Favorite Fall Recipes

Happy October!!  It’s really Autumn now.  We are over half way through our first full week of the most wonderful season and it’s time to start talking about pumpkin and cinnamon-scented everything.  Of course, I’ve kind of been doing that since September 1st, but that’s beside the point.  This is the obligatory “best fall recipes” post that every single food blogger does.  I nearly threw my hands up and refused this year, but cliche though they be, I actually like these posts.  A whole slew of baked, roasted, pureed, autumn recipes in one post?  I’m not mad at it. 

Let’s begin.  You could just end right here because this autumn caramel corn is just about all the crunchy, caramel-y happiness you need for the next two months.  Eat the whole batch alone and don't regret it one little bit. 

Fall is for cozy, comforting, down-right classic breakfasts.  Like biscuits and gravy.  Oh, but not just any biscuits and gravy - white cheddar biscuits with black pepper pancetta gravy.  These are good words.  The gravy overlords are looking down on us and they are like “Dang. That’s some fine lookin’ gravy.”  I like to imagine them as southern versions of Roman gods.  This brain of mine…I’m sorry. 

Oh! Oh! And you should make this spicy pumpkin hot chocolate too!  We all need a little chocolate with our breakfasts. 

Have you ever made sweet potato biscuits?  You really, really should.  Especially layered with ham and honey butter.  Unless of course you hate things that taste wonderful.  Yeah, then you would not like them at all… 

I tell you to try this stew every. single. year.  Please do it.  It’s amazing and I want your palate to be made happy by its tender beef and sweet, soft sweet potatoes.  Incidentally, I’m serving this gem at my wedding.  That’s about how much I love it. 

Pumpkin marshmallows might just make the best s’mores ever.  Ooh, or you could float them atop a cup of that spicy pumpkin hot chocolate!  YES!  Why have I never done that before now?

I feel obligated to talk about Game Day food at least a little bit.  In the midst of the yelling at tv screens and raging testosterone, you should escape to the kitchen and make yourself a batch of soft pretzels; sharing is optional.  You’ll forever be a pretzel snob after experiencing the wonder of a freshly baked soft pretzel.  

If you really want to live it up, these pretzel dogs with beer cheese sauce are pretty amazing.  The couch crew will love you forever…well, unless you accidentally walk in front of the tv. 

Lately I’ve been torn between the local doughnut shop and fitting into my wedding dress.  The wedding dress has to win for now, but afterwards I plan to binge on these baked pumpkin doughnuts.  Let’s salted-caramel-glaze the world. 

This bourbon caramel creme brulee has been my most popular recipe for years.  I’ll warn you now - the post is a perfect example of my early photography skills, or rather lack thereof.  But the recipe is pretty bonkers nonetheless.  Do not fear the custard. You can do it!  Water bath and all! 

Pasta is the best.  It’s an undeniable fact.  But it’s extra wonderful in the fall.  Especially if it’s covered in a creamy, butternut squash sauce.  This linguine with sausage and butternut squash is my sister’s favorite meal.  And she’s not even a pasta freak like yours truly. 

I could never, ever, begin to pick a favorite fall food, but molasses cookies are definitely in the top five.  Especially when they are drizzled with apple cider caramel.  Oh yes. 

Two years ago a cute boy stopped by my house on his way to work and I handed him one of these apple turnovers, along with an index card wishing him a wonderful day.  That card still sits on his desk and in twenty days I will marry that boy.  I got a husband in exchange for a turnover.  That my friends, is the power of homemade puff pastry. 

Is it too early to start freaking out about turkey and cranberries?  Never.  Thanksgiving sandwiches. 

Happy, happy fall!  Turn up the Mumford & Sons, light those pumpkin candles, and start baking up autumn! 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

My Favorite Bread & Butter Pickles from Food in Jars

My family moved to the house they live in now when I was ten.  On one action-packed day in May we went from a small house with a backyard that was parallel to a major road in bustling suburbia, to a home with no streetlights in sight and a yard that seemed to go on for ages, at least in the eyes of a ten-year-old. 

