Owl and Bat Cupcakes

Traditional Apple Crisp

For dessert on Girls Night, Bonnie made a classic Apple Crisp. Oh how I love fruit crisps- probably one of my most favorite desserts. It is simple to throw together, but the smell it sends through the house while baking is soooo comforting and wonderful.  I am usually a If It Isn't Chocolate, I Don't Want It kind of girl when it comes to dessert.  But NOT when apples are involved.  They are my absolute favorite dessert fruit.  The crisp sweetness when raw turns into a lovely warm, caramelized flavor that is like no other.  Pair it with a little cinnamon and sugar and even better throw in rollled oats and of course butter and you've got me for sure! Delicious, homey and one dessert everyone needs to learn how to do.

with whip or without, either way this dessert is a win!

Traditional Apple Crisp
recipe courtesy Family Fun

6 apples (or 6 cups of apple slices)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
Whipped cream or ice cream (optional for serving)

To peel an apple safely, your child should hold the fruit in one hand, grip a vegetable peeler in the other, and push the peeler away from himself.

Heat oven to 375 degrees and lightly butter an 8 or 9-inch-square baking pan. Peel, core, and slice the apples and arrange them evenly in the prepared pan.

Place the oats, brown sugar, flour, spices, and salt in a sealable plastic bag, close, and shake until combined. Cut the softened butter into 1-inch pieces and add to the oat mixture. Close the bag again and knead or squeeze until the mixture holds together. Instead of using a bowl to mix the crumb topping, use a sealable plastic bag. This will cut back on dirty dishes and let young bakers--even preschoolers--lend a hand.

Open the bag and crumble the topping evenly over the apples. Bake the apple crisp for 40 to 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the juices begin to bubble around the edges.

Cool slightly, then serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

My favorite parts: the crispy, gooey edge bits 

and when the whipped cream melts into the warm crisp just right


Do you ever read that little box on my sidebar over there -->
Labeled "Daily Inspirations.  Quotes Amie Likes"?
It is a fun box that rotates a new famous quote with each push of the refresh button.

Well I love looking at it and being inspired throughout my day.  Just as I was writing this entry I saw a quote that really struck to me for it was so fitting to my beautiful friends Bonnie and Dawn.....

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." —Anaïs Nin

I love you my sweet friends.

Apple Cream Cheese Quick Bread

Do you love cheese danishes as much as we do?!  If so, then you will LOVE this recipe! It is a quick bread (think simple and easy!) But has all the amazing flavors of a cheese danish, minus the extra work involved. And with the addition of grated apples you get the tangy sweetness of the fruit as well.

I made a loaf last night and already over half of our bread is gone! Jackson can't keep his little hands out of it. Last night while I was slicing, he kept sneaking little bites and this morning he says to me "Mommy, can I have a piece of your bread now and another piece at breakfast? I love it!" Now, mind you this was just at 7:30am while I was in the middle of scrambling his egg for breakfast.  I guess it is a winner! We even bought more apples today to make more this weekend. Yeah, it's that good.

Just be sure to grease and flour your pans really, really well. As you will see in the pictures, parts of my crust stuck to the pan.  Jackson told me that it was ok, he would just eat those good bitzky bites for me that stuck. Good thing I don't have finicky eaters in this house :)  I apologize for the not so beautiful pictures, but you get the point.  We were all too much in a hurry to eat!

Apple Cream Cheese Bread
recipe courtesy of Tomato Kumato

for the apple cake
2 apples
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg

for the cream cheese swirled topping
6 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grate the apples (skin and all) into a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, cup of sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix well to combine. Without mixing, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet, and pour into the prepared loaf pan.

Combine the cream cheese, sugar and egg with a fork. Pour over the top of the batter, and use a knife to swirl the two layers together.

Bake loosely covered with foil for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue to bake an additional 15-20 minutes (mine took at least 20 additional minutes, and I have an oven that runs hot), until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool fully before slicing.  This is very important.  I know it will be tempting to cut into it right away, but the bread needs to set up some, otherwise it will fall apart if sliced too soon.

Here is close-up of all that wonderful swirly goodness.  Caramelized sugar, cinnamon, sweetened cream cheese, bits of apple......

Apple Muffins with Cinnamon and Sugar

These muffins are wonderfully light, and despite the sugar topping, they are the perfect sweetness.  Not too sweet- just right.  You will love these.  I promise.  

