Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup Recipe

     I've been looking for inspiration for new recipes lately, and I realized that I have a ton of cookbooks that haven't been cracked open for a long time. I marked recipes that looked good a long time ago and then the cookbook went on the shelf where it was forgotten for quite a few months. Well I opened again to find this delicious fall soup recipe from Food Network that I'd like to share with you all! The flavors blended together so well for a chilly autumn evening. It does take a bit of time to make but it is so worth it. Here's the recipe straight from the book:

Food Network Magazine's
Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup recipe

Active time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
1 large white potato, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled butternut squash, fresh or frozen
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup apple cider
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
Chopped chives, for topping (optional)
Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

1. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the onion, apples, potato and squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sage and flour. Add the cider and cook over high heat, stirring until thickened. Add the broth and the milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the potato is soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until crisp, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

3. Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Puree in a blender in batches until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Top with the prosciutto, more cheese and chives, if using. Serve with bread if desired.

Nutrition Information Per serving: Calories 532; Fat 34 g (Saturated 19 g); Cholesterol 117 mg; Sodium 807 mg; Carbohydrate 35 g; Fiber 5 g; Protein 24 g


I made a few changes of course. I didn't have apple cider so I used a white wine instead (which gave the soup a great taste!) and we also didn't have prosciutto so I used bacon. It still turned out fantastic and I definitely recommend this soup! You can also make this vegetarian by skipping out on the prosciutto/bacon. The combination of squash and apples is perfect for that all that fall produce you're trying to eat up!

Banana Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips

 

    Another homemade fall treat for your autumn season! I went off of this original recipe: http://alidaskitchen.com/2012/09/12/pumpkin-banana-muffins/ and made a few changes. Like adding the chocolate chips for one! These muffins were delicious and very filling. My husband described them as more of a breakfast muffin than a snack muffin.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or you can do all whole wheat or white if you choose)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate chips

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tins with baking spray.

-Whisk together your dry ingredients in a large bowl: both flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

-In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients: brown sugar, bananas, pumpkin puree, oil, eggs and vanilla.

-Add wet ingredients to dry, gently fold and do not overmix. Here's where you can add your chocolate chips- I added about half of a small bag of chocolate chips. You can add more or less than that depending on your tastes. I love me some chocolate. Fold into the mixture and once again, do not over mix.

-Add mixture to muffin tins and bake at 350. The original recipe says to bake for 11 to 13 minutes for mini muffins and for 13 to 15 minutes for standard muffins. Mine took almost 20 minutes to bake. Pretty much just bake them until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Little Miss Allie

     I couldn't not share these photos of this little darling girl. I got to spend a some time with little miss Allie, Makenzie and Dylan last week and we captured some precious moments. She is so sweet and adorable, there were so many tiny words coming out of her mouth that made me melt.

Homemade Crockpot Apple Sauce

     Homemade apple sauce is super easy and delicious to make! I buy a bag of whatever's on sale or not too pricey- these ones were Fuji apples I believe. You can use whatever kind you prefer. Peel the apples and then dice them up.

     Throw them in the crockpot with a few teaspoons of water, a drizzle of honey (in place of sugar) and roughly 1/2 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice (which usually consists of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice) and 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon. I honestly don't really measure much when I do things like this, so you can adjust the amounts of spices you would like according to your tastes. 

Mix it all together and throw a lid on it. Turn it on high and let it be for 3-5 hours. This makes the BEST homemade air freshner ever by the way. It smells amazing.

Of course I didn't take a picture of the final product.. but once the apples are nice and mushy, mash them together with a vegetable masher. Or if you want the consistency to be really pureed you can throw it in a blender if you so please. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Brit + Tony Fall Photoshoot

 On a beautiful fall day last week I took photos of my long-time friend Britni, her boyfriend Tony and their two Great Danes, Natty and Niko. I also snapped a few of Britni's parents for their 23rd wedding anniversary. The colors turned out to be beautiful and the sunlight just perfect.

Officially Autumn

This last Saturday I went to an apple orchard with my family! We were celebrating about 6 fall birthdays and it's been a tradition to go to this beautiful orchard every year. It's officially fall now and I'm loving it. Yes I'm  kind of that stereotypical white girl who loves fall, but I fully embrace that. I bought myself an amazing smelling candle (a wood wick, totally worth the $14), baked a mock apple pie using zucchini (grandma's recipe), made homemade applesauce and banana pumpkin muffins. Oh and I also broke out the scarves and skinny jeans and boots so you can see that I'm loving all that is fall. 

Anyways, at this cute little apple orchard we took a hay ride, saw some adorable baby goats, ate many yummy samples and bought ourselves caramel apples and other homegrown apple delicacies. 

Our little screaming Annabelle. 

Vineyards

Not our baby but a cute little child in a poncho.. I couldn't resist.

Had to finish the day with a little impromptu photoshoot. It really was a perfect fall day.

Stay tuned for my next fall themed blog post: Homemade Iced Chai Tea Lattes. Seriously they're amazing and you don't want to miss this recipe.