There’s one more week until Thanksgiving which means I still have time to squeeze in one last pumpkin recipe, right?!
Do you make salad for Thanksgiving? I feel like a lot of people skip the salad for Thanksgiving given all the many more traditional and carb-heavy side dishes. But, this autumn salad! This salad was made for fall and made for Thanksgiving. Sometimes it’s nice to have some crunch and green in your Thanksgiving spread!
Let’s break this salad down. First, you are going to roast some acorn squash. It’s delicious and adds a perfect golden color to the salad. I like to use arugula for this salad, but you can use whatever greens you prefer. Spring mixes would also work well.
Then you need a couple of honey crisp apples sliced nice and thin as pictured. Of course, any apples will do, but honey crisp are my absolute favorite and truly scream fall to me. I also mix in some pepitas (pumpkin seeds). I find them in the bulk section in my grocery store. I also bought pomegranate seeds to toss in and then proceeded to forget about them when I took these photos. Oops! So pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries are also a great addition!
Finally, we also have to talk about the creamy pumpkin dressing! The creaminess comes from just plain Greek yogurt! Then I whisked in some pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and a touch of maple syrup (or honey).
It’s a simple salad to prepare, but looks pretty and festive. You can also roast the squash and make the dressing in advance for faster prep the day you plan to serve the salad!
Somehow November is already halfway through and I cannot believe Thanksgiving is almost here! Today we celebrate Madeline’s 5th birthday. Time is just flying by!
As always, stuffing is my favorite side dish for Thanksgiving. Give me ALL of the stuffing. Just put the baking dish right in front of me and hand me a fork. Yeah, I like turkey and sweet potato casserole and all that good stuff, but stuffing is where it’s at!
I mixed up a lightened up whole wheat stuffing recipe for this year. Apples and walnuts are two of my favorite additions for stuffing. Browned ground sausage would also be really good in this stuffing, but I was trying to keep it meat free.
Like most stuffing recipes, day old bread works best to soak up that broth. I bought my whole wheat bread from the bakery and when I got home. I diced it up and let it sit out overnight on a baking sheet for me to use the next day.
I love everything about this stuffing! It’s slightly sweet taste from the apples and the crunch from the walnuts just make it so scrumptious! I also love the more rustic look the whole wheat bread adds.
Let’s talk about sweet potatoes! I love and adore them and eat them fairly often, but always as a savory side with dinner. After making my Sweet Potato Burgers last month, I wanted to try another new way to use sweet potatoes – enter sweet potato waffles!
You know, to be honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever had sweet potato pie. I know, I know, I am seriously missing out! I wasn’t really in the mood to make a whole pie though so waffles seemed like a better idea! I have to say, sweet potato waffles were a great decision!
I made my own sweet potato puree by just boiling some cubed sweet potato, but you can also roast it for even better flavor. Or, you can buy it canned if you want a shortcut. I prepped my puree the night before so I could just get started on making the waffles right away in the morning.
Maddie loved these waffles! I got 6 waffles out of this recipe so I also ended up freezing some and we enjoyed these over the next few weeks. I heated them up by popping them right in the toaster and they crisped up perfectly!
I love these waffles for a nice fall breakfast. They are a great alternative for those who don’t love pumpkin or if you just want to change things up for breakfast! Serve them with toasted pecans or walnuts.
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And just like that, it’s already November and time to start thinking about Thanksgiving! While there’s certain recipes I have to make every single year, I like to think of at least one new twist to dress up more traditional sides.
I have partnered with Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast to create this delicious homemade recipe with Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast. Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast has lived in my pantry for as many years as I can remember! Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast has particularly always been my favorite because it makes baking homemade breads so easy! It doesn’t require a long rise time or proofing which makes it easier to make homemade yeast recipes even when I am short on time! I don’t consider myself an avid baker so this yeast is perfect for bakers at any skill level.
And honestly, what is better than that smell of homemade bread baking in your oven?! Especially during this time of the year, that smell of homemade bread just makes me feel all warm and cozy! It also gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing even my dinner rolls were made from scratch!
One of my favorite flavor combos this time of year is cranberry and orange. So I made orange glazed dinner rolls with cranberry orange butter. Holy Moly! Let me tell you, these dinner rolls might just steal all of the thunder on your holiday dinner table! The orange glaze is so perfectly sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. And while I normally say less is more. In the case of this glaze, more is more! I found myself just licking the spoon.
The cranberry orange butter is the perfect accompaniment with the rolls. It’s one of those things that looks more impressive than it actually is. All you need is some salted butter, a bit of fresh squeezed orange juice and orange zest, and some chopped dried cranberries. You can bake the rolls a day in advance if needed and then just heat them back up quickly the day you plan to serve them. You can also prepare the cranberry orange butter in advance. I would recommend making the glaze fresh and make sure it is heated for easy brushing before serving!
I don’t make risotto very often since it’s a time commitment of about 40-50 minutes and you really need to stand at the stove and stir constantly. There is something very relaxing about pouring in the broth and just stirring the risotto until it is cooked. It’s a great chance to catch up on your favorite podcast or listen to some music. Oh, and wine, don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of wine!
When I tell you that this Pumpkin Risotto is one of the best things I think I have ever made, I’m not even kidding.
This risotto is what all of my perfect fall dreams are made of! It’s rich and velvety thanks to the pumpkin puree and also has a bit of gruyere cheese and Parmesan stirred in at the very end. It’s our comfort in a bowl and worth every minute it takes to prepare!
I cannot believe that October is almost over! I’ve got a super easy drink recipe for you today that is perfect for Halloween or for the upcoming holiday season! Homemade apple cider made right in the Instant Pot. It’s so easy and so delicious! And what could be better than sipping on some apple cider on a cool and crisp fall night?!
Slicing up the fruit and waiting for the pot to come to pressure is the longest part of making this as it only needs about 15 minutes to cook.
I actually made this recipe twice as I wasn’t happy with it the first time around. The first time, I threw the oranges and lemons in with the peels included. The cider ended up having a bitter taste from the rinds so I made it a second time, but this time, peeling the orange and lemon and discarding the peel and rind and the cider was much better. Definitely peel the orange and lemon first!
I like to use a mix of apples for this recipe as they each add a slightly different flavor. I used honey crisp, golden delicious, and gala apples. You can use whatever combination you’d like to use, but I recommend giving a good mix of apples a try and see what you think!
I used maple syrup to sweeten, but brown sugar or granulated sugar works too! You can make this in advance if you’d like. The cider keeps for about a week in the fridge. You can also serve it hot or cold. I like to garnish it with more sliced apples and orange slices!
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!