Print this Recipe

Apple Muffins with Cinnamon and Sugar
makes 6 3-inch muffins or 24 mini muffins

3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for sugarcoating the muffins
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1 cup skim milk
6 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup frozen apple-juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

Position rack in the center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.  Lightly grease or line with paper baking cups six 3-inch muffin cups.

In a large bowl, blend together the two flours, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  In a medium bowl, beat the egg, milk, oil, apple juice, and lemon extract until smooth.  Stir in the apples.  Combine the two mixtures, blending until the dry ingredients are just moistened.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5-7 minutes.

Serve warm, or invert onto the rack to cool completely.  While still warm, coat the muffins with sugar.

I doubled the recipe and made a batch of mini muffins as well as regular sized. I LOVE the mini muffins! These are the perfect flavors for a little bite-sized treat. I definitely recommend making them tiny like this. Isn't anything more fun when they are small?  Plus, this way you can have more then one and not feel guilty....

Fridays, Feasting With Friends- Featuring Paul Rados

"One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends."

~Laurie Colwin 'Home Cooking'

Paul Rados

For today's Friday's, Feasting with Friends I want to introduce you to a fellow foodie and blogger Paul Rados.  I first met Paul online through his blog.  I am friends with his girlfriend Lindsay and she suggested I check it out, being a food blogger myself.  I was instantly hooked. He has a fun style to his writing that makes him so great to read.  Not only does Paul blog at Paul Rados: Chef, Writer, Student..., but he is also a contributing writer for yahoo and other online media.  If you pop on over to his blog you can see all of the articles he has contributed (there are links to each one) some great recipes, and just musings about food and life in general.  Its a great addition to your Reader!  When you add in a job as a full time chef here in Cleveland, and also working toward his Dietary Manager Certification- he is one busy boy!  Thanks a lot Paul for taking the time to write for me today, and I am crazy excited about trying out your recipe- wow does it sound amazing!

What is your favorite thing to cook?
Ever since I cooked at the now defunct Bar Symon and learned how simple his famous goat cheese mac & cheese is to prepare I now enjoy various adaptations on this classic American dish. I sometimes do bacon and rosemary, sometimes chorizo with a mixture of cheeses. There is just so much you can do.

How about your least favorite thing to cook?
While I can do it, I absolutely hate cooking fish. I do enjoy eating it, especially deep-fried, on a bun, with tartar sauce!

What is your favorite local restaurant and what is one you are dying to try out?
Hands down my favorite restaurant in Cleveland is Greenhouse Tavern on E. 4th. Chef Sawyer and crew do an outstanding job. As for one I am dying to try… One Red Door in Hudson, although I am not sure when I am going to make it out that way.

Music and food go together so beautifully. You are hosting a dinner party, what would be on your playlist?
I suppose the music would really depend on the menu. That’s a tough call.

What would you choose to be your last meal on earth?
I know it sounds odd but I would choose a bologna sandwich. It was one of the only things I ate when I was a kid. I would like to reflect on memories of my childhood if I knew my time was coming to an end.

What are you currently reading?
I am just finishing up Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower.

What is your favorite Kitchen Gadget?
I have an unhealthy love affair with my Kitchen Aid mixer. I tend to give Lindsay dirty looks when she asks if she can use it. 9.5 times out of 10 I relent, but am watching her closely.

Do you have a signature go-to dish?
I can whip up a mean puttanesca in a pinch.

What is your favorite thing about the Cleveland area?
I love the fact Cleveland really is a foodie town without all the hype NYC, CHI, and SF get.

Do you have a favorite meal from your childhood and do you cook it today?
My mother makes the best meatloaf. It is usually best the next day as a meatloaf sandwich.

Top 3 Movies of all time?
Elizabethtown, Just Like Heaven, Inception

What was your happiest moment in life?
It’s in the works!

Paul and his lovely girlfriend Lindsay

Where do you do your grocery shopping?
Mostly Giant Eagle in Rocky River with some Heinen’s and West Side Market thrown in.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food?
Cheese, hands down. Bacon is a close second.

Can you tell me about what you are most proud of?
I have been publishing a lot of online articles on various websites in the last few months.

Do you have Culinary Resolutions that you would like to accomplish this year?
I would love to get my recipes organized instead of the chaotic state they are in now.

