photo op: this IS fall

RER 10.28.16

Fall is spicy and sweet, pumpkins and apples, warmth and cool air.  Fall is the mix of cold mornings and sunny afternoons with the rustle of leaves, amber from the changing seasons. Fall is light when it used to be dark and dark when it used to be light.  Fall is a mix of dichotomies, opposites that attract and mingle and meld to make the beautiful.

RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

A few weekends ago, fall was the smell of sliced fat apples warming in brown sugar and butter, seeped in spices. I finally was able to use some gifted apples (I am a teacher) and made fall tumble into my newish kitchen.  The roasty caramelized apples sat atop some plain Greek yogurt and meal-prep protein waffles for a scrumptious and comforting autumnal brekkie. No recipe, just brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, love, and fall.

RER 10.28.16 

RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

RER 10.28.16

How have you cooked up fall?

RER

11.12.16

RER 10.28.16

MangiaMore: PUMPKIN snickerdoodle blondies

RER 12.18.14

Once again I turned to Averie Cooks as the pumpkin master. After using her recipe just last week for Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread, I had a ton of pumpkin puree left over. Apparently I used a giant can for a small job.

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

After Googling “things to do with leftover canned pumpkin puree” in various iterations, I was back to Averie Cooks and dreaming of these Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies. I love blondies (like these and these), so these seemed like the right fit.

RER 12.18.14

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

This variety has a simple blondie recipe with a generous amount of melted butter, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, but what makes them so special is the cinnamon sugar topping. Once topped, those pumpkiny treats are ready to bake and become even more delicious.

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

A liberal sprinkling of three tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of spicy cinnamon produced a dusty sweet layer on top of the cooked bar cookies. The texture of the crunchy dry cinnamon sugar was in stark contrast of the creamy and fudgy innards. Initially, the cinnamon was too strong, but I am hoping after time, the moisture of the blondies will absorb the flavors, deepening the complexity of the dense pumpkin base.

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

Despite whipping up these pretty late fall blondies, I still have a ton of pureed pumpkin left. What to do next? No, really, what should I make next? I need your help!

RER

12.17.14

RER 12.17.14

MangiaMore: cream cheese-filled PUMPKIN bread

RER 12.11.14

There is something truly seductive about the smells of late fall. The cinnamon, the ginger, the allspice and the cloves— all the spicy and sweet flavors that make you warm on those chilly days…

RER 12.10.14

And it’s been mighty cold and unpleasant these past few days. So, to warm up and cheer up, I had to bake something that evoked all those toasty feelings.

RER 12.11.14

RER 12.10.14

RER 12.10.14

The answer was pumpkin bread. After getting the recipe recco from my sister’s friend, I headed to Averie Cooks for her Cream Cheese- Filled Pumpkin Bread. It looked divine. I was so ready…

RER 12.10.14

Well almost. The night before on almost daily grocery store run, I decided to forgo the purchase of pumpkin pie spice despite the fact that this ethereal recipe called for it. Listen, it was $7.99 for a tiny tiny jar of the stuff, and I knew I had the ingredients to concoct a batch of my own. Betty Crocker once again helped me out with a recipe for my “cheap-o” Pumpkin Pie Spice.

RER 12.10.14

RER 12.10.14

The pumpkin bread was extremely easy and quick to put together. My cream cheese “filling” was more like a swirl (something about it was too liquidy and the pumpkiny batter was much more dense). This created a pretty ribbon of color throughout the cake and some sticky cheesy goodness at the top.

RER 12.10.14

RER 12.10.14

RER 12.10.14

RER 12.11.14

Despite its imperfections, the pumpkin bread was exactly what I was looking for. It was spicy and sweet, dense and moist, comforting. Biting into the bread was kind of like getting a hug from your old friend, soft, inviting and familiar. This was the perfect warm up for the coming Christmas Cookie Bake-A-Thon!

RER

12.10.14

RER 12.11.14