Pumpkin Banana Bread with Pepitas & Dried Cranberries

 Crunchy pepitas & dried cranberries lend a little crunch and tart sweetness to this moist (and healthy-ish!) Pumpkin Banana Bread...

My most favorite time of the year has finally arrived here in Erie, Pennsylvania- fall!  I have to admit that when we first decided to move here a couple of months ago, I had a few reservations about living here.

Yes- my fiance, my daughter, and I would be hours from our hometowns and families. And we would have to adjust from life in our small hometown to living close to a bigger city (which actually wasn't all that difficult to do! ;) ). 

But one thing that caused me a bit more apprehension than maybe it would the average person was this question- what would the autumn season be like this much further north? Would I still get to see and enjoy the fall colors, crisp weather, and fun fall activities that I had come to love in my home state of West Virginia?

And let me be the first to tell you all- the fall foliage here is simply amazing! And the weather? It definitely has its moments (like the 3-4 days straight of non-stop downpours when it rains- yay, lake effect!), but all in all, I have been enjoying the cooler temps here since I get to don my favorite fall sweaters, hoodies, and boots just a little earlier than normal.

Chipotle Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup

Roasted butternut squash & creamy pumpkin are blended together with warm spices & a little kick of heat in this perfect for fall Chipotle Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup...

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

While I am not a fan of the cooler temps (and *gasp* the impending snow), there is one thing I do look forward to as fall progresses into early winter and that is the ushering in of one of my favorite seasons of the year- soup season! 

Honestly, we eat soup all year round in this house. But I definitely kick up my comforting and cozy soup game once the temperatures start to dip below the 40's on the regular.

I mean, what is better than a bowl of warm and creamy homemade soup when it is a cold and rainy (or snowy) outside? Not much else, folks. Except for maybe a mug of my Pumpkin Chai Hot Buttered Rum or a dish of my Slow Cooker Apple Butter Rice Pudding. ;)

This recipe for Chipotle Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup that I am sharing with you all today just might be the best fall-inspired homemade soup recipe that I have come up with so far for the blog. 

It is creamy & smoky, with a little kick of heat, and a touch of spice & sweetness. Everything you could possibly ask for in a fall-time soup! 

Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash

This Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash recipe is a delicious way to usher in the fresh & warm flavors of the fall season...

This recipe first appeared on the Bridgeport Farmers Market Let's Get Fresh site.

I am on a mission once again this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing mostly locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market. I started this locally inspired recipe series in the summer of 2017, and I am thrilled to be continuing the series this year as well. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of September, I am sharing my last recipe post of the outdoor market season- this juicy and flavorful Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash. This roasted chicken recipe is a delicious way to usher in the fresh & warm flavors of the fall season. 

I am going to share a little secret with you all that I just recently learned myself- if you roast a chicken upside down, you will end up with the most moist & juiciest chicken breast that you have ever tasted. I know it seems weird to roast a chicken with the breast side down, but do trust me on this one, folks. Give it a try with this recipe. I guarantee that you won't regret it. 

Scary Salted Caramel Apples

A big thank you to Urban Accents for providing their Spooktacular Halloween Party line to try for myself & for one to giveaway to a lucky reader. All opinions expressed below are my own.

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

I have to admit that for years the thought of trying to make homemade caramel apples at home sort of scared me. Fresh apples covered in gooey caramel seems easy enough, but it is the actual caramel making part of it that left me hesitant. I am sort of candy making challenged. ;) So when Urban Accents reached out to me to try their new Scary Salted Caramel Apple Kit, I was all for it. A kit that took most of the caramel apple making guesswork out of the equation? Yes, please! Sign me up.

It just so happens that I have a lot of apples from our apple picking adventure weekend before last that I need to put to tasty use soon, so I set to work right away whipping up these easy and delicious salted caramel apples. The kit includes the caramel mix, the wooden sticks, and sea salt for sprinkling. You just need to pick up a few ingredients from the grocery store to make these Scary Salted Caramel Apples happen in your kitchen...

Spiced Pear Planter's Punch

Sweet fresh pears and spiced rum come together in this perfect for fall Spiced Pear Planter's Punch...

I know that pumpkin and apples tend to reign supreme when fall rolls around, but I really think that pears should get a little more of the autumn spotlight. They become plentiful this time of the year and are begging to be made into delicious, fall inspired recipes. 

While doing a little cocktail research online, I came across a recipe for planter's punch and was instantly intrigued. A traditional planter's punch usually is a mix of dark rum and fruit juices making it the perfect libation for summer. 

But I thought why not give this rum cocktail a spicy fall makeover?

I infused a homemade simple syrup with fresh pear and shook that together with spiced rum and sparkling apple juice. The result? A perfect for fall cocktail that you will want to serve around a fire pit on a cool autumn night or as an adult treat with dessert after Thanksgiving dinner.