One word that best describes you is: Focused

Bacon and Granny Smith Apple Bread Pudding
1 qt milk
1 qt cream
1 pound brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 qt chopped bread

diced maple bacon (about half to 3/4 cup)
pealed granny smith apples, diced small (about 2 cups)

-mix wet, add bread, soak overnight
-add apple (about 1/4 c) and bacon (about 1 tbs) to bottom of restaurant sized soup CUP or other similar sized container
-cover with soaked bread pudding mixture and bake at 325 for around 35 min.
-finish with drizzle of heavy cream at service

Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins

Well, it has been a while since I was on my muffin kick so I thought it was time to try out a new recipe.  These are a nice, basic muffin.  Wonderfully moist and full of flavor.  They are delicious as-is, but also are lovely slathered in butter or spread with your favorite preserves.  I can easily see these being a staple in our house.

Print this Recipe

Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
makes 7-9 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk
Cinnamon sugar blend for sprinkling on top

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease or line a muffin tin with paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs,  applesauce, and milk until smooth.  (I used my homemade chunky applesauce so I didn't try and get the apples smooth, just the batter.)  Combine the two mixtures, blending until just moistened.  Do not over-mix for it will make for a tough muffin.

Spoon the batter in the prepared muffin cups, filling each one about 3/4 full.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar over each muffin.  Bake for 15-20 minutes , or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5-7 minutes.  Serve warm or invert onto the rack to cool completely.

*Muffin Baking Tip: fill one or two empty muffin cups with water before baking.  The steam from the water will insure a nice, moist muffin every time.

Serve warm or let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

I love how there are nice chunks of apples in my muffins since I used my homemade chunky applesauce.  You can buy a good quality applesauce or use my homemade recipe {here}.

Homemade Applesauce

Last night I was overjoyed to see that I had apples on my tree just ready for picking!  Autumn is on its way and I couldn't be happier!  Of course I had to get them right then and there because I have pesky deer that will undoubtedly beat me to it if I leave them even a day.   As cute as deer are, I don't like to share my homegrown food with them!  They can have the ones that fall to the ground, that is as nice as I get when it comes to my produce. Otherwise- stand clear!  

With my fight against deer, every year I end up picking so many apples at one time I have a race to see how many recipes I can find to use them all up.  My number one stand-by is easily applesauce.  It is quick, delicious, and you can control how much sugar goes into it when you make it at home.  Applesauce is one of those things that you really should never buy from the store.  It is that simple. With having a three year old, we eat A LOT of applesauce in our house and I love knowing I have a freezer full of it whenever we want it! And applesauce isn't only for kids. You've heard of applesauce with pork chops, right? Match made in heaven.  But it is also delicious warm with vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt.  Kinda tastes like apple pie this way.  Mmmmmmm.  

Homemade Applesauce
3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. (Make sure you use a good cooking apple like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh, or Gravenstein.)
4 strips of lemon peel (a vegetable peeler works nicely to cut your strips)
1- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, depending on tartness of apples
1 large cinnamon stick
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar*
up to 1/4 cup of white sugar*
1 cup of apple cider or apple juice

optional ingredients:
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Place the apples, apple cider, lemon juice, lemon peel and cinnamon stick into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring often until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in the sugars, nutmeg and any of the optional ingredients. Cook, stirring, until the sugars are dissolved and blended, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick.

For a chunky applesauce, mash with a potato masher. For a smooth applesauce, run it through a food mill or a coarse sieve. Serve warm or chilled.

*the sugar measurements are just a guideline.  Add a little at a time, tasting to achieve the right sweetness you desire.  My homegrown apples are very tart so I like a good balance between the sweet and tart.

Freezes easily, lasts up to one year in freezer.  I like to freeze them flat in ziplock storage bags.  When you are ready to eat you can easily break off the amount of applesauce you need.

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

I can hardly believe I am saying this, but I am already done with summer.   Being pregnant the heat is really getting to me, I'm sick of the swollen feet, and I just am ready for the fall. I am ready for crunchy leaves.  Sleeping in bed, windows open to the chilly nights.  And my oven warming the house with wonderful smelling treats.