The following summer we planted a garden, with no comprehension of just how prolific cucumber plants could be.  When we reached the point of having one-hundred cucumbers in our refrigerator at one time, my mother decided that it was time for intervention.  My grandmother came up to rescue us and our over plentiful garden, and that day I sliced cucumbers for what felt like forever.  Together, we three ladies made jar after jar of sweet, bread and butter pickles. 

Since that warm, summer afternoon, I have loved bread and butter pickles piled high on hot dogs - my personal favorite, or stacked atop sandwiches. Their flavors are so familiar and comforting.

 My fiancé brought me a dozen cucumbers several weeks ago and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. 

I had made Marisa's bread and butter pickles two summer’s ago and they were without a doubt the very best I had ever tasted.  Sadly, they did not last as long as I had hoped, so this year I made a double batch. 

If you are going to attempt pickle-making, which you definitely should, you are going to want a mandoline slicer.  Unless of course you would like to slice twelve cucumbers by hand…but I would not recommend it.  

Just be very careful using the mandoline.  My mom lost a finger tip once… Everyone at church the next day thought she destroyed her finger playing an instrument.  Why do they call them mandolines anyways?  Her children (including myself) still wonder if it was all a devious ploy to escape dishes for several weeks.

But back to the pickles!  The pickling process begins with salt.  A lot of salt. 

The cucumbers, onions, and peppers are sprinkled generously with pickling salt and then allowed to sit in the refrigerator overnight.  The salt will draw much of the water out of the vegetables to make room for the delicious brine that we are going to soak them in. 

The pickling liquid is made with a combination of apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, red pepper flakes, and ground cloves.

Now here is when you have to have your grandmother on standby and your fingers ready to be burnt, because that’s just part of the process. 

Place all your jars in a large pot and cover with water.  The jars need to be sterilized before we can fill them with our pretty pickles. 

The lids and rings will need to simmer in a smaller pot.  The key is to keep everything hot in order to avoid any icky bacteria from creeping into our sterilized jars. 

As soon as the pickles have finished steeping in the brine, you can fill the jars.  You’ll need a wide-mouthed funnel, a pair of jar tongs, and some paper towels for this process.  It sounds scary and complicated, but the more you do it, the easier and less intimidating it gets.  Believe me.  

I still have to mentally prepare myself for a day of canning, but it’s so worth it. 

We might have just begun our diy Christmas gifts! 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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My Favorite Bread and Butter Pickles

makes six 1-pint jars / recipe adapted from Food in Jars

- 12 cups cucumbers in 1/8-inch slices (pickling cucumbers are best, if you can find them)

- 4 cups sliced sweet peppers (I like the mini peppers but bell peppers work great too)

- 4 cups sliced sweet onion (about 2 large onions)

- 1/2 cup pickling salt

- 4 cups apple cider vinegar 

- 3 cups granulated sugar

 - 1/4 cup mustard seed 

- 4 teaspoons celery seed

- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

- 1 teaspoon ground cloves 

Slice cucumbers, using a sharp mandoline and combine with sliced peppers, onions.  Sprinkle with pickling sauce and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for four hours, or overnight.  This will draw much of the water out of the cucumbers so that they can soak up all of the delicious pickling liquid later on! 

Rinse and drain the vegetables thoroughly, then prepare the brine. 

Place your jars in a very large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and allow to boil until you have finished the pickles.  Place the lids and rings in a small saucepan of water and simmer over low heat.

Prepare the pickling liquid by combining the vinegar and sugar in a large pot.  Place over medium heat and stir until the liquid has heated through and all the sugar has dissolved.  Add spices and increase the heat to bring the mixture to a boil.  

Add the drained vegetables to the boiling brine and stir to combine.  Cook for 5-10 minutes, until all the vegetables are fully heated through and have begun to soften. 

