Fall flavors: Sampler of six for the season

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Fall flavors: Sampler of six for the season

Apples and pumpkin, pumpkin and apples. The top two flavors of fall.

As fall is my favorite season and baking one of my favorite pastimes, it’s fairly easy to believe I would have a few recipes related to apples and pumpkin in my repertoire.

That I do!

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Now in the Recipe Box: Caramel Apple Cake

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Caramel Apple Cake.jpg

When it comes to birthdays, sometimes you just gotta go full boar. Or fully decadent, I should say. As in, Paula Deen-style decadence with not a whit of worry about calories, sugar, fat, and so forth. This Caramel Apple Cake I made for my eldest daughter’s birthday goes beyond simply being Paula Deen style; it’s an authentic Paula Deen creation—which she calls Caramel Apple Spice Cake—culled from a recent issue of Cooking With Paula Deen magazine and slightly altered by me. So delicious, so decadent… as birthday cakes should be.

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Now in the Recipe Box: Berry Snack Cake

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Berry Snack Cake.jpg

This Berry Snack Cake is a sweet way to close out the summer. Or for serving during any season. The choice of berry is up to you—and what's in season. I've made it with strawberries and blueberries; blackberries are on tap for next time. It's good soon after cooling or cold from the fridge, with whipped cream, ice cream, or no cream at all. Bottom line: It's berry, berry delicious... and versatile.

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Just added to the Recipe Box: Strawberry Muffins

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Strawberry_Muffins.jpg

I am an unabashed sucker for strawberries. You, too? Then you will surely love my scrumptious strawberry muffins. 

These breakfast time—or any time—goodies are sweet but not too sweet, simple, and made from scratch using everyday ingredients most cooks have readily on hand. And they're chock full of fresh, flavorful fruit. (Which makes them healthy, right? Meh... close enough for me!)

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Now in the Recipe Box: Low-Carb, Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffins

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low carb low sugar blueberry muffins.jpg

Learning how to cut the sugar, cut the carbs has a steep learning curve, let me tell ya. After 35+ years of loving all things sugary, white, carb filled (and scrumptious... though unhealthy as all get-out), I'm struggling to find healthier foods we actually enjoy eating. 

I finally found success with these scrumptious muffins. The secret: almond flour, Splenda, and coconut oil. The surprise: My husband raved about the taste without me even prodding. Success indeed!

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Social media success: Cast iron skillet pizza

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Social media success: Cast iron skillet pizza

Sunday dinners at my place usually feature food of a relatively traditional sort. Not massive spreads, by any means, but certainly not pizza.

Usually.

This past Sunday Jim and I were busy all day (messing around on Ancestry.com, I confess) and by the time dinner needed fixin' I didn't feel like fixing it. Yet we've resolved to cut down on our dining — and ordering — out, which meant I had to come up with something on which we could sup.

So I turned to a relatively new addition to my...

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Now in the Recipe Box: Best Basic Brownies

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basic brownies from scratch

Over the past three decades or so, I've tried and tweaked more brownie recipes than I can count. They never turn out the way I want. Too dry. Too mushy. Too hard around the edges. Too much trouble. Then along came a recipe that was close and after a few tweaks resulted in just what I hoped for: the best basic brownies. This is my tweaked recipe. It's... Continue reading in the Recipe Box.

Just added to the Recipe Box: Shortbread Cookies

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I love those shortbread/butter cookies you get in a tin around the holidays. These cookies are the closest thing I've found to the store bought. So, so good. And so, so addicting. Try them yourself. I think you'll agree. Find them (well, the recipe for them) in my Recipe Box.