Category:  Seasonal Recipe

Happy Labor Day to all of you celebrating the long weekend here in the U.S.! While the holiday typically means and en to summer and lots of back-to-school activities, it also ushers in one of my favorite seasons: fall. I love the chilly, crisp air, wearing jeans, hoodies and comfy sweaters, making batches of soup, watching football and hockey, baking with cinnamon, pumpkin and maple, and a million other things. The whole season emits a sense of coziness and warmth, and I love it. Along with fall comes some of my favorite recipes. As I like to do when we enter a new season, I’ve compiled a list of my all-time favorite recipes that are just perfect for the fall season. There are a lot of them, so I’ve broken them out into categories. I hope you enjoy browsing, and try many of the recipes over the course of the next few months!

Appetizers & Snacks

Artichoke Spinach Dip
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Cheddar Ale Spread
Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeños
Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Guacamole
Homemade Cracker Jack (Caramel Peanut Popcorn)
Hot Reuben Dip
Jalapeño Popper Dip
Maple-Bacon Kettle Popcorn
Oven-Fried Onion Rings
Pan-Fried Onion Dip
Pepperoni Bread
Parmesan & Thyme Crackers
Sausage Dip
Seven Layer Dip
Taco Dip

Drinks

Hot Cocoa Mix

Bar Desserts & Brownies

Baked Brownie
Chewy, Chunky Blondies
Chocolate Mint Brownies
Chunky Pecan Pie Bars
Cream Cheese Brownies
Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars
Peanut Butter Brownies
Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie Bars
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Pumpkin Pie Bars
Salted Peanut Chews
Seven-Layer Bars
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Snickery Squares
Sweet and Salty Brownies

Breakfast & Brunch

Allspice Crumb Muffins
Baked Oatmeal
Beer Waffles with Cinnamon-Caramel Apples
Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Brown Sugar-Bacon Buttermilk Waffles
Buttermilk Doughnuts
Coffeecake Muffins
Cranberry Orange Scones
Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade Pop-Tarts
Maple-Oatmeal Scones
Monkey Bread
Nut Rolls
Oatmeal Muffins with Dates, Cranberries & Pecans
Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins with Pecan Streusel
Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze
Vanilla & Brown Sugar Breakfast Polenta

Cake

Black and White Chocolate Cake
Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake
Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Cappuccino Cinnamon Squares
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte
Fig and Almond Cheesecake
Fluted Polenta Ricotta Cake
New York-Style Crumb Cake
Old-Fashioned Spice Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Russian Grandmothers’ Apple Pie-Cake
Russian Pound Cake
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Tiramisu

Candy

Ale and Pretzel Soft Caramels
Homemade Caramel Apples
Homemade Marshmallows
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Cookies

Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies (base for all of my decorated cut-out cookies)
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ultimate Ginger Cookies

Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Frosting
Pancake Cupcakes with Maple-Bacon Frosting
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Tiramisu Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Ice Cream

Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Chocolate Ice Cream
Cinnamon Ice Cream
Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Date, Rum & Pecan Ice Cream
Espresso Ice Cream
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Pistachio Nut Ice Cream
Rocky Road Ice Cream
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Tin Roof Ice Cream
Two-Ingredient Ice Cream

Main Dishes

Baked Mac n’ Cheese
Basic Pizza Dough (to customize for endless pizza nights!)
Beef Mushroom Barley Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Cashew Chicken
Cheddar Corn Chowder
Cheesy Baked Ziti with Sausage
Cream of Mushroom Soup
French Onion Soup
Grown Up Mac and Cheese
Ham and Split Pea Soup
Hearty Beef Stew
Italian Sausage, Red Pepper and Mushroom Risotto
Italian Wedding Soup
Mushroom Barley Risotto
Mushroom-Herb Macaroni and Cheese
Pasta Fagioli
Pepperoni Pizza
Portobello Pesto Pizza
Soba Noodle Stir-Fry with Spicy Almond Butter Sauce
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Thick and Hearty Chili
Three-Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Veggie Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Pies & Tarts

