Fall Recipe Round Up: Rhode Island Edition

If you have been following me on Instagram or Twitter, you know that over the past few days I was back in Rhode Island visiting with my family for an extended weekend after a quick business trip. I had a really great couple of days hanging out with them and will tell you a little more about my trip in tomorrow's post.

Today though, I want to talk about cooking. What you may have also noticed (if you follow me elsewhere) is that we did a lot of cooking while I was back at home too. We're a big cooking, baking, and eating family-- and even more so in the fall. I get my love for this season and fall flavors honestly, that's for sure. We made a ton of dishes full of pumpkin, cinnamon, and apples this weekend. I just can't get enough!

A few of you requested recipes for the fun fall foods that you saw me share on Instagram, so today's post is a little round up of those recipes. Most aren't original, so I'm linking to those for you here as well.

Let me know what you think of these recipes!


RumChata Cupcakes

Have you had RumChata? I don't drink it frequenlty, but it's my parents' new dessert drink of choice. My mom found this awesome recipe for RumChata cupcakes and they were delicious. They have a great cinnamon spice flavor and the RumChata is baked into the cupcake batter and whipped into the cream cheese frosting too.

Pumpkin Scotchies

I spotted this cookie recipe on one of my favorite blogs The Girl Who Ate Everything and immediately pinned it on Pinterest and shared the recipe on the A Squared Facebook page too. Oatmeal Scotchies were one of my mom's standby cookies during my childhood. The addition of pumpkin and pumpkin spice to this recipe gave them a fun seasonal flavor that everyone loved. I even packed a few in my carry-on for Alex too!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I am not normally a fan of sweet potatoes that are prepared with sweet ingredients. I know that's weird since most people associate them with the typical brown sugar, maple, or marshmallow preparations, but I love mine savory! I was skeptical when mom made these with, but they were delicious-- just the right amount of sweet and spiced. I even ate a few alongside some fried eggs the next morning too. One thing I would note about the preparation here is that I suggested mom roast them spread out on a large baking sheet. With more room to spread out they get crispier on the edges instead of steaming as they would piled in a smaller baking dish.

Prosciutto, Fresh Fig, and Manchego Sandwiches

This is one of mom and dad's favorite sandwiches to make and they were a perfect picnic lunch to bring along to our afternoon of wine tasting at Greenvale Vineyards (more on that later). It also comes from one of my favorite sources for recipes: Cooking Light. This sandwich hits every flavor note in one convenient little package: sweet figs, salty Manchego and prosciutto, tangy mustard, peppery arugula... it's really delicious and the kind of thing you'd buy at one of those little sandwich stands in Europe.

Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Apples & Maple Whipped Cream

To finish off the weekend, my sister Emma popped over to the house and we made a big fall-themed brunch on a rainy Sunday morning. This was SO good! The pumpkin waffles are moist and fluffy and served with the cinnamon apples on the side and topped with a little maple syrup and homemade maple whipped cream-- perfection. My dad also made a batch of homemade sausage patties for a little savory something on the side of this sweet meal too. Needless to say, brunch was a big hit!

You can grab the pumpkin waffles recipe in the link above. I'm sharing the recipes for cinnamon apples and maple whipped cream below:


Cinnamon Apples:

• 2 Tbs. butter
• 5 medium apples, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 Tbs. honey
• 1/4 cup water

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Melt butter in the pan and then add apples and sprinkle with salt. Saute apples, stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey and stir to coat. Continue to cook on medium for an additional 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and apples are fully softened. Sprinkle in additional water if sauce becomes to thick or if apples begin sticking to the pan. Serve warm.

Maple Whipped Cream:

• 2 Tbs. real maple syrup
• 8 oz. heavy whipping cream

Chill a medium metal mixing bowl and the beaters from your mixer in the refrigerator for at least a few hours or in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Remove when you are ready to begin making the whipped cream.

Add the maple syrup and whipping cream to the bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the mixture on high until soft peaks begin to form, about 3-4 minutes.

Keep a close eye on the texture and the timing. If you beat the cream for too long you will end up with butter.