Those who’ve been with me awhile likely remember one of our favorite family traditions: bringing apple cider scones to the kids’ teachers on the first day of fall (or thereabouts). It’s a tradition that dates from June’s first year of life, when I made and packaged pairs of buttery, cinnamon-flecked treats for her daycare teachers. As the kids and I tallied up our list of teachers to bake for this week, I realized that I’ll likely be tripling my recipe this year: there are three kids in the mix now, of course, and June loves to deliver this treat to each of her past elementary school teachers in addition to her current one. I’m not mad about it. Our teachers deserve to be celebrated, and so does the first day of fall :)
Over the years, many of you have joined me in this tradition. I’ve always pointed those who wanted in on the fun to Jenny Steffen Hobick’s website, where I first found the recipe many years ago. Since it no longer seems to be active on her site, I thought I’d share it here for those who are curious. Whether you make it for your teachers or yourself, enjoy! And happy (early) fall.
Apple Cider Scones
1 cup of apple cider
2 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 cup cold heavy cream 1/4 cup of apple cider reduction 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 cup of apple cider reduction 2 tablespoons of butter 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Reduce the apple cider in advance so it can cool. Pour the cider in a saucepan and simmer on medium until it reduces by half, to an almost maple-syrup consistency. It should take about 10 minutes. Pour it in a glass bowl and let it cool in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Note: In all my years of making this recipe, my apple cider has never reached what I’d call a “maple syrup consistency,” even though it does reduce. I faithfully simmer it for 10 minutes or so and call it good.
In a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the cold butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the butter is mixed in and is the size of peas.
In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, cider reduction, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and whipping cream with a fork. If you have a pourable measure, do it in that to make it easy to add to the flour/butter mixture.
Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the cream and egg mixture. You may not use it all. (Note: I have never used it all.) Turn off the mixer once the dough comes together.
Sprinkle some flour on the counter and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Add some flour onto the top of the dough, then pat it out into a disk – about 8-9 inches in diameter.
Cut the disk into 6-8 pieces like a pie for standard size scones. For minis, cut each of the 6-8 pieces in half. (This is what I do!)
Separate the pieces and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees: for minis, 12-14 minutes, for standard, 15-17 minutes.
To make the glaze, heat the cider reduction and butter for 30 seconds to one minute, until the butter is melted. Add the powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or more cider to reach the desired consistency – it should be drizzle-able, but not too runny. Enjoy!
Something quick and (hopefully) helpful for you today! In honor of Friday, my grocery shopping day, here are six of our family’s favorite soup recipes.
Best Taco Soup | I was looking back through my recipes archives as I wrote this post, and it’s fascinating how many recipes were in our regular rotation until they… weren’t. But this recipe! This recipe I have been making it since CoJ published it in 2013, and it’s still a family favorite today. (I make it without hominy and add frozen corn.) I serve it with a pan of honey cornbread, which both our 7 and 5 year olds can make with just a little oversight.
Lemony Chicken and Potato Soup | Made in the Instant Pot, this soup has a lovely zing from the lemon. We pair with a salad for the grown-ups.
Sweet Potato Beef Stew | This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. It’s from the Skinny Taste cookbook, and I first had it at my sister-in-law’s house. It’s incredibly flavorful and it makes the house smell amazing. I serve it the way she did, always with cheddar herb biscuits.
Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables | My friend Meredith made a triple batch of this soup to feed our whole small group, and every single person wanted seconds. I went home and made it for our family the next week, and it’s been a favorite since.
Butternut Squash Soup with Apples | I love a butternut squash soup (it’s hard for me to resist if I ever see it on a menu!) and this is my favorite version to make at home. The tablespoon of cumin gives it a kick, so you might consider backing off the spice just a bit if you’re feeding kids. Do yourself a favor and buy the pre-chopped butternut squash at the grocery store!
White Chicken Chili Corn Chowder | In true Tieghan fashion, this soup seemingly has everything plus the kitchen sink in the ingredients list, but it’s decadent and delicious! And actually not too hard to bring together. Perfect for chilly fall evenings!
And I couldn’t end this post without mentioning souper cubes, which seem like something you probably don’t need until you have them and experience how easy it is to neatly freeze small portions and to feed the freezer for weekday lunches. And then you definitely know you need them. Strong recommend!
Of course, I would love for you to share your favorite soup recipes in the comments! Happy soup season, friends!
By now, you are surely aware that I’m a person who likes data and information. I collect it almost without thought, whether it’s the number of tomatoes we harvest in a summer or the amount we spent on Chipotle in 2014 (thank you, budget record keeping for the last decade). Another prime example: as I was making our weekly menu on Saturday, I realized that I had inadvertently collected a record of our weekly menus for all of 2021. (I clear out the backlog in our recipe binder periodically, but hadn’t done so in a while, I guess!) Being the curious person I am, I immediately started tallying to figure out our most popular meals from the last year, just for fun. Want to see? :)
1. Chickpea, Kale, and Sausage Pasta | No surprises here! This is the favorite meal of pretty much everyone in our house (June chose it for her birthday dinner!). Turns out we made it 18 times in the last year, or about once every three weeks.
