It’s time for Friday Five linkup with DC area bloggers Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What?!, and Mar at Mar on the Run!  Be sure to stop by their blogs and say hello!

 

FridayFiveFavoriteFallFoods
 

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and quite appropriately, this week’s Friday Five theme is Favorite Fall Foods… 

Thanksgiving is without a doubt my favorite holiday, and I love roasting the perfect turkey, and making all of the traditional side dishes.  But I don’t love the food…  During dinner, I eat a token piece of turkey, a tiny bit of sweet potato casserole, dressing, a dinner roll, gravy, and a huge salad…  Of course, I go into dinner a bit stuffed from nibbling on our antipasto platter!

AntipastoPlatter
Since today’s prompt is Favorite Fall Foods, not Thanksgiving, the following five foods aren’t necessarily on my Thanksgiving table.  And as a healthy living blogger, I feel that I need to add the following disclaimer:  After the first two entries, I’m throwing healthy out the window, and it all goes down hill from here!

1.  One of my clients told me about Honey Crisp Apples years ago when they first made an appearance in the US.  At the time, I could only find them in the grocery stores in the fall, but fortunately I can now find them year-round at Wegman’s and Safeway!

HoneyCrispApples
2.  A couple of years ago I found a recipe for Smoky Black Bean Stew in Runner’s World.  I tried it, and we loved it!  It’s a definite cold-weather comfort food, but with a healthy twist!

3.  My Mom found a recipe for Apple Betty Crisp when I was little, and it quickly became a fall treat.  Bill absolutely loves it, and I just realized that I haven’t made one for him this fall…

  • Apple Betty Crisp
  • 4 cups peeled and sliced tart apples
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • Mound apples in buttered 9-inch pie plate, and sprinkle with orange juice.
  • For topping, combine sugar, flour, spices, and a dash of salt.  Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly, and scatter over apples.
  • Bake at 375° for 45-minutes, or until apples are done and topping is crisp.
  • Serves 6

4.  Last Thanksgiving, my son Daniel suggested we try a new side dish for dinner.  I asked what he had in mind, and he said macaroni and cheese.  We decided that it couldn’t be just any mac ‘n’ cheese, so we turned to Google, and it didn’t take us long to settle on Smoked Gouda and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese.  I mean seriously, anything with smoked Gouda and bacon?  How could it not be fabulous!  Let’s just say that this year I’m doubling the recipe!

5.  Ummm, this isn’t a food, but it’s something that I’d never even think of drinking in the summer, but enjoy occasionally once fall hits.  Any guesses?  It’s a Toasted Almond!  This has become our traditional post-Christmas Eve Mass cocktail.  We come home from 8 PM mass, enjoy a few Toasted Almonds, a slice of Sausage Roll, and bask in the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree.

  • Toasted Almond
  • 1-1/2 ounces Khaula
  • 1-1/2 ounces Amaretta
  • 4 ounces half-and-half (I usually use milk)
  • Pour over ice, enjoy

ToastedAlmondCocktail
 

  • Questions:
  • What are your favorite fall recipes?
  • Do you like traditional Thanksgiving foods?
  • Who’s racing this weekend?