Apple Hand Pies
Chocolate Bourbon Walnut Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie

Quick Breads

Apple Cinnamon Bread
Banana Nut Bread
Cheese, Olive & Ham Bread
Cornbread
Date Nut Spice Bread
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Three Cheese Beer Bread

Side Dishes & Salads

Classic Bread Stuffing Recipe
Easy Homemade French Fries
Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Mashed Sweet Potato Brulée
Roasted Red Potatoes
Scalloped Potatoes

Yeast Bread

American Sandwich Bread
Bagels – Plain, Asiago, Blueberry, Cinnamon Raisin, Egg, Everything
Challah
Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread
Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
Cranberry-Walnut Roll
English Muffins
Honey-Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
Italian Bread
Potato Rosemary Bread
Sweet Dinner Rolls

What are some of your favorite fall recipes??

Tags: Favorites

Brown Eyed Baker

Ahh, summer. It’s been a good one, hasn’t it? What were some of your summer highlights? I enjoyed ballgames with cityscapes in the background, a U2 concert, playing board games outside on warm summer evenings, making pickles, 4th of July fun, and much more.

Since summer is coming to a close and we’re only two weeks away from Labor Day, I wanted to share with you 10 of my most favorite recipes that I’ve made this summer. I’ve made a lot of my tried-and-true recipes, but these are all new ones that immediately stole a little piece of my heart. Whether you decide to tackle them between now and the end of summer, or tuck them away for snowy baking days, I definitely think they deserve a spot on your “to-bake” list!

1. Blueberry Muffins – I made these right after Memorial Day and they were the perfect recipe to welcome summer with open arms. Tons of fresh blueberries and such a bright flavor, these have become my all-time favorite muffin recipe. Amazing!

2. Date, Rum & Pecan Ice Cream – Sometimes summer makes you want to kick things up a notch. Or spike foods that you otherwise wouldn’t spike (ahem, vodka watermelon). This ice cream is utterly incredible – rum-soaked dates, rum ice cream and candied pecans.

3. Easy Homemade French Fries – I’ve always wanted to try my hand at homemade French fries, but have also always shied away from frying. I am now totally sold on it – these are outstanding, and way better than any restaurant or frozen version.

4. Homemade Peanut Butter Cups – Possibly the best thing to come out of my kitchen this summer. No more Reese’s for me – these babies have my heart.

5. Jalapeño Popper Dip – The end of summer also means ushering in the start of the football season, and nothing says game day quite like jalapeño poppers. Enjoy this dip at any of your summer gatherings, or throughout the fall and winter sports seasons!

6. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – One of my oldest and most favorite recipes finally made its way onto the site, at long last. Most deservedly so, as these are phenomenal. I keep extras in the freezer to snack on when the urge hits

7. Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie Bars – O.M.G. These literally left me speechless. And with absolutely no willpower. They are magical.

8. Pepperoni Pizza – My absolute favorite pizza, and homemade is always the best. Plus, a tip on how to prevent that river of grease on top of the cheese from the pepperoni.

9. Portobello Pesto Pizza – Mmmm, my favorite new pizza! Fashioned after a pizza from a local restaurant, this is probably now my second-favorite recipe (behind pepperoni, of course!).

10. Sweet and Salty Brownies – These are pretty much the ultimate brownie – rich, fudgy brownies with a layer of salted caramel baked into the middle, and fleur de sel sprinkled on top. They are heaven.

Of all the new recipes you made this summer, which one is your favorite??

Tags: Favorites

Brown Eyed Baker

The Fourth of July holiday is just a week away, so it’s high-time that I share some of my favorite eats for the red, white and blue celebration. Truthfully, I think my stained glass Jello stars are the only thing that actually contains all three of those colors, but some have blue, some have red, and some are just plain delicious. Below you will find all of my favorites when it comes to making 4th of July eats just as sparkly for your taste buds as fireworks are for your eyes. There are the requisite staples: appetizers, dips, side dishes and (of course) desserts. Have fun planning your menu!

