By Lee Bowden
Aromatic chai, apple pie cinnamon rolls, orange and cranberry jam, rosemary and honey served both savory and sweet — it must be autumn again.
Start your fall off with pumpkin spice and everything nice, whether you’re visiting your local coffee shop or making a mess at home while baking! I’m definitely doing the latter, so follow along with me as I take you through a couple of my favorite fall recipes.
Savor:
Pan-fried chicken thighs, rosemary roasted sweet potatoes and crispy baked brussel sprouts, topped with a sage pistachio pesto.
This dish is my partner and I’s go-to meal that stuns both us and our guests every time!
- For the pesto, I like to make Tieghan Gerard’s recipe in their book, Half Baked Harvest Cookbook: Recipes from my Barn in the Mountains. However, you can buy pesto at the grocery store if you want a more low effort meal. (My partner and I are just little culinary wizards!)
- Wash and cut sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts, arrange on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil (rosemary-infused olive oil adds a lot), salt and pepper. Let them bake at 425°F for 20-30 minutes, then remove and drizzle with honey.
- Season your chicken thighs, then place them into a pan (over medium heat) with hot oil (one with a high smoke point). Cook for 5 or so minutes on each side, then cook additionally until 165°F internally.
- Assemble your plate with the roasted veggies, crispy chicken and a big dollop of pesto and enjoy!
Sweet Tooth:
Mimi’s Homemade Fresh Apple Cake
My grandmother has always been my biggest baking inspiration. Eating at her house in Blackshear every Thanksgiving felt like stepping into a baker’s paradise. Think red velvet cakes, Derby pies, Italian wedding cookies and classic chocolate chip — everything coming from that kitchen tasted like love!
This recipe, however, is my favorite:
- Mix 1 ¼ cups of canola oil with 2 cups of sugar.
- Add 3 eggs, and then whisk in 1 cup of chopped pecans and 3 cups of diced apples (I find Gala apples to be really lovely in this cake).
- Combine 1 tsp. of salt, 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. of baking soda and 2 tsp. of vanilla. Measure out cinnamon and nutmeg with your heart.
- Cook in a buttered bundt pan for 1 hour at 350°F.
Enjoy this deliciously simple sweet treat!