I do encourage you all to save the slices of pear that you use to infuse the simple syrup with to toss into your cocktail or to simply snack on and enjoy later (or right then ;) ). 

Something unexpected happened when I tried one of these syrup-soaked pieces of pear- I was instantly transported back to my childhood when my grandmother used to can pears from the tree in her backyard. 

She always jarred them in a simple syrup, and I remember them being such a special sweet treat for us kids. This Spiced Pear Planter's Punch is an adult version of that childhood fall treat...

Cookie Butter Candied Pumpkin Seeds & Pecans

Carving pumpkins this weekend? You will want to be sure to save those pumpkin seeds to make these crunchy, sweet & salty Cookie Butter Candied Pumpkin Seeds & Pecans then...

Each fall when we visit our favorite pumpkin patch, my son goes on the quest to find the largest pumpkin that he can possibly fit his two arms around. 

At first, I thought it was just a boy thing.

Or maybe he wanted a larger surface area for carving.

But nope.

This year his true intentions came to the surface...

Pumpkin Spice Scones with Pumpkin Spice Coffee Glaze

These Pumpkin Spice Scones are the perfect partner for a warm cup of coffee & for sharing a few smiles with friends and family...

In my pre-husband, pre-baby girl days, catching up used to mean meeting up with a girlfriend or my sister at one of the many nearby coffee shops in the large Midwestern city we used to live in.  Meeting up for coffee was always the perfect way to catch up when you hadn't connected in a couple of weeks- it could be planned on a whim, it could be budget friendly (meet up for coffee versus meeting up for dinner or drinks- yep! Coffee is cheaper. ;) ), & typically you could linger all day at a coffee shop laughing and chatting without a barista giving you the stink eye.  

Slow Cooker Spiced Pear Butter

Made with fresh pears & a pinch of cardamom, this Slow Cooker Spiced Pear Butter is a delicious way to celebrate the flavors of fall...

A few weeks ago, my grandmother called me to ask if I would be interested in taking any pears. A former neighbor of hers had called telling her how their pear trees in their yard were just overflowing with ripe fruit, and they hated to see all of it just fall to the ground and rot.  

So my grandmother had already planned to head over with my grandfather and do a little pear picking when she had called me.

Did I want some??  Ummmmm.. yeah!

Now what to do with an overabundance of pears?  Do what I do when I have a lot of apples after apple picking- make slow cooker fruit butter! :)

My Homemade Crock Pot Apple Butter is my #2 all-time most viewed post, so I figured I couldn't go wrong by coming up with a pear version of my most popular slow cooker recipe. I kept most of the recipe the same, but tweaked a few of the spices.

Can I tell you all a secret?

I actually like this Slow Cooker Spiced Pear Butter better than my Crock Pot Apple Butter.

I know... gasp.

I really think it might be the different texture... and the addition of the cardamom.

Definitely the cardamom. ;)

Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Butter Donuts

These perfect for fall Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Butter Donuts are packed with the flavors of fresh apple & spiced apple butter...

Post updated 11/1/19- These perfect for fall Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Butter Donuts deserved some updated photos. I did leave one of the originals down below just so you all can see for yourself why this recipe so desperately needed a little face lift. ;)

We started a fall tradition 2 years ago after my husband and I got married.  Every year we visit a Pennsylvania farm about 2 hours away to spend the day, go apple picking, take hay rides, pick out pumpkins straight from the patch.... and eat these amazing apple cider donuts they sell there.

It is literally THE FIRST thing we do when we get there.  

We make a bee line for the stand where they sell them and pick up a bag because they always sell out before midday.  

They are that good.

A month or so ago, I picked up my first donut pan.  Ever since the day that pan came home with me, I had been dreaming of baking a donut in them that would be similar to those irresistible apple cider donuts from the farm.

Pumpkin Pie "Blizzard" Ice Cream

It is A Very Pumpkin Birthday, folks! :) Yes, my very good blogging buddy, my long time partner in crime for the Spiked! Recipe Challenge and Marvelous Mondays Link Party is celebrating her birthday today pumpkin style.  Be sure you all pop over to This Gal Cooks today and wish Julie a very happy birthday! 

What is a birthday celebration without a little ice cream?  Am I right? ;)

One of the seasonal favorites I look forward to each fall is the release of the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen.  Just like many folks count down the days until they can order a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, I start a countdown in my head each fall until I can order one of my favorite frozen fall treats.

I can't order one yet. <Insert sad face here.>

But I figured why not try my hand at a little copycat recipe? ;)

While this wasn't exactly as good as a the DQ version, it did come exceptionally close.

The only thing I would have done differently with this recipe was use coconut milk instead of the regular milk.  

And I know better.  I know the coconut milk gives my homemade ice cream a creaminess I can't get using regular milk.  

And you definitely want more creaminess here if you are truly trying to mimic the Blizzard...

