5 Recipes I Can’t Wait to Make in September

I call fall the foodie season, and for good reason ~ no cravings match the ones we get right now, in September. There are so many directions to go, and they all hit me the minute the temperature drops. Cracking open that first can of pumpkin, lifting the lid on a steaming pot of soup, meaty sauces, cheesy risottos, and apples…lots of apples.

Here are a few recipes that have my heart beating a little faster this month.

1. Easy Apple Butter

I’m going apple picking this weekend and any apples we don’t eat or make into cake will go towards silky apple butter. I freeze a few jars and use it to make a couple of fall family staples:

• APPLE BUTTER BAKED BEANS (it’s my go to side for brats.)
• APPLE BUTTER MEATBALLS ~ our team always wins when I serve these on game days.

2. Bolognese Sauce

This is my family staple. I always make a bigger batch than I need, then freeze the rest for another meal. I’ll use it with pasta, and then make lasagna. I love to use it to stuff acorn squash (top it with lots of melty cheese.)

The runner-up fall dinner I can’t wait to make is Patricia Wells’ Beef Daube. It sounds fancy but it’s one of the easiest stews to make. After taking a bite of this stew my husband announced “This is it. You don’t need to make any other stew from now on.”

3. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I’ve got soooooo many pumpkin recipes but this one has to be called out because it was the first, and it predates the blog by at least a couple of decades. It’s been a family tradition since…forever. When my girls went to college it was the very first package they would get from home.

This is one recipe I don’t dare tweak…I’d get too many complaints. Although I did make it into a loaf bread for those who don’t have a bundt pan. And mini loaves, just because.

4. Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder

With about a hundred soup recipes under my belt it’s a little bit hard to choose favorites. But when I’m just cooking for myself this is what I gravitate towards. It’s from one of the Vegetarian Epicure cookbooks from the 70s ~ it’s simple and homey and I just love it.

The best part about soup season is choosing a biscuit or simple cornbread to go along with. For this one I’d say:

• Cornmeal Biscuits
• Buckwheat Biscuits
• Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

5. Butternut Squash and Sausage Risotto

I give the directions for stove top and Instant Pot for this risotto, but I highly recommend you try the 6 minute IP version. I can’t get over it ~ it’s the best risotto I’ve ever made, and far better than 90% of the restaurant risotos I’ve had in my life. Something about the pressure really brings out the creamy starch in the arborio rice ~ with no stirring, in 6 minutes!!

I prep everything ahead and dinner comes together so quickly. All the flavors are pure fall.