Fall Fall and a Little More Fall

So many Honeycrisp apples. Decided to do an apple based dinner. And dessert. But no, no apple dessert because despite cleaning out the kitchen benches to allow me to see all the pans,

leading me to believe I, in fact, owned ALL the pans, I did not have the right size pan for the apple cake I wanted to make. Sure I could have substituted a different pan, but I didn’t. Because, math.

So dinner went on as planned otherwise with Cider Braised Chicken with Spiced Butternut Squash from How Sweet It Is. I’ll be totally honest, I was not loving how this smelled before it went in the oven. Really strong. So much so I was texting guests to say “I’m not sure about this so manage your expectations”. But how dare I doubt Jessica at How Sweet It Is. This was delicious. I didn’t use the mushrooms because mushrooms and I are not friends. But you go ahead and add them if you like.

And as a side I did my standard Apple Walnut Salad. This is very versatile salad. You can add almost any crunchy vegetable you like. If you don’t like blue cheese, leave it off, or substitute with goat cheese or maybe even ricotta salata. Whatevs.

Everyday Apple Walnut Salad
WHAT YOU NEED
3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
3 TBSP maple syrup
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP dijon mustard
Pinch of salt and pepper
Bag of your favorite lettuce (I use Romaine)
1/2 bag of baby spinach
2 Honeycrisp apples, cored and diced
1 cup walnut pieces, toasted
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/2 cup crumble blue cheese (optional for the haters)
Any other crunchy vegetable you want (celery, shredded carrots, jicama)

WHAT YOU DO
Mix first 5 ingredients in a jar and shake to make dressing. Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a bowl and toss with the dressing.

So about that dessert. Having softened 12 tablespoons of butter before my discovery of my need to go to TJ Maxx/Homegoods to get a 10 inch non-springform cake pan (I HAVE to, I have no choice!), I searched for other recipes that needed 12 tablespoons of softened butter. And lo’ and behold, Cookies and Cups comes through again with Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Salty Butterscotch Sauce.

I didn’t have time to make the sauce, so I just melted some Trader Joe’s Salted Caramel Sauce and poured in on top. I don’t think anyone stormed out in protest.

And the Halloween Block Party 2015 went off without a hitch. I made The Pioneer Woman’s totally 80’s Bacon Appetizer. Because who doesn’t want a warm cheese coated bacon wrapped cracker on a cool fall day. No one, no one doesn’t want that (hmm?). There was also mummy wrapping,