Inspire New Recipes for Fall 2019

It's officially the fall season, which means we're ready to eat warm, delicious comfort food all season long. Fall brings out natural fruits and vegetables [pumpkins, squash, and apples] and combines them in traditional recipes, like soups, pies, casseroles, and more.

Fall is the season to eat comfort food. It's getting colder outdoors, and for many people, it can be a difficult transition. We're used to the cool summer months and all of a sudden, it's cold outside. We crave irresistible foods that instantly warm us back up.

Take a chance and try these five recipes this fall season. Who knows? You just might inspire someone else to try them, too.

1. Pumpkin French Toast

Pumpkin French toast.

Anyone can make ordinary French toast. It's a basic breakfast meal. But have you ever tried adding sweet, perfectly spiced pumpkin flavors? If you haven't, your morning [or evening, if you love breakfast for dinner, like me] is about to change.

You can use whatever type of bread you prefer: Texas toast, French bread, challah, or even croissants. The best thing about this breakfast is that it's familiar yet new at the same time. You haven't had French toast until you've added fall flavors to the traditional breakfast dish.

You will need the following ingredients to make this breakfast meal:

• 4 eggs
• 2/3 c. milk (I used skim milk.)
• 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 12 slices bread (I used Texas toast.)

To begin, set a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a small amount of butter and melt. In a rectangle baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Dip the bread into the mixture, flip sides and then place on the skillet.

Cook until each side is golden brown [about two to three minutes]. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve hot with a pat of butter. Drizzle with warm maple syrup. Enjoy! 

2. Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Banana chocolate chip muffins.

Maybe you want a delicious, satisfying breakfast but you don't have time to make breakfast every day. This recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins is the solution for you. The muffins are easy to bake and it makes about a dozen muffins, which allows you to store the treats to eat for breakfast multiple days in a row. Your mornings just got better. 

To make these muffins, you will need the following ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas 
• 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 c. butter, melted
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with paper cups and lightly spray them with non-stick cooking spray. Set the tin aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas and Greek yogurt until they're completely smooth. Stir in the melted butter until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, flour, and stir until the batter is thick and well-combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and then scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. One trick I learned from my mother [and other chefs] is to use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin cups about a little more than 3/4 of the way full. The ice cream scoop will "scoop" up the right amount of batter for you. 

Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes, or until they're lightly golden brown. Let them cool on a wire wrack. Enjoy! 

3. Stuffed Pasta Shells with Cheesy Garlic Bread 

Stuffed pasta shells with cheesy garlic bread.

Any type of pasta is comfort food for me, especially during the fall season. Lately, I have been enjoying stuffed pasta shells, which can be prepared in a number of ways. But this season, I have been loving this recipe by Ree Drummond, AKA The Pioneer Woman, in which it's a creamy, herby white sauce topped with cheese-stuffed pasta shells. It's always delicious, and it's served with a tang of rich marinara sauce. Yum!

In addition, I paired the pasta recipe with cheesy garlic bread, inspired by the Griffiths Family Recipes cookbook. Pasta can sometimes be pretty basic on its own. What takes it to the next level is simply adding a warm slice of bread. A fall meal doesn't get any better than this. 

To cook my modified version of the stuffed pasta shells, you will need the following ingredients: 

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 10 oz. baby spinach
• 4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 c. milk (I used skim milk.)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• One 30-oz. container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• 12 oz. jumbo pasta shells (25 to 30 shells), cooked until slightly firmer than al dente
• One 24-oz. jar marinara sauce 

To begin, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook, stirring continuously until it's lightly wilted. This should take about two minutes. Remove the spinach from the pan and set it aside to cool slightly. Then, place the spinach inside a few paper towels and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Give the spinach a rough chop and set it aside. 

Turn the heat to medium-low and then, in the same skillet, melt the butter and sprinkle the flour over the top. Whisk it all together for about a minute. Slowly add the milk and whisk. Cook until the white sauce is thickened, which could take about four or five minutes. 

Turn off the heat and stir in half of the parsley and salt and pepper, to taste. Add another 1/4 c. milk if the white sauce is too thick, which can happen. Taste and adjust the seasonings depending on your preference. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, the egg, the rest of the parsley, and stir in the chopped spinach mixture. 

To assemble the pasta shells, use a spoon to fill the pasta shells with the cheese mixture. Be sure to stuff them generously and make sure you save enough of the mixture to fill each pasta shell. Place the shells seam side down in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Pour the marinara sauce evenly over the shells. Then, ladle the white sauce over the marinara in a zig-zag/line design. Finally, sprinkle an additional amount of Parmesan cheese on top for extra cheesy deliciousness. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pasta shells are hot and bubbly. Yum! 

