With the holidays right around the corner, these savory Caramelized Onion and Cranberry Puff Pastry Bites are a perfect hors d’oeuvre for any holiday party or meal!

Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pound sweet yellow onions (about 2 very large), very thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sweet butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme (lemon thyme is especially good)
• 1 tablespoon sour cream or crème fraîche
• 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted but still cold
• 24 fresh, whole cranberries
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, heat the onions, butter, and olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes until the onions begin to shrink down a bit.

2. Lower the heat to medium-low. Stirring every few minutes, caramelize the onions for 30 minutes. Add in the sprigs of thyme and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, still stirring regularly and lowering the heat as necessary, until the onions reach a uniform toasty brown color. Cooking them slowly over a low heat will help make the onions sweet and evenly browned, so take your time.

3. Remove the onions from the heat. Carefully remove the thyme stems. Stir in the sour cream or crème fraîche.

4. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Directly on a Silpat or on parchement paper, roll out the pastry sheet to about 12 inches by 8 inches. Score the sheet into 2-inch by 2-inch squares. Place the Silpat or parchment on a baking sheet.

5. Top each square with a heaping tablespoon of the caramelized onions. Place a whole cranberry atop each mound of onions.

6. Sprinkle salt and fresh pepper very lightly over the squares. Bake for about 15 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through cooking. The bites are done when the edges of the puff pastry have browned and the cranberries have shrunken.

7. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe and photo from www.food52.com

This no fuss slow-cooker recipe is perfect for those busy fall nights. With it’s rich tomato broth, savory Italian sausage, nutrient-rich kale, and hearty mashed potatoes, this stew is sure to be a hit with everyone!

Serves 6
Hands-On Time: 15m
Total Time: 8hr 30m

Ingredients

• 1  pound  sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed and broken into pieces
• 1  large onion, chopped
• 1  28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 2  cloves garlic, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2  large russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
• 1  small bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves torn (about 7 cups)
• 1/2  cup  milk
• 1/2  cup  olive oil, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Combine the sausage, onion, tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, garlic, 1 cup water, and ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle the potatoes in the liquid and top with the kale.

2. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total recipe time). Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl. Add the milk, oil, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the bowl and mash.

3. Serve the stew topped with the mashed potatoes. Drizzle with more olive oil, if desired.

Tip

To make the morning less hectic, prep this the night before: Combine everything but the sausage and kale in the slow cooker and refrigerate, covered. In the morning, just add the sausage, top with the kale, and start stewing.

Recipe and photo from www.RealSimple.com

“Another way of dealing with the slight sweetness of pumpkin is to add some spice to the dish to help cut through it. Curry and pumpkin is a very popular combination and this Thai influenced version of Pumpkin soup does a fabulous job of layering on the flavor and building on the sweetness of the pumpkin without creating a sweet dish.”

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 chopped plum tomato
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup roasted butternut squash, roasted and diced
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• Steamed rice
• Cilantro
• Lime zest
• Fried shallots

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in plum tomato and pumpkin purée; cook, stirring frequently, until pumpkin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and cayenne pepper; simmer for 20 minutes. Add butternut squash, shrimp, and lime juice. Simmer until shrimp are cooked and squash is warm. Serve with steamed rice. Top with cilantro, lime zest, and fried shallots.

Recipe and photo from: www.epicurious.com

Pork chops and apples make a perfect pairing for a quick meal that feels like fall.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 2 cups Gala apple wedges
• 1 tablespoon butter, divided
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Pat onions dry with a paper towel. Add onions to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring once. Add apple to pan; place in oven. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until onions and apple are tender. Stir in 2 teaspoons butter, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan; keep warm. Combine broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Stir in vinegar and remaining 1 teaspoon butter. Serve sauce with pork and apple mixture.

Recipe and photo from www.MyRecipes.com.

This easy recipe uses rump roast slowly simmered in beef broth, onion soup, and beer, perfect for game day!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 pounds rump roast
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French
• onion soup
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• 6 French rolls
• 2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Trim excess fat from the rump roast, and place in a slow cooker. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. Split French rolls, and spread with butter. Bake 10 minutes, or until heated through.

4. Slice the meat on the diagonal, and place on the rolls. Serve the sauce for dipping.

Recipe and photo from www.AllRecipes.com

The savory coating of Dijon mustard and dried herbs also tastes great on chicken thighs or beef fillets. Herbes de Provence is a combination of several dried herbs–including lavender, thyme, rosemary, and basil–that evoke flavors from the south of France.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon dried herbes de Provence
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 8 (4-ounce) lamb loin chops, trimmed
• Cooking spray

Preparation:

1. Prepare grill.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients; rub evenly over both sides of lamb.

3. Place lamb on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Recipe and photo from www.MyRecipes.com

Even if you cant make it to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, with this traditional Bavarian recipe you can have your own Oktoberfest celebrations!

“This is the famous Bavarian Pork Roast. Juicy and very very tender with a fantastic sauce. Traditionally served with potato dumplings and sauerkraut. The recipe reads very lengthy but in fact is very simple and easy to make.”

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs pork roast (deboned shoulder roast)
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed, ground
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 dash ground paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon celery powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, with skin, quartered
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1/4 cup leek, diced
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

Directions:

1 Wash and pat dry roast.

2 Mix all dry ingredients together and rub onto roast.

3 Spread a liberal amount of mustard onto roast.

4 Heat oil in a heavy roasting pan (enameled cast iron works well) on top of stove and brown carrots and leeks.

5 Push vegetables aside and brown roast from all sides in the very very hot roasting pan.

6 Add onions INCLUDING the brown skins (this is VERY IMPORTANT since it will give your gravy a good color).

7 Add broth and transfer everything to the oven.

8 Roast covered for 1 1/2 hours at 350°F.

9 Uncover, stir onions and veggies.

10 Turn roast over and roast uncovered for 1 hour (if liquid evaporates a lot, add some more occasionally).

11 Once roasting time has finished transfer meat to a plate to rest.

12 Take a basting brush, dip into the hot liquid and scrub all the sides of the roasting pan (and the lid if necessary). All the brown stains on the walls of your pan will add flavor and color to your sauce!

13 Strain all the liquid through a fine meshed strainer (stainless steel will work better then the plastic ones). Press solids vigorously with a spoon to press as much liquid (as well all solids that can get pressed through) through the strainer into a sauce pan and reduce slightly on high heat.

14 Slice roast into 1/2 thick slices and pour gravy liberally over everything.

15 Best served with potato dumplings and sauerkraut.

Recipe and photo from www.Food.com