bacon cheddar waffles with apples

for the last couple weeks, i've been in a dinner making rut. the time crunch between the time we get home from work & the time the kids need to be in bed seems to be getting smaller and smaller, meaning the time we have to actually cook dinner is also getting smaller. while some may disagree, one of our newest favorites has been waffles for dinner. they're easy to make, infinitely adaptable, and toddlers love them - ours now asks for them a couple nights a week. not to mention jason was head over heels with this combo - bacon + cheddar always wins in our house.

apple butter crumb muffins

last month we took the boys apple picking. an hour and a couple meltdowns later, we left with about 30 pounds of apples. while a few were destined for other things, the overwhelming majority were processed into one of a few perfect foods - unsweetened apple sauce. i canned somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 pints, hopefully enough to last until next year. it's hard to keep this house in applesauce, with a toddler gobbling it up and his almost seven month old brother finally onto solid foods. 

midway through my applesauce making foray, i decided to sacrifice a few cups and turn it into apple butter. in our house, we enjoy jams and fruit butters a couple ways: slathered onto homemade scones, a top crackers spread with peanut butter, and mixed into muffins.

secret recipe club: hard cider baked chicken & mushrooms

the only good part of this time of the year is the food. i am a seasonal eater and the weather here has made the switch from warm and summery, to distinctly fall - more cold than warm, drizzly, and dark - meaning it's finally time for soups, dinners cooked all day in the slow cooker, and meats slow roasted in the oven. my favorite.

this is the quintessential fall meal. chicken is slow roasted in hard apple cider with mushrooms and served over crusty bread, mashed potatoes, or something equally as delicious to sop up all the wonderful gravy.