It was a sleepy day for me today.   My body and mind is finally slowing down after a busy week full of VBS, wedding showers and spending lots of time with lots of people.  I had a hard time waking up and an even harder time getting moving.  It was like my body was screaming "STOP and just let me relax already!"  So take it easy I did.  After a nice long shower, Jackson and I pilled into the car and popped over my mom's house for a little R&R.  Jackson got to play, I got to relax and enjoy my mom's company and conversation. It was a nice way to unwind, and I got to leave with my new market basket (Thanks Kathleen!) full of homegrown veggies, fresh fruit salsa, rolled oats, and lots and lots of blueberries!  My parents neighbor Emma, grows the most delicious blueberries in her backyard and we are always so lucky to get bushels of them each summer.  My most favorite way to eat them is just in a bowl of ice-cold milk and a light sprinkling of sugar- yum!  But with my head fixed on autumn, baking is on the brain these days.

How about some blueberry muffins?  They are so easy to bake, and make for a nice quick breakfast in the morning- which I know Scott appreciates before work.  One of my favorite baking blogs is Joy the Baker.  She is witty, always adding wonderful humor in with each recipe post.  Plus, the things she makes are divine!  While searching her recipes for muffins with blueberries I came across this one that uses applesauce in place of any fattening butters, it has whole wheat flour and rolled oats- and yet she claims them to be moist, delicious and help you to feel good about yourself after eating them.  Sounds good to me!  Especially considering my ongoing cravings for carbohydrates this pregnancy.

I sprinkled the tops with coarse sugar before baking, which added a nice crunch and also worked great with the tartness of the blueberries.  Just as Joy said I would, I loved these muffins!  This is a recipe I will definitely hold onto for future use!

Print this Recipe

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins
courtesy of Joy the Baker
Makes 12-15 muffins

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (I used the Powdered Buttermilk I had on hand.  For this recipe, it converts to 2 1/8 Tbsp Powdered Buttermilk and 1/2 cup water.  Add the Powdered Buttermilk with the dry ingredients and the water with the wet.)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cups or spray with nonstick cooking spray. I had enough paper liners for 12 muffins, but had enough muffin mix for 18.  So I sprayed my other tin with floured nonstick cooking spray (Bakers Joy) and it worked great!  I will probably use this method from now on, at least with these muffins.  You don't need to worry about them sticking to the paper this way and you can enjoy every last morsel.

In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Apple Dapple Cake

Our first apple of the season from the trees in our yard.

Since it is my birthday today I thought it would be most fitting to post the recipe to one of my favorite cakes-  The Apple Dapple Cake.  I found this recipe last year when I discovered what suprisingly delicious apples we have on the two trees in our backyard.  I didn't want them to go to waste so I made a point of picking just about every single one as quickly as I could before the deer and birds beat me to it.  Well, this left me with a heck of a lot of apples!  I needed to get creative, and fast!  So right away I made quite a few batches of different types of applesauce (I will give you my favorite recipe in another post later on).  But being the fall I was in the mood to bake.  After a little surfing on my favorite cooking websites I stumbled across The Apple Dapple Cake. I loved the name and the recipe was super easy so I thought I would give it a try.  One word- Heaven. Even Jackson, who isn't a dessert kid looooooved this cake. It is sticky and moist and the perfect accompaniment to a good cup of coffee. If you want to be super decadent, a scoop of real french vanilla ice cream makes this a little taste of perfect. It never lasts long in our house, so I have been taking to freezing half of it right away in single servings so we can pull it out whenever the mood strikes us.  It freezes wonderfully and keeps us from eating the whole thing in under a week!

Apple Dapple Cake

Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups raw apples, peeled and chopped fine

Grease a tube or bundt pan (I like to use Pam or Baker's Joy).  Mix oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, soda. Add to first mixture. Fold in pecans and apples. Bake in prepared tube pan at 350 for 1 hour.

Sauce

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup margarine (1 1/2 sticks)

Mix and cook 3 minutes after it begins to gently boil, stirring constantly. With a butter knife, poke holes all over the cake- seriously, go ahead.  The more the holes you poke the better.  Carefully pour the sauce over hot cake while cake is still in pan. All that wonderful sauce is going to sink into the holes you just poked.  Let cake cool completely before removing, at least one hour.

The sauce is what makes this cake so fabulous.  It will looks like a crazy amount of sauce when you first pour it on the cake, but it will sink into the holes and the cake will soak it all up resulting in the moistest cake you will have ever tasted.  

As a birthday present to me, bake your family this cake and let me know what you think. You wont be disappointed I promise.




I linked up my recipe on Mom's Crazy Cooking!