As I sit at my desk, staring out into the yard, I notice that the slant of the light is unmistakably fall-like. Despite the warm weather, I know that the leaves are falling, and the light is fading, as the sun sinks lower in the sky.

These thoughts lead me to fall foods. The first ingredient my mind lights on is cinnamon. It being late afternoon, my body and mind are in the doldrums. The thought of cinnamon immediately makes me wish I had a strong cup of coffee and a big fat slice of some barely sweet, moist, nutty coffee cake.

Before I know it my fingers are flying all over the keyboard searching out recipes from my favorite sites.

So coffee cake, my friends, is the theme of this week’s recipe round up.

Happy Baking!

You can always depend on Simply Recipes for simple recipes that work. This Apple Coffee Cake is no exception.

From Ina Gartne via The Food Network, here’s a pretty classic sounding Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

And finally, from Martha Stewart, we have Aunt Patty’s Coffee Cake. I don’t know who Aunt Patty is, but her coffee cake looks like it rocks. I’ll have to get over my distaste for buying instant coffee granules for this one!

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post Coffee Cake Craving appeared first on EcoSalon.

There they sit in their dusky purple or light green glory. So sweet, so soft, so decadent. Figs. Figs have two short seasons: July and late September”¦ so get them while you can.

They are special because they don’t travel well, don’t last long and their season is short, so I’m always tempted to buy them.

But, once I get them home, I tend to fall back on the same old variations of easy appetizers. Sometimes I’ll stuff them with blue cheese and top them with toasted nuts. Or maybe I’ll stuff them with goat or cream cheese and wrap them in prosciutto. Both are worthy, but not too exciting.

But figs are much more versatile than you might think. They are great with creamy sweet things like ice cream and yogurt for dessert, and the classic prosciutto pairing proves their worth in savory dishes.

Here are a few recipes from the web to get your fig creativity flowing.

The usual fig pairing suspect, prosciutto, makes an appearance here in this arugula salad with Parmesan and figs from Epicurious.

This article in Seattle PI offers a host of ideas, but the one I’m interested in is the Fettuccine with Lemon, Rosemary, and Fresh Figs.

And from Simply Recipes, we have a super simple Fig Galette for dessert. This would be wonderful garnished with a little crème fraîche.

Image: David Nikon vs. Canon

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As summer slowly morphs into fall the scent of apples permeates the market stalls. So many varieties – from Pink Ladies, to McIntosh, to our beloved Gravensteins. Today I’m getting ready to make the season’s first apple pie (from the apples you see pictured above, in fact), but why stop there? Apples are versatile in desserts, salads, and as side dishes. And, if you have a windfall, don’t forget apple butter.

Here’s a sampling of great sounding apple recipes from around the web.

The Kitchn brings us this super decadent sounding Sticky Spiked Double Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Brandy Sauce. Originally from the book, In the Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley, this looks like it should be regulated as a controlled substance.

From Epicurious we have a lovely fall salad with Escarole, Apples, Candied Walnuts, and Saint Andre Cheese.

And for the canners and preservers among us, Simply Recipes creations are always rock solid so this apple butter recipe would be my go-to version.

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post Sweet, Savory, Spreadable: Fall’s First Fruit 3 Ways appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s officially summer. Every weekend there’s at least one barbecue to attend, and sometimes more than one a day. Do you panic when asked to bring a side dish to go with the grilled protein option? Are you bored with the usual pasta, potato, three-bean, and coleslaw options? I hear you.

Here are a few interesting takes on the classics from around the web.

Simply Recipes is serving up a nice Asian Napa Cabbage Salad in place of the usual boring coleslaw. Great with grilled chicken, beef, pork, or whatever is on the menu.

From Eating Well we’ve got a bean salad that provides the sweetness of a classic three-bean recipe but with tomatoes for a balancing acidic note. Great with burgers or steak.

The Kitchn is offering this delightful sounding potato salad with fava beans and fennel. If you can’t find fava beans (they are a spring crop) substitute frozen edamame.

Next time somebody invites you to a barbecue, don’t panic. Just say: “I’ll bring a salad”

Image: Nikki L

The post 3 Barbecues? Give These Salads Some Love appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’m not usually a big eater of carrots for the sake of eating carrots. Normally I put them in soups and stews but rarely do I make a carrot dish. Not sure why.

Don’t me wrong, I like them, especially when they are fresh and sweet and flavorful as they are when pulled out of the ground. They just never seem terribly exciting compared to the usual bounty we get around here.

Last week, the carrots at the farmers’ market looked so inviting that I had to pick up a bunch. Then, my roommate’s CSA box came with even more gorgeous carrots. Suddenly I found myself with quite a lot of carrots to prepare. Luckily I found this carrot salad with harissa, feta, and mint on Smitten Kitchen. It sounds utterly addictive. I can think of about a million ways to eat it – on a picnic, tucked into a sandwich on a roll, alongside lamb burgers, or over a bed of greens.

Remember last week, I mentioned I was going to save my duck fat for roasting potatoes? Well I did render and save about 1/3 of a cup of duck fat from the duck I cooked over the weekend. This recipe for Spanish Roasted Potato Salad from Food 52 seems like another perfect excuse to use it. Easy and impressive sounding. This one calls for olive oil, but duck fat can never hurt.

The cherries have been great this year and I’ve eaten so many that I’m now ready to actually consider doing something with them – other than popping one after another in my mouth. Here’s a savory take on cherry compote from Simply Recipes to try.

Happy Cooking!

Image: Stevendepolo

The post 3 Scrumptious Recipes to Try This Weekend appeared first on EcoSalon.