Whether you live in a climate with “typical” fall weather or you want to replicate it when it’s still 80 degrees and humid outside, the fall season is coming. This fall dinner menu covers dinner, dessert and even a fall-inspired cocktail. Enjoy them this fall at home or potluck.
Butternut squash soup
While pumpkin in every dish is the star of fall, butternut squash is another fall gourd that is delicious. In soup form, it is a comforting fall dish.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 stalk of celery, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 1 medium butternut squash, seeded and cubed – or 2 ½ cups of precut squash
- 1-32 ounce chicken or vegetable stock
- Bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
A personal favorite worthwhile shortcut is purchasing precut squash. You can use squash in soups, chilis, and even in sweet dishes. Cutting and cubing squash takes time and if you cut it frequently it may irritate the skin. Big box stores often have big bags of frozen cubed squash on sale for fall -so keep your eye out.
Once all the ingredients are prepared, melt butter in a large pot. Once melted, add the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes and squash to get some caramelization. After about five minutes, add enough stock to cover the vegetables and add in a bay leaf or two. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and cover to simmer until all the vegetables are fork tender.
Once the vegetables are tender, remove the bay leaf and pour the vegetable-stock mix into a blender and blend until the soup is smooth. **CAUTION** Hot liquids in a blender tend to expand and explode. Either let the soup cool before blending or start slow with small amounts and be sure to use your lid. Once blended, add salt and pepper to taste, serve hot and enjoy!
Honey Beer bread
The perfect pairing for a fall soup is this hearty bread. The beauty of this bread is it does not require any yeast, an exciting prospect especially for those who may have just unpacked their moving boxes and haven’t purchased it yet.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 TBL baking powder
- 1 TBL fine sea salt
- ¼ c. of honey
- 1 12-oz bottle of beer
- ¼ cup of melted butter
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Mix flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl until combined. Pour the beer and honey into the bowl and combine. Add half the melted butter into 9×5 inch bread pan and brush it around the side. Add the batter to the pan ensuring that it is spread out in an even layer. Brush the remaining melted butter over the batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. Once the bread is ready, pull the pan and cool it on a baking rack for 10 minutes prior to slicing the bread.
Enjoy the bread warm, and perhaps with your butternut squash soup.
Biscuit air fryer doughnuts
This recipe utilizes ready-made ingredients to make delicious donuts reminiscent of fall. This recipe makes 8 donuts and 8 donut holes.
Ingredients:
- Pillsbury Grand Flaky Biscuits, 8 count
- Melted Butter
- Cooking spray of choice
- Cinnamon Sugar, or other preferred fall spice like Pumpkin Pie Spice Or Nutmeg
Instructions:
Open and separate the biscuits. Cut the dough from the center to make a donut hole with a 1-inch cookie cutter, or small round biscuit cutter. Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF and run for 1-2 minutes. Once the air fryer is warm, spray with the preferred cooking spray and place the donuts around the air fryer, making sure to have space in between each donut. Air fry for three minutes, and then flip and cook for another three minutes. Remove the donuts and while still warm brush with the melted butter and sprinkle the spice on them. Work in batches until all of the donuts are made. Enjoy fresh for a taste of fall, made easily at home.
Hot Apple Pie Cocktail
Ingredients:
· 1 ounce Vanilla Vodka
· 1 ounce Fireball Whiskey
· 4 oz Hot Apple Cider
· Pinch of Ground Cinnamon
- Cinnamon sugar for the rim
- Whipped cream and cinnamon stick for garnish
Instructions:
Prepare a heat-proof glass by wetting the rim of the glass with cider and dip in cinnamon sugar.
In a saucepan, heat apple cider, mix in vodka, whiskey and cinnamon making sure to stir. When heated, pour into the glass and top with whipped cream and garnish with a cinnamon stick. **This recipe is intended for those 21 years of age and older. Always drink responsibly.**
