Well I had a very fun class recently that gave me the perfect excuse to pull out some of my very favorite Fall recipes and make a night of it! After doing so, I wanted to share the recipes along, I hope you enjoy!!
A great start to a fall dinner is a fall cocktail, of course! I have made this Apple Cider Sangria many times & it checks all the boxes for me – Refreshing, delicious and not too sweet!! I find that if you have the space in your refrigerator & can throw it together a day ahead, the flavors really pop!!
Ingredients
This appetizer is always SUCH a hit! I have spent hours and hours preparing intricate appetizers for events and parties, alongside this gem only to have everyone rage over the one that took all of 20 minutes…after nursing my bruised ego, I realized the win, took the advice and I just keep making this instead of spending unnecessary time on other fancy frills!! My household is nut free, so I omit the pecans (or sub for pumpkin seeds), but when able to I add them in for some lovely crunch – toast them first for even bigger flavor!
Salted Caramel Brie with Toasted Pecans
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bake brie on parchment lined baking sheet for 15 minutes at 350. While it is baking, make your caramel!
- Use a medium sized saucepan, when you add the heavy cream at the end, the fat reacts to the hot sugar and rises quite a bit – you want to make sure it doesn’t overflow in the pot!
- Pour the sugar into your saucepan and turn the heat on medium. Stir constantly as your sugar melts, and continue for about 5 minutes or so until the sugar takes on an amber, or caramel color.
- Stir in the butter and continue to stir while it melts. Once completely melted, add in the salt & heavy cream (a little dash of vanilla is option, but lovely!) Stir this mixture constantly while it boils, for 1 minute.
- Take the caramel off of the heat and stir in the pecans. Let the caramel sit for about 5 minutes & then pour over the brie – serve immediately – YUM!
And now for one of my FAVORITE salads of all time, and definitely my favorite fall go to! I love this because of the warmth of it. The flavors are just beautiful & it is a nice hearty salad, so I make it into a meal, well, as often as I can!!
Roasted Vegetable & Greens Salad with Maple Tahini Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Toss your veg with ample olive oil and seasonings – roast for about 25 minutes, or until tender and a little crispy.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor, until pureed. Taste and see if you might like to add a bit more vinegar or lemon, maybe salt – everyone’s preferences are different, but I often need a bit more acid or salt to balance the flavors. If you have time and can let it sit an hour or so – even better!!
- Serve over greens & enjoy!!
The main dish for this menu is a lovely dinner to make for a crowd, as long as you have a pot big enough to fit it all!! Much of this entire menu can be prepared mostly ahead of time, which is why it is great for entertaining. For our pasta dish, the squash can be roasted ahead, sausage cooked, and as long as your ingredients are premeasured, the rest comes together in a snap!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Toss cubed butternut squash with some olive oil, salt & pepper & roast for 30-40 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Bring pot of salted water to a boil & cook pasta.
- While pasta is cooking, make your cream sauce. Add 2 T olive oil to a large skillet or dutch oven. Saute garlic at meidum heat for 2 minutes & add heavy cream – bring to a quick boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add parmesan and season to taste. Stir in sausage & spinach & remove from heat.
- Strain pasta & scoop butternut squash. Mix all together & enjoy!!
We finished off this lovely meal with an apple cider donut cake! SO good. We ended up using a bit of our extra caramel on top and that really was the ‘icing on the cake’! If you do not have caramel, I do suggest some fresh whipped cream, as the cake is a little plain on its own and could use a bit of sweetness:). I used this recipe below for the cake, but I made my own mix vs using a boxed cake mix – you can do whatever you want!!