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Thursday, November 17, 2011

Fall Comfort Foods

Here are a few of my favorite weeknight meals inspired by brussels sprouts, the fall season, cranberries, maple syrup, local bloggers, sage and pumpkin.

Sometimes the most satisfying dinnertime meal is a plate of roasted vegetables. Easy prep, easy bake, easy clean.Besides the ease of all steps involved, I feel super healthy after eating a big ol' plate of them! And as the central focus of the meal, rather than a typical side, I seem to appreciate them that much more.
No vegetable makes me happier than roasted brussels sprouts. I toss them in a generous amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them on a foil lined baking sheet. Into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until a golden caramelized exterior begins to form.
The baked sweet potato needs 45 minutes to an hour in the oven. Once cooled, I topped the halves with a light, creamy Maple Sage Yogurt.
The simple preparation courtesy of We Are Not Martha mixes 6 oz of Greek yogurt with 1.5 tablespoons of pure maple syrup and a tablespoon of finely chopped sage. It's a delicious component that livens up and lightens up a meal of hearty roasted vegetables.
The ultimate seasonal comfort food proves to be a Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese. I borrowed this recipe from The Small Boston Kitchen.Coarse breadcrumbs incorporated with sage top a creamy cheddar, gouda and goat cheese blend using whole milk and lots of butter, a can of pumpkin puree (the original recipe used fresh), onions, spices and a tablespoon of grainy mustard. All of it gets baked until golden brown and yields plenty of velvety pumpkin meets gooey cheese goodness; with lots of leftovers to boot. Back to brussels sprouts real quick, this time they get sautéed and coated in a Maple Dijon Dressing and studded with a few extra components! I spotted this dish last season on Delicious Dishings and have made it once before. The sweet and savory dressing is really tasty. I put my own twist on the coveted green veggie: buttery egg noodles, toasted pecans for a textural crunch and dried cranberries which lend a tart sweetness. The second installment of fall cooking here on III is nothing without dessert! I made Butterscotch & Cranberry Blondies after I spotted the recipe on A Cambridge Story, originally adapted from Cooks Illustrated, Fall Entertaining. The mix calls for a truckload of butter, as in 12 tablespoons of it - which I took the liberty of reducing to 10! These are ridiculously buttery and indulgent even so. The dried cranberries make another appearance, giving a tart and juicy complex to the blondies, while the real start is the sweet butterscotch chips. True comfort is evoked in each and every bite. I absolutely love fall foods!!

17 comments:

  1. Mmmmm everything looks delicious! Now I want a plate of roasted veggies; I definitely love how healthy I feel when I eat them, and they are so good!

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  2. I love your cooking blog posts! I've been obsessed with sweet potatoes this fall! I love simply baking them and topping them with whatever I have on hand!

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  3. Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are at the top of my list too. And your blondies look fabulous! I need to try that recipe.

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  4. im with michelle, i have been on a huge sweet potato kick this fall. i was dying to make small boston kitchen's pumpkin mac and cheese, but instead i made martha stewarts mac and cheese for an early thanksgiving feast my friends and i had, and it was unbelievable. would love to try those blondies. yum!

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  5. Looks like you have been getting your cooking on! Your roasted brussel sprouts look amazing. I book marked those blondies as well - definitely need to try those :)

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  6. So fun that you've been experimenting in the kitchen so much. I must try that yogurt sauce! Your blondies look perfect!!

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  7. I LOVE roasted Brussels, try roasting them chopped up then add white beans, lemon juice, parmesan....great succotash.

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  8. i wish you were cooking for me :) i've actually been doing alot of the same things lately!!

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  9. Oooh brussel sprouts with egg noodles sound great. I love fall inspired dishes!

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  10. everyone looks really tasty but if I could that many vegetables, well my husband would starve to death (he is such a picky eater)

    Last day to enter my Shabby Apple Giveaway!

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  11. I would like to be invited over for this exact, multi-course meal please! Wow. Everything looks super delish!

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  12. Everything about this post makes me happy - especially the Brussels sprouts and pumpkin mac and cheese!

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  13. We are on the same wave length! Just this second I finished a plate full of roasted brussel sprouts. May I have a cranberry blonde please?

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  14. I am seriously craving brussels sprouts (more than usual) now! I usually sauté them with olive oil and salt and pepper but I should try roasting them like you do as well. Love all the fall-inspired cooking you're doing!

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  15. I just cooked Brussels sprouts for the first time last night! They didn't look as good as yours. I'll definitely have to try roasting like you suggest next time.

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  16. OMG, I'm drooling over every single thing here... from the brussels sprouts to mac & cheese to these ridiculously amazing looking blondies. Well done! :)

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  17. Look at all this cooking you've been doing! This all looks great, I can't get enough brussel sprouts either. Will you come over and cook for me and Fausto? And I guess Stripes could have some, too.

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