If you've been around Shenandoah Sugar for any length of time, then you probably know that I love baking and cooking! (I share all of my own recipes and recipe roundups under the "recipes" tab at the top of my blog!) Something about baking and cooking when it's cool (or cold) outside just make it even better. I love pulling an aromatic baked good out of the oven, or serving a warm bowl of soup right off of the stove. Today I'm compiling my favorite recipes to make during the fall (and winter!) from appetizers, to baked goods, to cocktails.
Appetizers
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| Image via Tablespoon |
Cranberry Brie Bites: This is one of my most-made recipes. It seems so fancy but it's so dang easy, only 3 ingredients! My friend and I love making them for wine and cheese nights. I've used cranberry sauce like the recipe calls for, as well as other various types of jam and preserves (fig is amazing!) I've also used this cranberry apple butter, which is absolutely delicious! The cranberry apple butter recipe is written for the crock pot, but I make it on the stove so it comes together more quickly.
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| Image via Love Foodies |
Sweet beer bread: Okay so there's a story with this one: There's this restaurant in Lexington that Kenny and I love going to that has the BEST bread on earth. Like, seriously. After the first time we went there, I spent the whole summer trying to find a recipe that replicated the bread from the restaurant. This one is pretty darn close! The kicker, and what makes it extra fall: hard cider! I always use hard cider rather than beer like the recipe calls for, and it makes the bread extra yummy. Note: if you don't have self-rising flour on hand and don't feel like going out and buying some (I never do), you can easily make it at home with regular flour, baking soda, and salt. I use this recipe!
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| Image via Life, Love and Sugar |
Sausage cream cheese pinwheels: This is one of the biggest crowd-pleasing recipes I make, there are never any left over when I make them for a get-together. I highly recommend making them if you have any sort of gathering coming up; people love them and they're so so easy, only three ingredients. Kenny and I have even eaten them for dinner a couple times! Since we're vegetarian now I don't make them as often, but I have made them with meatless sausage crumbles and they're still DELICIOUS!
Breakfast Pastries
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| Image via The Domestic Rebel |
Pumpkin bread: This really is the BEST pumpkin bread I've tried. With "staple" recipes like this, I usually try a lot of different recipes before deciding on my favorite and making it my tried-and-true. This one is the one! The one thing I change from the recipe is that I use 2/3c granulated sugar and 2/3c brown sugar, rather than the 1c brown sugar that the recipe calls for.
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| Image via Sally's Baking Addiction |
Apple cinnamon rolls: This autumn twist on classic cinnamon rolls isn't difficult, but they're a labor of love (they take about four hours including rising time). They're SO worth it, though! They're such a good recipe to make when you've been apple picking and you're looking for something yummy to bake with your harvest! These are always a hit with my family - I usually prepare the rolls the day before I want to serve them, stick them in the fridge, and bake them the next morning.
Dinners
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| Image via Health |
Vegetarian white bean chili: This may be my favorite soup, it's incredibly delicious, not to mention hearty and nourishing. The quinoa adds a really nice texture, and that paired with cannellini beans provides a lot of plant-based protein. Kenny and I LOVE kale in soups too, it cooks down a ton so I usually add 4-6 cups rather than the measly 1c the recipe calls for.
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| Image via Skinny Ms. |
High protein black bean and lentil soup: This is another soup favorite of ours, I love the texture of lentils and I love the protein they provide. I ALSO love that you can cook up a big pot of this and eat it all week, or freeze some for an easy dinner in the future.
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| Image via It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken |
Vegan Irish stew: Kenny loves beef stew, and it's one of the things he misses most about not eating meat. Luckily, he loves vegan sausage, so I made this recipe a couple years ago and we both loved it! It's been on my cold weather dinner recipe rotation ever since.
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| Image via Cookie and Kate |
Vegetarian pho: Pho is one of my favorite things to eat during the cold months, but it's not so easy to find a vegetarian version in traditional Vietnamese restaurants. Luckily, it's easy to make at home, and while not necessarily "traditional," this recipe is so delicious. I use oyster mushrooms, and I love topping it with cilantro, bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, fresh lime juice, and sriracha.
Sweets
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| Image via Sally's Baking Addiction |
Oatmeal scotchies: If you've never made oatmeal scotchies, you're missing out! They're so flavorful, buttery, and chewy. They're made with butterscotch chips which might sound questionable, but just trust me. I made these for my roommate in college for her birthday (and added rainbow sprinkles for a fun touch), and she still tells me they're her favorite cookies she's ever had. You can't argue with that!
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| Image via Sally's Baking Addiction |
Brown butter pecan pie bars: If you're not a big fan of pecan pie, don't pass this recipe by just yet! I'm not really a pecan pie fan either, but OMG are these bars incredible. Brown butter is my very favorite baking ingredient, and if you've never tried it, then prepare to be dazzled. It gives these bars a rich, nutty flavor like you've never tasted before. And I guarantee that the shortbread crust is better than any pie crust you've ever had! I skip the sea salt on top, but I'm sure they're delicious with it, too. I make these for a yearly lunch my local Elk's lodge puts on for volunteers after their annual Christmas charity event, and I always get asked for the recipe.
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| Image via Mama Miss |
Easy apple crisp: This recipe is so easy (only six ingredients!), but that doesn't make it any less delicious! The crumb topping is made with cake mix, which gives it a distinct flavor that I love even more than from-scratch apple crisps.
Cocktails
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| Image via Shenandoah Sugar |
Poinsettia: This recipe is extra special to me because it's my own! There are a bunch of different versions of the poinsettia cocktail out there, but this is my adaption and my personal favorite. It's become a holiday tradition in my family, and I serve them up on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning. Be warned - it's STRONG. I tell an abbreviated version of a poinsettia-induced embarrassing moment on the original recipe post, and my brother has fallen victim to them, as well. 😂 That's all I'll say about that!
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| Image via Joyful Healthy Eats |
Apple cider Moscow mule: Last but not least, a twist on a classic! I love a good Moscow mule, the ginger flavor is so refreshing. This recipe combines the ginger beer you know and love with hard cider. add a pinch of cinnamon and you have the perfect fall cocktail. I recommend using your favorite cider from a local cidery (Bold Rock Virginia apple, for me!)
WELL now that I'm sufficiently hungry, I better go make one of these recipes! I'm thinking the pumpkin bread... Let me know what you're making!
xoxx, Laura
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