Revisiting Fall favorites

Hello!

I unintentionally took the week off of the newsletter last week. We hosted an Oktoberfest party at our house and I had a lot of fun making some German food and being with family and friends. It was also more time consuming than I had thought, but completely worth it.

This time of year I always want to revisit favorite recipes, so there are a few of those here. I think there’s something so comforting about making a recipe enough times to know the ins and outs and be able to make it your own. The lentil soup I’m sharing is one of those for us. It’s my favorite lentil soup and I’ve made it enough times now to be able to change it up a little and know it will still be successful. I hope you have some of those kinds of recipes of your own.

Quick Links

lentil soup, feta scones // curried chickpeas // chicken and dumplings // pork with apples // pretzels

Weeknight Recipes

• Lentil Soup and Feta and Chive Scones

  • Like I said, I love this soup. The combination of red and green lentils is really pleasant and this always turns out really good. My customary changes are to omit the sweet potatoes and use more carrot and some gold or white potatoes instead, and to omit the kale for texture reasons and to make this something my kids will eat. Try it as written though and see what changes you might make to improve it.

  • Savory scones are such a good complement to a soup and a fun treat to encourage small eaters. We love these feta scones and also these ham, cheese and leek ones.

image from sproutedkitchen.com

• Curried Chickpeas

  • I have made this recipe so many times since we got Smitten Kitchen’s most recent cookbook. It’s a real favorite and one that I will definitely have memorized someday. I’ve loved it with half cauliflower, but also just with chickpeas. I’ve always made it with toasted paneer or halloumi cubes in it. Our one year old wolfs this down.

  • Serve with basmati rice and raita. (Or the poor man’s raita- a scoop of yogurt, a few diced cucumbers and a squeeze of lemon.)

• Chicken and Dumplings

  • This is a weeknight version of a recipe that can be a lot more labor intensive and take a lot more time made simpler by using a rotisserie chicken. We love to see it.

  • Here’s a white bean soup for vegetarians. although this is now 3/3 legume recipes here. Sorry and also you’re welcome for all the fiber!

Weekend Meal

• Pork Chops with apples and onions

  • A fall favorite whenever the fresh apple cider starts coming to the stores. For the liquid, I always use equal parts cider and chicken broth. You can made these with boneless chops, the braising liquid will keep them moist and tender. We eat these with mashed potatoes.

  • If you are a vegetarian and love mashed potatoes, please let me know what you eat with them! I am at a loss for good vegetarian dishes with mashed potatoes.

image from marthastewart.com

Treat of the Week

• German-Style Pretzels

  • This was one of my contributions to our Oktoberfest and they were a huge hit. I find them fun to make and a real treat.

Have a great week!

Emily