Line your countertop with a heavy dish towel.  Remove the jars from the boiling water (jar tongs are very helpful for this), one at a time and fit with a wide-mouthed funnel.  Use tongs to fill the jars with the pickles.  Ladle in the brine until the jar has only 1/2-inch of headspace.  Gently tap the jars on the towel to remove any air pockets.  Dip a paper towel into the boiling water and carefully clean the edges of the jar before fitting with the lids and rings.  Repeat with each jar until all the jars are filled.  Then, return to the pot of boiling water and boil for ten minutes.  Remove from water and return to the dish towel to cure for at least two days before opening and enjoying.  The pickles will get better and better the longer they sit.

Enjoy, and be proud, you just made your own pickles! 

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a year in review { favorite moments from 2015 }

I know.  I’m a bit late with my New Year’s thoughts.  There are some bloggers, whom I greatly envy, that are wonderfully skillful at persuading their brains to transition into Christmas mode in October, and have already wrapped their heads around the passing year long before New Year’s Eve actually rolls around.  I am not one of them.  I’m sure you have noticed.

Though I had intended to try and organize my thoughts over a week ago, my contemplation did not begin until December 31st.  Since then, I have been thinking much about 2015.  So many moments turned into hours, turned into days, turned into hazy memories.  I learned that I like traveling alone, but that my ability for getting lost only increases in a new city.  I learned how to make slushies at home.  Life saver / figure destroyer.  I learned that my boyfriend is a great help in the kitchen, but that he will eat all the white chocolate.  Most of all, I learned to let go.  As a born planner, letting go of my dreams and plans has never been an easy task.  I had lots of dreams that were incredibly important to me and many of them have been given up this year.  Sometimes it took a bit of hard force to loosen my grip, and sometimes, I let go freely.  Because, though each one of them sounded perfectly wonderful, allowing life to just happen can be the most exciting form of living.  When that tenacious, stubborn grip was finally loosened, I was able to embrace so many avenues that were impossibilities before.  That is what I learned this year and, I can honestly say that I am the happiest I have ever been in my 21 years upon this earth.  Now that is something to hold on to. 

I decided to do a bit of reminiscing and think back on my very favorite recipes from the past year.  Spoiler alert: there’s going to be a lot of carbs. 

I’ve mentioned it far too many times already, but this Watermelon & Raspberry Lemon Slushie was definitely one of my favorite recipes of 2015.  I cannot wait until Watermelon is back in season so I can once again drink these all day long. 

Another product of my Thirsty Friday series, this Toasted Coconut Fudge Malt was ahhhmazing.  Incredibly rich and nutty, this malt outshines all other malts. 

On one of my first dates with my now fiancé, these Black Cherry Almond Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping made up our lunch.  We were on our way to a concert and he was gushing about the muffins and I realized once again why I love baking.  It’s so good to watch someone you love enjoy what you’ve made.  

This brittle.  Oh, this brittle.  Only half of it ever made it into the bath of white chocolate.  That is what happens when you put a chocolate-lover in charge of dipping.  Oh well.  It was still good.

When I dreamed up this Eggnog Custard Pie for a collaboration with World Market, I thought it would be good, but I had no idea just how good.  You just have to try it and experience what it is like to be smacked in the face with the eggnogiest eggnog you have ever tasted.  

It's caramel corn with a whole bunch of snacky, crunchy, salty stuff mixed in.  Call your sister and pop in a movie.  Whatever the season, it is time to set aside all inhibitions and destroy a batch of this Autumn Caramel Corn.  

I ended up eating the entire recipe of this Baked Caramelized Onion and Chèvre Dip alone and I did not complain one bit.  Forget the stuffed bears and chocolates, give me a toasted baguette and a pan full of hot, creamy, melty cheese and I will love you forever.  

These were a mid-afternoon craving gone terribly right.  Cupcakes.  Cheesecake.  Strawberries.  Bam!  So, so good.  You should ask your friend to make these Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes for your next birthday.  Or, you could make them for yourself and avoid all obligations to share. 

So much changed on my blog this past year and I am so thankful to each and every one of you who takes time to read my words each week.  It means so much.  I have been given some thrilling opportunities to work with other food enthusiasts over the past several months, and I am so excited to see what 2016 will bring!    Without you, my readers, these opportunities would not have been possible.  I am so thankful to be able to do what I love each and every week.  

Thank you.  

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie