It’s been kind of cloudy and chilly the past week so I’ve been in full basic fall mode over here. Lighting all the fall candles and making lots of fall recipes! Are you Team Pumpkin or Team Apple?
I sort of go back and forth, I love pumpkin, but there is really nothing better than warm apple pie with hints of cinnamon. You know what else is perfection? Cheesecake. And you all know I love no-bake cheesecakes. I’ve already made no-bake pumpkin cheesecake so apple was an obvious choice!
The base of these cheesecakes are made with graham cracker crumbs and some melted butter. For the cinnamon cheesecake layer, I first whipped up some heavy cream and then some cream cheese and cinnamon. And for the apple topping, you simply saute diced honeycrisp apples in butter, brown sugar, and more cinnamon! Heavenly, right?!
When I made these, I prepped the cheesecakes the night before and then topped them the next morning with the apple topping and took these photos while the apples were still warm. This did make the cheesecake layer a bit softer, but it was still delish! But, then I ate one the next night and honestly thought it was even better. I typically like my apple pie or crisp warm, but I preferred the cold apples for this one paired with the cheesecake! You can’t go wrong either way for this perfect fall dessert!
Lunch Lady: “Have some more sloppy joes. I made ’em extra sloppy for yous. I know how yous kids like ’em sloppy.”
Billy Madison: “Lady, you’re scaring us!”
Raise your hand if you love a good sloppy joe, but haven’t had them in a very long time? That’s me right here. I don’t remember actually eating them too often as a kid, but I know I had them every once in a while and always enjoyed them.
I had a craving for them recently, but wanted to give the traditional recipe a Tex Mex twist because you guys know me, when don’t I want to give things a Tex Mex twist?!
The result though was a seriously delicious sandwich that was ready in just about 15 minutes making these perfection for quick weeknight meals!
The flavors of these sloppy joes definitely remind me of chili, which makes sense since you will need mostly the same ingredients to make these!
Most traditional sloppy joe recipes include lots of ketchup and even brown sugar in the sauce recipe. This Tex Mex version uses just plain tomato sauce. I personally prefer it to be less sweet and I didn’t really want sweet flavors with the cumin and chili powder. I used lean ground beef, but you could also use ground turkey or chicken too!
I add about 1 1/2 cups of plain tomato sauce to the recipe, but found myself pouring a bit more in at the very end. It’s totally up to you, but I like for my sloppy joes to be not too dry, but not so saucey they are dripping all over the place with each bite. Feel free to adjust the sauce however you prefer!
You can top them with sliced avocado as pictured. You could also stick some cheddar or pepper jack cheese slices on top and stick them under the broiler for a minute. I love them just plain too though and you can’t go wrong!
Apples are one of my girls’ favorite fruits to eat. They eat apple slices almost everyday so as I’ve been thinking about fall recipes, homemade apple chips seemed like a must!
Making homemade apple chips is really easy, but it does take almost 4 hours from start to finish, so plan ahead! This is a great recipe to make on the weekends when you will be home for a while. The apples bake for about 2 1/2 hours and then it helps to let them sit in the oven for 1 more hour after you turn the heat off as it helps them crisp up best, in my experience.
I just sprinkled these with some cinnamon! You can add more cinnamon or other spices if desired. You can also sprinkle some sugar on top if you want a sweeter apple chip.
I have to admit that I suffered some trauma when making these apple chips. It was the mandoline. I literally sliced a huge chunk of my pinky finger. I can’t even describe how awful it was! I had the safety thing on top, but it still slipped.
Truth be told, I HATE using a mandoline! But, I’d be lying if I said having one isn’t preferred for slicing your apple chips. I tried slicing some by hand and the ones sliced with the mandoline got much crispier when baking, so if you have a mandoline you feel comfortable using, I recommend it.
You guys, tomorrow I turn 36. I’m officially in my upper 30’s. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I think it’s the first time though that I’m seriously feeling like I’m getting old!
One of my favorite new birthday traditions that we’ve started though is to put up the Halloween decorations! Can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with kicking off my favorite holiday season!
I’ve also gone into full pumpkin-mode. One of the things I like to challenge myself to each year is to come up with at least a couple of savory pumpkin recipes. I love sweet pumpkin recipes, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not just for baking!
Case in point, this Pumpkin Coconut Soup! This soup is ridiculously easy to make. I toss in some shallots in olive oil and then just dump in some broth, salt, pumpkin puree, and coconut milk! That’s seriously it!
I’ve been trying to keep up on changing up my lunch routine every week. I get sick of eating the same things over and over so I like to try to change things up every week.
These chicken teriyaki meatballs are one of those recipes you can also save for easy weeknight dinners because they take under 30 minutes to make!
The meatballs are made with ground chicken breasts. You can also use ground turkey if you prefer it! They also need some garlic, panko breadcrumbs, soy sauce, an egg, and I also add some crushed pineapple for added flavor!
It’s that time again, my friends. I know some of you aren’t ready for pumpkin recipes, but I am and hey, once you are ready, you can come back to this!
I am kicking off pumpkin season with Pumpkin Ginger Beer Floats! Think root beer floats, but with ginger beer and homemade pumpkin syrup made with real pumpkin puree!
If you have never had ginger beer, it is completely non-alcoholic so even the kiddos can enjoy this one!
First things first, you need to make the pumpkin syrup. You can do this in advance, even days in advance! As for the spices, normally, I’d add nutmeg and ginger in addition to cinnamon, but here’s the thing: You are going to be drinking this and nobody wants to sip up gobs of spices! If you want to add them and strain the syrup, you certainly can though! I like to just throw in a couple of cinnamon sticks.
Keep in mind that the pumpkin syrup recipe will make about a cup of syrup, so more than you will need for one ginger beer float. I keep mine on the counter in a jar and also like to spoon it into my morning coffee to make my own PSL! Just give it a good stir before serving to keep it well-mixed.
To make the float, I prefer to add the syrup and ginger beer to the glass first so I can stir the syrup in, it’s harder to stir in once the ice cream is in the glass.
What better way to transition from summer to fall than with a perfectly sweet Pumpkin Ginger Beer Float?!
Welcome to Eat. Drink. Love.! My name is Stephanie. Here you will find healthy and easy recipes with a few indulgences thrown in for good measure! Why the name Eat. Drink. Love.? Well, I think this is what life is all about!
