Fall Food Recipes & Gift Labels!

I loooooove fall. I never used to. Why? Because I never gave it a chance until a few years ago! Growing up in the Great White North (off Lake Superior), autumn basically meant winter. Fortunately, Ottawa is different. Fall arrives slowly, giving me time to admire it, taste it, accept it and even LOVE it.

Saying farewell to summer doesn't have to be so gloomy when you've got some amazing fall fruits, veggies and beauty to take in and inspire you until it's time to shovel the driveway.... *ugh*.

I hope you take the time to indulge in autumn, play in the leaves, bring the kids apple picking, harvest your crops, even if they are minimal, and take pride in the deliciousness you've created and or cultivated!

Here are some of my favourite Pinterest fall foods recipes for you to try as well as some beautiful fall themed labels for food gifts!

• Frosted Zucchini Bread Muffins
• Apple Pie Baked Apples
• Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Punkin Cinnamon Roll Muffins
• Chocolate Pumpkin Whoopie Pie
• Pumpkin Pecan Bread with Orange Mascarpone Swirl
• Pumpkin Sweet Cream Chocolate Trifle
• Caramel Apple Cookie Cobbler
• Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bars
• Baked Zucchini Chips
• Zucchini Noodles with Cilantro Lime Chicken
• Chocolate Zucchini Cake
• Crisp & Spicy Pickled Green Beans
• No Canning Pickled Cauliflower
• Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles 

Crockpot Sesame Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless
• Skinless chicken breast 
• salt & pepper, to taste 
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 1/2 cup tomato paste 
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (or add more to your taste) 
• 2 tsp sesame oil 
• 1 tbsp onion powder 
• 2-3 tablespoons Sriracha hot chili sauce
• 1 heaping tbsp cornstarch 
• 1/4 cup water 
• sesame seeds, to taste 
• chopped green onions, to taste 

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, sesame oil, onion powder and Sriracha.
Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker, & pour the sauce over top.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Shred the chicken with 2 forks, leaving it in the crockpot.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch & water.
Pour the mixture into the crockpot, and turn the heat up to high.
Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

*I like to serve mine atop a helping of coconut ginger brown rice.

Roasted Tomato & Garlic Aioli

• 2 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, diced 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1/2 cup mayo 
• 1/2 cup plain lactose free Greek yogurt 
• the juice from 1 lime 
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill (or use your favorite fresh herb instead) 
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Drain the juice from the diced tomatoes.
Pour the tomatoes into a baking dish.
Stir in the chopped onion & the garlic cloves.
Drizzle with the olive oil & season with salt & pepper.
Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the onions are slightly browned.
I like my onions a little blackened, so I put mine on broil for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking to toast them up a little.
Let the tomato mixture cool slightly (about 15 minutes) - then transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender.
Add in the mayo, Greek yogurt, lime juice, & fresh dill (or other fresh herbs).
If you're a garlic lover, you can add in a couple extra cloves of garlic and/or garlic powder to taste as well.
Puree the mixture until smooth.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

This keeps in the fridge for 1 week in an airtight container.

Sugar Cookies

This recipe makes the PERFECT sugar cookies! A classic fave for any type of get together! Also works very well for cut-outs. Time to get creative!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups of flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• colored sugars for decorating

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Make sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife to ensure accurate measurements. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.
3. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper and place on a baking sheet in the refrigerator. Chill for about 20-30 minutes.
4. Cut dough into shapes with cookie cutters and transfer to a baking sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugars and bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 40-50 cookies.

Coca-Cola Ham

• ½ ham (5-6 lbs)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups Coca-Cola®
• 1 cup crushed pineapple (optional)

TOTAL TIME: 3 hr 15 min
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 3 hr

Wash ham thoroughly. Rub fat side with brown sugar. Pour Coca-Cola over ham. Pour crushed pineapple over ham. Bake at 450 degrees for 3 hours, or until 140F. Makes 6 servings

For more cooking with Coca-Cola information, watch the video below.

*This sweet take on a holiday classic was submitted by Carol Johnson of Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. Johnson notes that the Coca-Cola in the recipe keeps keeps the ham very moist.

Coca-Cola Cake

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• Ingredients
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Coca-Cola
• 1 ½ cups small marshmallows
• ½ cups butter or margarine
• ½ cups vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cups butter
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 6 tablespoons Coca-Cola
• 1 box (16-ounces) confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preperation

• TOTAL TIME: 1 hr  15 min
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 45 min

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, sift the sugar and flour.
3. Add marshmallows.
4. In a saucepan, mix the butter, oil, cocoa and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients; blend well.
5. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk just before adding to batter along with eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well.
6. Pour into a well-greased 9- by-13-inch pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and frost immediately.

Coca-Cola frosting

To make frosting, combine the 1/2 cup butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa and 6 tablespoons ofCoca-Cola in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and pour over confectioners' sugar, blending well. Add vanilla extract and pecans. Spread over hot cake. When cool, cut into squares and serve.

This Coke cake recipe was contributed by Lee Avery Catts to "Atlanta Cooknotes" and was published by The Junior League of Atlanta.