2. Spaghetti | This is a bit of a catch-all, as we rotate between spaghetti, bucatini, and linguine for our noodle of the day. For the sauce, I’ll usually brown ground beef and a diced onion then add in lots of Rao’s marinara and serve with garlic bread and a green salad (with Olive Garden dressing – did you know they sell it in grocery stores??). (16 times)
3.Chicken Tikka Masala | This has been a favorite for years – I can practically make it in my sleep! Making the masala paste is the most time-intensive part, but one batch yields enough for 4-6 meals (I measure out the amount needed per recipe and toss the bags in the freezer). We add frozen peas and serve with jasmati rice and naan. (13 times)
4.Grilled Chicken Shawarma | This is more of a warm-weather recipe, which makes it an impressive number four (11 times!). The marinade makes the most tender chicken. We serve it with the garlic yogurt sauce (in the recipe), rice pilaf, cut cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, mini naan, and hummus.
5.Pulled Pork Sandwiches | Super simple: put 3-5 pounds of boneless pork shoulder roast in the Instant Pot. Add a chopped onion and two cans of Coke, then pressure cook for 3 hours. Shred the pork in a stand mixer, pour out the onions and liquid, add the pork back to the cooker, then stir in your barbecue sauce of choice (we use a mixture of Sweet Baby Ray’s and a local Eastern NC vinegar sauce). Serve on Martin’s potato rolls with coleslaw and your sides of choice (highly recommend a catering tray of Chick-fil-a mac and cheese). This will make leftovers, which we like to put on pizza, make into tacos with guacamole, or freeze for an easy dinner later. (9 times)
6.Homemade Pizza | We use the dough from Publix and rotate between cheese, poblano and bell pepper, and buffalo chicken versions. (8 times)
We had a three-way tie for seventh place…
7. Hot Dog Cookout | This becomes an almost-weekly staple in the summer months: hot dogs and buns; cucumber, tomato, and balsamic vinaigrette salad; corn on the cob; and Bush’s baked beans. Ideally followed by s’mores or peach and blackberry cobbler. Perfection. (7 times)
7. Orzo Italiano | This is the only meal on the list that one member of our family doesn’t care for; if that wasn’t the case, I’d probably make it even more often! This is a go-to when we bring a meal to a friend. (7 times)
7. Chicken Pot Pie | My Dad and I share a deep love for chicken pot pie, a love I seem to be successfully passing on to my children. I use Pillsbury pie dough for a shortcut, and it’s easy enough to double the filling to freeze half for later. We serve with Honeycrisp apples! (7 times)
10. Beach Street Pasta | Thanks to the soy sauce in the marinade, this very-easy pasta has such a unique flavor! I add halved cherry tomatoes for more veggies and am considering adding spinach, too. (6 times)
Honorable mentions to…
Pizza Soup | We only found this recipe in the second half of the year, which again makes it an impressive member of this list! Another easy Instant Pot recipe that everyone loves – we add a salad and cheesy garlic bread to make it a meal. Also delicious as leftovers. (5 times)
Grilled Quesadillas | Have you ever made quesadillas on the grill? YUM! They get so melty and crispy – definitely my favorite way of making them. Our typical filling is a can of drained-and-rinsed pinto beans, sauteed green bell pepper and onion, and cheese. We serve with guacamole, tortilla chips, and boxed Mexican rice if I’m feeling fancy. (5 times)
And there you have it — our top 10+ meals from the last year! I share them not because they’re the most impressive recipes, but in the hopes that 1) they might give you some ideas for your own tables (they are our favorites, after all!) and 2) they might encourage you in what you already know: that dinners don’t have to be fancy to be delicious or beloved.
I’d love to hear what you think the most-made dinner in your home was last year! I’d particularly love to hear if you have a go-to, EASY vegetarian favorite: I would love for my top-ten list to include more vegetarian plates in 2022!
For years, I’ve eaten a Nature Valley granola bar for breakfast, often in the car on the way to work. Also for years, I’ve listened to people expound on their love for their morning smoothie with only polite interest. “You get in an early serving of veggies!” they’d say. “You stay full so long!” they’d say. “Mmmhmm,” I’d say.
And then my younger sister visited in early August, and we got to talking about her daily eating routines. She’s a minor health nut and starts her day with – you guessed it! – a smoothie. For some reason, her enthusiasm shifted something for me and I’ve had a smoothie for breakfast almost every day since. A few other factors helped:
— I realized I wasn’t eating as many fruit and veggie servings as I wanted to throughout the day. I can’t taste the big handful of spinach in my smoothie, but knowing it’s there makes me feel like I’m a gosh darn health food superhero, ha!
— Breastfeeding = I’ll always take a chance for more liquids.
— The protein powder really does help me stay fuller, longer.
— John’s been on the smoothie train for awhile, and for his birthday, I got him a new blender*. It’s AMAZING and is way better at its job than our old hand-me-down one. Smoothie making is now a pleasure :)
My current favorite smoothie recipe:
— A ripe banana — A big handful of spinach — A spoonful of chunky peanut butter — Half a scoop of chocolate protein powder (Kim recommended this one, which apparently includes two different kinds of proteins and keeps you full longer) — A spoonful of chia seeds (I get mine from Publix) — About 1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries (also from Publix, I eyeball the amount) — About 1.5 cups of whole milk
Once blended, I pour it into one of these cups**, pop it into the cup holder in Annie’s stroller, and set off with June for the walk to school. And friends, as cooler fall weather sets in, I truly feel I am living my best life.
I’d love to hear: are you a smoothie person? I find they tend to be a bit evangelistic, ha! What do you eat for breakfast?
*Father of the Bride vibes, anyone? **On my first smoothie walk, I poured it into one of our regular glass cups and nearly dropped and shattered it on the pavement multiple times. Learned my lesson :)