Pumpkin Pie "Blizzard" Ice Cream

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: Overnight- to freeze

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Ingredients (6-8 servings)

• 1 cup of Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee creamer
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 4 oz (half a container) of frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup milk (I strongly suggest using coconut milk for a creamier consistency.)
• 15-20 vanilla wafers, roughly chopped

Instructions

In large bowl, beat together all of the ingredients except for the chopped vanilla wafers. Beat 3-5 minutes until the mixture is nice and creamy.

Pour the ice cream base into a freezer safe container and freeze for 2 hours.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer after 2 hours, and give it a stir with a rubber spatula. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom.

Mix in the chopped vanilla wafers, cover, and then return to the freezer.

Take the ice cream out once more after another 1-2 hours of freezing and stir again.

Freeze at least more 4 more hours, preferably overnight.

Since homemade ice cream freezes much harder than the store bought variety, allow the ice cream to sit out for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Scoop out your servings and top with additional whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon, if you desire.

Enjoy!

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What is the one fall favorite from a restaurant or your favorite shop that you cannot wait for each autumn?

If you loved this recipe, you might also like my...

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Butter Smoothie

Mud Pie MoJoe Ice Cream {My Cold Stone Copycat}

Be sure to check out all the bloggers sharing pumpkin packed recipes to help Julie celebrate her...

Pumpkin Butterfinger Blondies

Okay, who has leftover Halloween candy in their homes?  *Raises hand*  Due to the extremely miserable weather we had here the night of trick or treat, I was left with a little more than I had hoped.  I am in one of those rare Halloween seasons where the only candy that is in my house is the candy that we bought to hand out to the costumed little ones who came knocking at our door.  My son is now 14 and trick or treating doesn't really appeal to him anymore, and my daughter isn't even 9 months old so candy isn't really something she understands or can eat anyways.  Even though I handed out HUGE handfuls of candy to the kiddos who did bundle up and brave the 30 degree sleet nasty weather, I was still left with about a third of the huge bowl of goodies I had started with.  What to do?  What to do?

Oh yes!  How about some Pumpkin Butterfinger Blondies? ;)  I adapted this recipe from one of my absolute favorite brownie recipes, Cooking Classy's Secret Ingredient Brownies.  (Psssttt... the secret ingredient is evaporated milk!)

What you will need:

1 cup of flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup (4 tbsp) butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp canola oil

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

5 Fun Size Butterfingers, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a 9x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Over medium heat, melt the butter into the evaporated milk in a small saucepan.  Heat and mix until the butter is completely melted and incorporated into the milk.  Remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside. 

Pour the warm butter/milk mixture into a large bowl.  Whisk in the brown sugar and oil.  Then the eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.  With a wooden spoon, mix the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.  

Now chop up all those fun little Butterfingers. 

And then mix them into your blondie batter.  Pour into your prepared baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes.  Let the blondies cool for about 10-15 minutes before cutting them.  Depending on how large you cut them, you will have about 9-12 blondies from this recipe.

These Pumpkin Butterfinger Blondies are thick, chewy, and fudgy and studded with crispy, chocolaty goodness from the Butterfinger bars.  

What leftover Halloween candy is your favorite to bake with?  Have a great recipe for them? Feel free to leave the links in the comments below! :)  (Come on... it isn't nice to not share!)

Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake

Mug cakes have become our go-to quick fix when there are no sweets in the house.  The obsession started when I discovered Budget Byte's recipe for a "The One" Chocolate Mug Cake.  We experimented with the add-ins for it, starting with just simple chocolate chips, and then a wine jelly, and then a dollop of peanut butter plopped right into the center before "baking".

The gears started churning the other night.  What other flavors of mug cake could I make besides chocolate?  I had made a batch of pumpkin biscotti drizzled with white chocolate for some foodie swap gifts and had leftover pumpkin puree in my fridge.    I thought why not a pumpkin mug cake??  ;)

Mug cakes are easy and quick- a dash of this, a little of that, a splash of this, a spoonful of that, and then a quick minute in the microwave... and voila!  A fresh baked, perfectly portioned, 100% customizable little cake in a coffee mug! :)

What you will need to make one Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake:

2 tbsp of flour

3 1/2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp of canola oil

1 tbsp of milk

1 1/2 tbsp canned pumpkin

a drop of vanilla extract

a few white chocolate chips (optional)

In a mug, mix together the flour through the baking powder.  Add the oil, milk, pumpkin, and vanilla and mix well.  Drop in a few white chocolate chips, if you feel so inclined. (You could also pop a handful of pecans or walnuts in there. ;) )  Mix to cover the chips or nuts.  Microwave for 1 minute.

And that's it!  Can it get any easier??  This cake was perfectly spiced and moist.  The great thing about mug cakes is that everyone gets there own, and they are crazy easy to customize for each person.  This would also be delicious topped with a dollop of whipped topping.  (Just like pumpkin pie!)

What will you put in your Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake? ;)