To prepare the cheesy garlic bread, you will need the following ingredients:

• A loaf of French bread
• One stick (8 Tbsp.) of butter, melted 
• 3 cloves garlic 
• Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese

Slice a loaf of French bread in half lengthwise. In a bowl, melt together the butter and three cloves of garlic. Spread evenly over the bread. Sprinkle graded Parmesan cheese over the bread and then layer with shredded mozzarella cheese. The amount of cheese is up to you and your preference. Broil until golden brown and serve hot with the stuffed pasta shells. Enjoy! 

Cheesy garlic bread.

4. Chicken & Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

Chicken and rice stuffed bell peppers.

Stuffed bell peppers have become a popular meal choice in recent years. The dish is praised for having a healthy new twist on traditional bell peppers. Packed with protein-rich ingredients, these simple-to-make, satisfying bell peppers will provide the best comfort food this fall season when you're indoors from the chilly weather. Sink your teeth into warm, crunchy bell peppers and delicious chicken and rice. This hearty meal serves up a classic family dinner in an appetizing new way. 

To cook this dish, you will need the following ingredients: 

• 4 medium bell peppers, cut in half with the seeds removed
• 3/4 c. rice of your choice (I used brown rice.)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 c. onions, chopped
• 12 oz. chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 c. all-natural tomato sauce
• 1/2 c. frozen corn kernels 
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the rice soft and strain, according to the directions on the box. Set the cooked rice aside. Wash your bell peppers and place them, skin side down, in a large baking dish and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick baking pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about three to four minutes. 

Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the tomato sauce and corn. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for three to four minutes. 

In a bowl, add the previously cooked rice with the chicken and tomato sauce that you just cooked. Mix it all together. This will be your filling for the stuffed bell peppers. Stuff the peppers with chicken and rice tomato sauce filling as much as possible so that all of the filling is used up. Cover lightly with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the bell peppers are tender. Remove the foil. 

Top each bell pepper evenly with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional three to five minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot as a main dish or as a side dish. Enjoy! 

5. S'mores Chocolate Bark

S'mores chocolate bark.

One of my favorite traditions in the fall season is roasting marshmallows and making s'mores at a bonfire. It's an activity I hope everyone gets to experience at least once in their lifetime. It's a fun social time with family and friends, and there's nothing better than watching the fire crackle and tasting sweet, melted marshmallows in the dark. 

But sometimes, you can't always go outdoors to make s'mores. Maybe it's raining and you have to stay indoors. If you're in the mood for s'mores, you can still make them--just not by a campfire. This recipe for s'mores chocolate bark is a yummy inside-out s'mores that will satisfy your cravings. The chocolate bark is really just melted chocolate spread over a pan with marshmallows and graham crackers added to it. It has the quintessential flavors of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers that you love to eat by the fire. 

To make this dessert recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

• 3 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips 
• 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
• 1 c. marshmallow fluff (I used marshmallow creme.) 
• 3 sheets of graham crackers 

Start by melting 1 1/2 c. of the milk chocolate chips and spread the chocolate over a wax-lined pan. Be careful not to spread it too thin. Place the first layer in the refrigerator for about a half hour. Then, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave. Pour in the marshmallow fluff (or marshmallow creme) and microwave for about 30 seconds. Quickly spread the marshmallow layer over the hardened first milk chocolate layer. 

Crumble the graham crackers and press them into the marshmallow layer. Refrigerate for about a half hour. Melt the additional milk chocolate chips and very gently spread it over the graham cracker layer. Put the bark in the freeze for about two hours. 

Once hardened, take it out and break it apart. Keep the bark refrigerated (not in the freezer!) for solid bark. If you want more "squishy" bark, you can leave it out. Enjoy! You don't have to go to a bonfire to make s'mores. 

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I know these recipes aren't new. I didn't invent them and I'm not a professional chef, but maybe you've never tried these dishes. Maybe you haven't tried my variations of the classic dishes. Maybe you've never considered baking banana chocolate chip muffins in the fall season. Or eating chicken and rice stuffed bell peppers during this time of the year. Maybe you'll find a new recipe and love it as much as I do. 

Try something new this season to bring to your next family gathering, whether it's to watch a Sunday night football game, a bonfire, a hayride, a Homecoming celebration, a birthday party, Thanksgiving, and more. With every season, there is always a new opportunity to enjoy delicious food with family and friends. These five dishes are ones you won't want to miss. 

Feel free to follow me on Instagram @kjlsdiary to stay up-to-date on my cooking adventures. Feel free to share your recipes with me, too! I'm always eager to try new recipes. 

Until next time...

-KJL-