Classic Lemonade
Ginger-Tea Lemonade
White Sangria

Artichoke Spinach Dip
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Cheddar Ale Spread
Chicken Spread
Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeños
Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Fruit Dip
Guacamole
Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa
Hot Reuben Dip
Pan-Fried Onion Dip
Polenta Pizza
Sausage Dip
Seven Layer Dip
Taco Dip
Traditional Hummus

Antipasto Salad
Barbecued Beans
Best Ever Potato Salad
Broccoli Salad
Creamy, Lighter Macaroni Salad
Grilled Corn
Italian Pasta Salad
Loaded Baked Potato Salad
Potato Salad with Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette

Baked Brownie (my favorite brownie recipe!)
Blackberry Pie Bars
Blueberry Crumb Cake
Chewy, Chunky Blondies
Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte (could use a combo of blueberry & strawberry/raspberry)
Honey-Vanilla Sour Cream Pound Cake
Lemon Bars
Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars
Peach Crumb Bars
Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Raspberry Streusel Bars
Root Beer Float Cake
Red, White & Blue Stained Glass Jello Stars (pictured above)
S’more Nut Bars
Strawberry Mirror Cake
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Sweet and Salty Brownies

What’s on your menu for the 4th of July festivities??

Tags: 4th of July, Favorites

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Next to dessert, dips and appetizers are by far my favorite type of food. I could make meals out of just about any appetizer (and have on many occasions). In fact, I’m pretty sure that I made guacamole and chips lunch one Sunday during football season. So as you might expect, there are quite a few dip and appetizer recipes here on the site. As a continuation of the Top 10 List series, and with the cookout and party season kicking into high gear, I thought it would be the perfect time to narrow down my appetizers to my all-time favorites. Not surprisingly, most of the recipes on this list are dips, but there are also a few finger foods and snacks sprinkled in. Enjoy browsing!

(I got extremely hungry putting this post together!)

1. Artichoke Spinach Dip – One of my all-time favorite restaurant appetizers, and I was finally able to recreate the perfect blend of flavors at home. Creamy, cheesy and a great balance of spinach and artichoke. A must for your dip and appetizer repertoire!

2. Cheddar Ale Spread – This dip is a hit wherever it goes. I have lost count of how many times the recipe has been requested, and for good reason – anytime you combine beer, cream cheese and cheddar it’s bound to be a hit.

3. Chicken Spread – This is one of those old-school recipes from my mom’s little recipe book with index cards that she made for get togethers all the time when we were younger. It’s one that is still a favorite and I can never get enough of whenever one of us makes it.

4. Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates – These are hopelessly addicting. The bacon and dates sort of caramelize in the oven and, along with the cheese, make a sweet and salty snack. Since they are bite size, it’s incredibly easy to blow through a whole batch in no time. A definite party must!

5. Guacamole – A classic! I could eat an entire bowl of this with a bag of chips.

6. Homemade Cracker Jack (Caramel Peanut Popcorn) – I loved Cracker Jack when I was a kid, but always wished there were more peanuts. Well, when you make your own you can make the rules   And this is the perfect recipe for caramel peanut popcorn. Would be great for a movie night.

7. Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa – This is a new-found love and I’ve already made it three times. The flavors are so bright and fresh – the tomatoes, cilantro and lime especially stand out. Definitely on par with what you get at authentic Mexican restaurants and a million times better than anything out of a jar.

8. Hot Reuben Dip – This has all the great elements of a Reuben – chopped corned beef, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing… all in a dip. Serve it with little squares of rye or those flat pretzels.

9. Pepperoni Bread – My grandma has been making this recipe for as long as I can remember. It is the epitome of comfort food for me.

10. Taco Dip – Another from my mom’s old arsenal that always showed up at family parties. It couldn’t be much simpler to make, and everyone goes crazy for it. You can mix up the toppings based on your personal preferences. Definitely another party staple.

What are some of your favorite dips or appetizers to take to a party? I’m always on the lookout for great dips especially, so feel free to share recipes!

Tags: Appetizers/Snacks, Favorites

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