Fall Recipes - Yummy Autumn Recipes!

After the heat of summer, autumn seems like a refreshing time that’s perfect for relaxing… unless you’ve got to decide what you’re going to fix for dinner tonight. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting a bit cooler, and it would be great if you could capture just a little bit of that fall essence and put it into your meals. The good news is that you can; as fall vegetables are coming into season, there are a number of recipes which you can use to help capture that autumn feel on the dinner plate and leave everyone feeling relaxed and ready to enjoy the rest of the season.

Whenever you want to try and capture some of the magic of autumn, try adding one or more of these recipes to your meals. You should be able to find something suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a snack; fall brings a bountiful harvest, so you can find plenty of inspiration when planning your meals for whatever your tastes might be.

A delightful zucchini bread, perfect with dinner or as a hot and fresh snack as the days begin to turn cool.

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnutsP

Preheat your over to 350 degrees, then grease and flour 2 standard sized loaf pans. With a wire whisk, mix your olive oil, eggs, and sugar. When well mixed, begin adding the cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well, and then begin folding in the flour and zucchini. Add the chopped walnuts, then bake for 1 hour. Serve warm for best flavor.

A flavorful soup with a wonderful taste, this is the perfect beginning to just about any autumn meal.

• 4 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups diced chicken, pre-cooked
• 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth
• 2 cups whole kernel corn
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a small skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove it from heat and place the bacon on paper towels in order to allow it to drain. Place one tablespoon of the bacon grease into a large pot, adding the potatoes and onions to the pot and sautéing over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, allowing the broth and vegetable mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the chicken, bacon, corn, milk, and cream to the broth, stirring frequently while allowing it to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

Delightfully tangy yet subtly sweet, this wonderful coleslaw is best served cold as a complement to a hot meal.

• ½ cup shredded cabbage
• ½ cup shredded red cabbage
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ½ large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
• Black pepper, to taste

Toss the cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots together in a large bowl. When thoroughly mixed, add the onion, celery, cranberries, and walnuts then toss again. In a separate container, mix together the vinegar, sugar, salt, and mustard. Add the olive oil, then pour the mixture over the vegetable mixture. Add the black pepper, then toss the slaw until well-coated. Refrigerate the slaw, and serve cold.

These hearty pork chops with a slight hint of apple cider taste are just the thing to serve as the centerpiece for a wonderful meal.

• 4 thick pork chops
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup apple cider
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Place the pork chops in a covered skillet and brown them over low heat (flipping frequently) for 15 minutes. Slowly pour the apple cider over the pork chops in the skillet, covering and allowing them to simmer for an additional 10-12 minutes. Remove the pork chops from the skillet, then add the heavy cream, parsley, salt, and pepper to the remaining cider. Still over low heat, stir the liquid with a wire whisk until it begins to thicken. Pour the sauce over the pork chops, and serve hot.

An autumn favorite, this easy pumpkin pie will have friends and family coming back for more every time.

• 1 9-inch pie crust
• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 ¼ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• Whipping cream for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and place the pie crust in to allow it to bake for 5 minutes or until it is golden brown in color. Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and allspice in a bowl gently, just enough so that all of the ingredients have combined. Set this bowl aside and begin melting the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the milk and begin stirring with a wire whisk for 5-8 minutes or until the milk begins to rise at a fast boil. Pour the milk and butter into the egg mixture, stirring the entire time to combine the two. Mix in the pumpkin puree and brown sugar, then pour the filling into your pre-baked pie crust. Wrap a ring of aluminum foil around the edge of the pie crust, and bake the pie for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, or until the filling is slightly jiggly. Allow to cool completely, then serve cool with freshly whipped cream for a garnish.

A truly wonderful chicken dish, the flavor of the apricots and honey really complement the other ingredients.

• 2 lbs. chicken breasts
• 2 1/3 cups chopped apricots
• ¼ cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a saucepan, combine the apricots, onion, orange juice, honey, brown sugar, ginger, salt, and mustard. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then lower the temperature and allow the mixture to simmer for 10-12 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool for 1 hour. Once the fruit sauce has cooled thoroughly, preheat your over to 350 degrees. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper according to your tastes, then place them in a single layer with the skin side down in a glass baking dish. Pour the fruit mixture over the chicken, spreading it to make sure that the chicken is well covered, and bake the chicken for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over, and then baste them again with the fruit sauce from the pan. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees and allow the chicken to bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve hot.

Another autumn favorite, these sweet potatoes are given a balance of sweetness and tartness by the combination of the brown sugar and orange juice.

• 4 sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 bag miniature marshmallows

Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into chunks, then place them in boiling water and allow them to cook until tender. Drain the sweet potatoes. Combine the brown sugar and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to bubble. Slowly add the orange juice, stirring the glaze until it is completely smooth. Add the sweet potato pieces and reduce the heat, stirring the mixture while it cooks for 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are completely coated and the sugar has begun to caramelize. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and pour the sweet potato mixture into a Pyrex baking dish. Cover the top of the sweet potatoes with miniature marshmallows and bake for 10 minutes or until the marshmallows have browned. Allow to cool slightly, and serve warm.

A popular dessert in the South and a great way to use up bread that’s begun to go stale, this bread pudding is wonderful served warm with a homemade vanilla ice cream.

• 2 cups milk
• 4 cups cubed or torn stale bread
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup raisins

Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it is just scalded. Place the bread into a bowl, and pour the scalded milk over the bread pieces. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, and raisins to the bowl, mixing just well enough to get all of the ingredients incorporated. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and pour the mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pudding has set. Serve warm, preferably with a fruit sauce or with vanilla ice cream.

by Julie-Ann Amos, professional writer, and owner of international writing agency www.ExquisiteWriting.com

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