Month

This Drunken Apple Cake is a great cake recipe for fall and the holidays! It is incredibly moist, to the point of being custard-like in places, and it features a nice balance of sweet, tart, and (thanks in large part to the rum) slightly spicy flavor. This is a great choice for anyone who likes a really “wet” dessert with a lot of flavor depth. I loved the alternating layers of firm cake and creamy apple goodness. If you like apples at all, you really ought to give this recipe a try!

Of course, the precise flavor balance that you have will depend in part on your choice of apples. I went with an aged rum for a bit of a richer flavor, but you could go with a light rum if you want a bit of a leaner, crisper flavor or a spiced rum if you want your cake to be a bit on the sweetly spicy side.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Leite’s Culinaria

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Quick tip: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

This Cheesy Broccoli Gratin recipe comes with an extra helping of cheddar and a creamy, savory roux that can make most any veggies taste out-of-this-world wonderful. What a great way to balance out a good main course! I think that a dish such as this is particularly good for the cooler months. It’s so warm and soothing, and it brings a great change to all the heavy meals we tend to eat during the holidays.

A single large baking dish works just fine to bake this, but if you want to get a bit fancy, you can divide portions into individual ramekins for baking, once you are finished with the prep cooking steps on the stove. That pinch of nutmeg makes this side dish a great choice for fall or holiday baking, and if you would like to mix up the flavors a bit, you could always substitute cauliflower for the broccoli.

Recipe and photo courtesy of 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: I love to serve this with chicken!

This Chicken Black Bean Taco Bake is another great Mexican-inspired recipe for those hectic midweek nights. With a few simple cheats, you can have a great-tasting dinner ready in about half an hour! The cheese lovers in your family will go wild over this one, I think. Granted, it doesn’t skimp on the meat, either. It’s a quick and easy recipe but still manages to be rather hearty and filling.

Though you are welcome to cook chicken on your own, the easiest thing to do for a recipe like this is to buy a nice rotisserie chicken and shred that up. It minimizes the hassle, and it’s already nicely seasoned for a savory, creamy, cheese-rich recipe such as this. I do recommend investing in a good iron skillet if you don’t have one already; they last forever (the one I have has been in the family for over 100 years and is still going strong) and are great when you need really even heating or if you need to do transfers between stove and oven, such as this.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Picky Palate

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Quick tip: For best results, use a 12-inch iron skillet for this recipe, though any oven-safe skillet will do just fine.

If you like a cake on the super-moist and sweetly spicy side, this Gooey Cinnamon Cake recipe is definitely worth a try! Actual baking time is only 25 minutes, and it is surprisingly straightforward to put together. I do love the flavor of cinnamon. It is particularly good for fall and for the holidays, though I enjoy it during all times of year. Some recipes that make use of cinnamon as the central ingredient can turn out a bit dry, but that certainly isn’t the case here.

You can use honey as a substitute for the light corn syrup, though you want to be careful to make use of a mildly flavored honey if you do so. Otherwise, it will overpower the other flavors and make the cake a bit too, well, intense. Though there is a little prep work involved here, it’s nothing that should be too difficult for you, so long as you have at least a basic electric mixer to use. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of David Lebovitz

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Quick tip: Use a 9″ x 13″ baking dish for this recipe.

A Simple Way To Make A Quick Dinner That Your Whole Family Will Love!

This Sweet and Sticky One-Pot Chicken Dinner is a hearty, family-friendly meal, great for people who enjoy the sweeter side of the sweet and savory flavor combination. It is gluten-free, and thanks to the use of honey, molasses, and maple syrup, it keeps the glycemic index on the low side without compromising on the sweet flavor. How’s that for a perfect meal, in every way! Another great thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to worry about slaving away in the kitchen.

There are two basic ways to get little ones who are a bit picky about their vegetables to eat a good helping of them. One way is to add cheese; the other is to crank up the sweetness. This recipe goes with the latter option, and it puts everything together in the form of a yummy sweet and savory one-pot meal, making it all that much more convenient for the cook under pressure.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Don’t Waste the Crumbs

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Quick Tip: Try using local, raw honey in this recipe for added health benefits.

This Dairy-Free Peachy French Toast is a lovely sweet treat that also (provided that you choose the right bread) manages to be entirely non-GMO, gluten-free, and lactose-free. It’s also baked instead of fried, making it lighter and lower on the hassle than most forms of french toast. This is properly a breakfast item, though I think it’s nice for a dessert most any time of day. It’s a great idea if someone in your family has to be on a restricted diet but still would like something sweet now and then.

Mix the peach slices with the sugar ahead of time, and you can slap this together in no time. Just be sure to flip the bread about halfway through the baking process, and you’ll have no trouble putting this together. Though I like this dessert as-is, if you want to give this recipe more of a peaches & cream flavor, while still keeping it dairy-free, add a bit of Silk vanilla yogurt to the topping at the end.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Wonky Wonderful

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Quick tip: Check the ingredient labels to make sure the bread you are using is lactose-free.

This Dirty Rice is quick and easy Southern soul food at its finest. It makes in just 35 minutes and four easy steps–great for a hectic weeknight dinner. I could eat dirty rice most any time of year, but it is particularly good when the weather is turning cooler and you want something that will fill you up right without much hassle or time investment. And it is just piquant enough to excite your palate without coming anywhere close to setting your mouth on fire.

If you want the full Southern “soul food” experience, I do recommend cooking this with the bacon grease. That bacon flavor can work wonders with many a recipe, and it gives the recipe a more filling, savory kick. If you want a bit of a lighter-tasting dish, however, or if you need to watch your cholesterol, go with the olive oil.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Hot Eats and Cool Reads

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Quick tip: Add some of your favorite veggies to make this even healthier!