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Butternut squash is most often used as a part of a side dish, but with this Sausage-Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe, it really sings as a main dish! Winter squash, particularly this form of it, has just the right amount of sweetness to go well with most anything. I think that pairing it with these other healthy and fresh ingredients makes for a spectacular hearty dinner for the colder months of the year. And you can go easy on yourself since this is a low fat dish!

I had heard of stuffed eggplant, but I hadn’t tried using eggplant in a stuffing before. I have to say, it works really well for this recipe. It adds a bit of earthiness to balance the sweet and savory flavors nicely. Each butternut squash half is pretty much a meal in itself, though of course you could always throw in a good salad if you want something extra on the side. And of course you can expand the recipe, if you have a larger group to feed. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: If preferred, you can use ground sausage instead of turkey or lean beef.

The other day I was bored. This is seriously big news if you know me and are aware of my usual work schedule! I don’t have too much free time, but this was an exception. So I thought, how about I make a nice, big cake now that I have the time? The problem was, I hadn’t made a single cake in weeks (months even), so I was a little lost with what recipe I should use. I didn’t want to go with the most ordinary ones, but I certainly didn’t want to spend the whole day in the kitchen, either.

After a moment (or two) of online searching I came across this beautiful Caramel Pumpkin Italian Cream Cake and decided to give it a go! As with so many recipes, the formula for Italian cream cake is open to a lot of modification according to the season and to your own tastes. This rich flavor combination is particularly good for Thanksgiving but I would most definitely use it for any special occasion.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Lorie’s Mississippi Kitchen

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Quick tip: If you want to make this a little faster, use store-bought frosting.

Now, These Are Some Festively Delicious Muffins!

My sister cannot stand pumpkin. For her, fall is such an awful recipe season – everything you see online and in the magazines seem to be pumpkin this, pumpkin that.

So during fall I won’t even try to make her taste anything with pumpkin in it! I know she would hate it, just thinking about it – even if she liked the taste. But I like to save some of my pumpkin harvest to keep trying new recipes later on in the winter. And this is one of the recipes I used to completely surprise my sister. She loved the muffins so much she almost didn’t believe there was pumpkin involved!

These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins come with a delicious Walnut Streusel and will do nicely for most any occasion. Change things up by trying different frostings or glazes. These bite-sized sweet treats can be prepped and baked in just 45 minutes! How’s that for a perfect dessert for your next special dinner!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Oh Sweet Day

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Quick tip: Instead of the streusel topping, you could use your favorite frosting.

This Pumpkin Sausage Bowtie Pasta makes for a creative and festive-looking fall meal, and yet it takes little time to put together. This is a great choice for those midweek fall and winter evenings, when you are particularly pressed for time (and perhaps already thinking about the weekend) and want something seasonal but just don’t have the time or energy to make a really elaborate meal.

The splash of white wine is what gives this dish that amazing extra bit of flavor. Stay away from any wine that is super-sweet, or you may have a main course that is a bit TOO sweet. Otherwise, there’s nothing too difficult about this recipe. You do have to brown the sausage and cook the pasta (al dente) to start, but that doesn’t take all that long, and everything goes really quickly after that. You basically have a full meal with this, though it does go nicely with a bit of bread and a simple salad.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Jo Cooks

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Quick tip: Adjust the amount of garlic to your taste.

No, you can’t really call them healthy, but these Baked Caramel Apple Cider Doughnuts are delicious. They’re kind of like caramel apples in softer doughnut form–a great treat for fall. I normally prefer the fried doughnuts, even though they are less healthy than the baked ones, but these really are good! They’re certainly a lot better than any store-bought baked doughnuts that I’ve ever had.

If you don’t have a doughnut pan, you can use a muffin pan and just make these into muffins. They’ll taste great, either way. I have to say, for baked doughnuts, these are rather soft and moist. I’m guessing that the generous amount of butter in the dough helps, not to mention all of that heavy cream in the glaze – mmm, so good! I really am a sucker for that caramel apple flavor, and the fact that these are a lot easier to eat than actual caramel apples doesn’t hurt.

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Cookin’ Chicks

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Quick tip: If you don’t want to use cinnamon, you can use nutmeg instead. Just cut the amount in half.

The Italians are best known for their pasta dishes, but they can make a lovely rice dish or two, as well! This Sweet Potato Risotto is a delicious variant on a classic North Italian home recipe. It is such gourmet flavor in just a few easy steps. People in America may think of risotto as a dish for fine-dining restaurants, but it has its origins in comfort food cooking for the home. A big part of its appeal is that it makes for a highly variable template for most any flavor combination that you want.

Most people also think making risotto is difficult. It certainly isn’t! I used to think so, too, before I finally decided to give it a try. In my opinion, the secret is in the splash of white wine. It brings in such an incredible flavor that people will thing you’ve hired a professional chef to do all the cooking for you!

Recipe and photo courtesy of A Family Feast

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Quick tip: Make sure you use rice that is especially meant for risotto. Regular rice just won’t be the same.

This Toffee Apple Cheesecake recipe puts that classic caramel apple flavor in creamy, delicious cheesecake form. It’s easy enough to make for yourself at home, and with the optional garnishes it looks (and tastes) wonderful enough to serve even at formal gatherings. It shouldn’t be much of a secret, at this point: I love cheesecakes of all flavors. And I love the smell and flavor of apples and caramel, particularly in autumn. This cheesecake really isn’t all that difficult to put together, either.

My favorite cheesecake used to be strawberry. It’s a classic, it’s fresh, and I don’t think I could ever get tired of it. But sometimes you just come across another interesting recipe that you want to try – in this case it was a huge success! This recipe will definitely be stored in my box of favorites.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Recipe.com

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Quick tip: Use any nuts for this delicious cheesecake.