My Favorite Fall Recipes Roundup.

Eyes aren't even open. But that scent. An early morning waft of warm cinnamon, meandering with hints of tart apple and dancing in aroma land with roasty pumpkin. So roasty. That steamy earthy bid, "Good morning, Kristen! You made me!" That's what I woke up to this morning.

That.

It's my pumpkin apple butter, crockpotting happily for me.

SO HAPPY.

Truth be told, cooking and baking in Autumn is my favorite. It's just the best time of year to create something warm and hearty and savory. Something to be shared. Something to bite into and experience that sense of, "yessssss." I mean, Christmas cookies are fun to bake, don't get me wrong. But don't you always feel so busy at Christmastime? I don't like being rushed when I create. Which is why I love cooking and baking in the fall. You sort of just lazily slide into it. I like that.

I love that.

I love that pumpkin apple butter. It's kind of making me swoon.

My new kitchen has been hard at work lately. I've been making bread, stew, tangine, BUTTER, and a whole bunch of other odds and ends. I like to test things really well before I share them here on the blog. I don't want to share the "okay", I want to share the things that I would earnestly go back and make over and over again. Things that I would consider seasonal staples. So here you are, my friends! Only my very favorite - the fall recipes I make over and over again.

My Grandma Soup - Literally, my grandmother's recipe. I never knew her, but when I make this soup, I feel more connected to who she was. I know that sounds soooooo weird and cheesy. But I don't care. Make a pot of this soup and you will immediately feel all heirloom-y and laced with some kind of kitchen legacy. I promise it.

Goat Cheese & Pistachio-Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates - Run, don't walk, to the nearest store and pick up these EASY four ingredients. And you will be the appetizer queen of whatever fall festival party you're attending this weekend.

Lemon & Olive Chicken - Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe in It's All Good (which I whole-heartedly recommend), we literally make this recipe at least once a month. It's so delicious and a super clean, healthy meal.

Turkey & Kale Chili - My new strategy with Everett is tell him that everything is Chili. Because once he ate this chili, he never wanted anything else. And again, super healthy and hearty! Great for when a zillion guys are coming over to your house for a football game. Or when you live with a zillion guys who EAT.

Pumpkin & Cream Tartlets - I have made these everything Thanksgiving for about 8 years now. They're my non-pie contribution to the Thanksgiving dessert table and they. Are. BAD. So bad, in fact, that you can just pass the tray to me. The whole tray. K thanks.

Pumpkin Beer Bread - Ate a loaf of this last night. Can't even talk about it. SO GOOD I COULD CRY. Wait, is it weird to talk about your own cooking like this? Am I inappropriate? Don't got time to care. MUST MAKE MORE BREAD.

Banana Oat & Date Muffins - Again, a healthy take on a warm morning muffin. Make ahead and freeze, then take out when you want them and heat up in the toaster oven. Instant, healthy, hot breakfast!

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies - These are like cookie pie. Or pie cookies. Or something. I created this cookie in partnership with Epicurious last year and I am still so proud of this one. I MADE THIS TASTE. Try it! You are sure to love it.

I bet you're wondering where that a fore-mentioned pumpkin butter recipe is, huh? Muahahhahaa. Check back here next week friends. I've got a wedding to attend this weekend. MY SISTER'S!!!!!!!

Happy Friday to you! And happy Halloween weekend! xox.

TASTE: Lemon & Olive Chicken.

TASTE: Lemon & Olive Chicken.

Happy Tuesday to you! I hope your Valentine weekend was full of love and hugs and kisses and tasty treats. Ours was hilarious and wonderful. With all this incredible cold weather up in our business, I've got a warm yummy dinner recipe for you today!

This meal has quickly become a staple in our household. When I got this amaaaaaazing dutch oven for Christmas last year, I started experimenting with all the delicious ways I could cook easy meals and make them taste like Heaven. This dutch oven has made my success rate increase tenfold. Seriously. This particular recipe is a favorite because it's super duper easy to make (no, seriously) and it's mega healthy. There's nothing crazy bad in it, which makes it the perfect midweek pick-me-up that tastes like comfort food without hindering my waistline. (I've got other temptations to hinder my waistline) :)

I got this recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's book, It's All Good, a publication that garners a lot of hate but I confidently stand by. Just because Gwyneth gets misquoted (okay, a lot) saying sometimes outland-ish, borderline pretentious things, her food life is the center of my envy. Everything I've cooked from that book has been GOLD. I've made a few changes (for the lazy crowd, you're welcome), so this recipe is officially easier than ever. Add a side of quinoa and a side of something green and this meal is going to become your new go-to. What's for dinner at our house tonight? I'll give you one, deeeeeelicious guess :)

Ingredients:

- 6 boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

- 1 Lemon, sliced

- 3 Shallots, sliced thinly into rings

- 1.5 cups Chicken Stock

- 1/2 jar Green Olives

- 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled

- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil

- Salt and Pepper, to taste

- 1 sprig Thyme

Method:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil in a cast iron dutch on the stove and heat on medium.

2. Generously salt and pepper chicken on both sides and place in dutch oven. Cook until lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side. Cook for another 4-5 minutes (chicken should still be pink inside), then remove chicken from heat and transfer to a plate. DON'T WORRY. We aren't done cooking the chicken.

3. Add shallots and garlic to the dutch oven, cooking until softened, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Place chicken back into the dutch oven, along with any juices that collected on the plate. That's flavor town, by the way.

5. Add the chicken stock, olives, thyme and scatter on top of the chicken. Squeeze individual slices of lemon over the chicken and discard the skins.

Note:

I like to keep the lemons in the mixture so they cook together, but you don't have to since you won't eat them. Totally up to you.

6. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove top, then cover and place in the oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes on 400 degrees.

Woop, there it is.

Tada! I personally like to serve this dish with an herbed quinoa situation (quinoa on the stove, cooked in chicken stock, and fancied up with any fresh herbs you've got on hand - THE BEST.) This meal tastes gourmet and looks like something Ina Garten whipped up, but the hands-on time is minimal. Enjoy! And let me know how it goes!