And then fall swept in just as we flipped the calendar, like it knew we were turning the page on summer. I was ready to heat up my kitchen again after several weeks of warm weather. I was ready for socks again, too.

And then–back to the dinner menu–I came across the Unfussy Apple Cake (101 Cookbooks), and worked backwards from there. It was going to be the perfect dessert centerpiece for an unfussy evening.

After the apple cake was finished baking (the quickest thing ever!), I wrapped the pork tenderloins snugly (like tucking my daughter in for the night) for the Prosciutto Wrapped Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Pears (Real Simple). This is the unfussiest recipe of them all. It literally takes about four flicks of the wrist, eight swift chops, and a creatively messy arrangement of sweet potatoes, pears, and thyme on a baking sheet–then you add the pork bundles.

I whipped up a quick spinach salad with chopped walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and a dribble of oil and balsamic–dinner was done.

The kitchen smelled divine. It smelled like fall.

Fall might just be my favorite cooking season. What’s yours? Do you have a favorite fall menu?

Sarah Fullerton, content marketing & editing. Armed with a masters in journalism from Northwestern, a passion for all things cooking, and a perpetual oven mitt, Sarah loves nothing more than to camp out in the kitchen with a new recipe, interpret it creatively (a dash of this, a dash of that), and then surprise her husband and daughter, her friends, and herself with the results. Sarah’s favorite recipe. She can be contacted at sarah [at] plummelo [dot] com.

Equipment
Roasting pan or ceramic casserole

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut the onions into wedges and the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Spread them over the bottom of the baking dish.

3. In a small dish, combine salt and pepper in a 2:1 ratio.

4. Open the chicken over the sink and let any residual juices or blood drain. Reach into the cavity to see if there are any giblets left inside. If so remove them, and either discard them or save them to make soup stock at a later time. You’ll want to take a paper towel and pat dry your chicken. Please DO NOT rinse your chicken; running water and raw chicken can help spread salmonella.

5. Place the chicken breast side up over the bed of onions and potatoes. Drizzle the exterior and the cavity of the chicken with olive oil, and then sprinkle liberally with the salt and pepper blend.

6. If you have them on hand, you could put lemon or orange wedges, garlic cloves, or fresh herbs in the cavity at this point to infuse a bit more flavor.

7. Put the chicken in the oven, and set the timer for one hour (the general rule is 20 minutes for every pound of chicken you’re cooking).

8. Test the chicken for doneness. This can be done in a few ways. One is to jiggle the drumstick a little and see if the juices run clear (clear juices means it’s done, red juices means it’s not ready yet). You can also insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. It’s done if it reads 165. If the chicken isn’t ready, put it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes and re-test.

9. Place your chicken on a platter over the bed of roasted potatoes and onions. Enjoy!

NOTE: To flavor your chicken just a bit more you can apply an herb butter. This requires you to chop fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, and mash them into room-temperature butter. Carefully lift the chicken skin to prevent ripping, and massage the butter under the skin so it spread throughout the chicken.

Laura Troyani heads up Marketing and Business Development for Plummelo. Not content with just being another behind-the-scenes pencil pusher, Laura decided to give blogging a shot and writes practical, everyday tips for the home cook (or aspiring home cook). Laura’s favorite foods are ice cream, olive oil, ice cream, parmesan cheese, ice cream, and occasionally ice cream.

Keep It Simple: If you’re not a whiz in the kitchen, now is not a time to pretend that you are. The best way to succeed at impressing your lady friend is to keep it simple. Look for recipes with no more than eight ingredients, and be sure that they’re ingredients you can find in your local supermarket.

Plan Ahead: Don’t plan the menu, go food shopping, and try to cook all in one day. You’ll get overwhelmed. Instead, take it easy and plan ahead. Give yourself a day or so to think about what you want to cook. A day before the meal, buy your groceries so that they’re fresh and so that you’re sure everything you need is in stock. This way, the only thing you’re doing on the big night is cooking.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help: If you’re really intimidated by the kitchen but are committed to cooking a meal, ask a cooking-savvy friend to help you out. With a wingman at your side while you’re food shopping and cooking, you’ll be much more at ease. Just be sure to send your friend home before your girl arrives.

Don’t Be Fancy: If it’s the early stages of the relationship, you probably don’t know her food tastes all too well. So don’t go wasting your money on fancy ingredients because she may not even like them. Simple, basic ingredients are the safest bet at this point. The menu below is both cost effective and simply elegant.

Recipe Ideas: So now that you’re in the right frame of mind, you’re probably wondering “what should I cook to impress a girl?”… I’ve helped out a bit and designed a sure-fire dinner menu that’s easy and tasty:

Good Luck!

Laura Troyani heads up Marketing and Business Development for Plummelo. Not content with just being another behind-the-scenes pencil pusher, Laura decided to give blogging a shot and writes practical, everyday tips for the home cook (or aspiring home cook). Laura’s favorite foods are ice cream, olive oil, ice cream, parmesan cheese, ice cream, and occasionally ice cream.

Appetizers are to entrees as dating is to marriage. You can have an awful lot of fun before committing to one specific dish.

So it’s ironic that as a married mother of two, I’m finding entrees are all but off the table when creating a menu. Dinner parties are often reduced to inviting other families over for takeout, and hoping none of the kids has a meltdown before dessert is done.

But appetizers—usually homemade—are always on the menu. Over the last few years, I’ve gathered numerous recipes for fast and delicious spreads and appetizers.

Dips and spreads are one of the easiest ways to stave off hunger while waiting for the main course. (Or in my case lately, while waiting for the takeout guy to arrive.) The recipes below are centered around ingredients that you can stash in your pantry or fridge, so it’s easy to whip up a couple of these starters, then relax and chat with your guests.

So don’t let a busy lifestyle interfere with hosting a dinner party. Open a bottle of wine. Serve lots of apps. Chat with your friends… and wait for the takeout guy. No one will mind. Really.

Branch out and try more complicated appetizers—you’ll soon become as big an aficionado as I am. See you by the catering station.

Over Thanksgiving seven years ago, my husband suggested we get a crock pot. I have no idea where this came from since this is the man who cooks nothing but the occasional Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas roast. But I thought he was onto something. After all, we had an infant at the time and another mom friend of mine had been raving about the simplicity of dinner in the slow cooker prepared during naptime.

Next thing I knew, the slow cooker appeared under the Christmas tree, complete with a recipe book that I think contributes to the negative image of the slow cooker (read: lots of recipes using cans of soup and cheese sauce). I was a bit hesitant about embracing the crock pot, as I had a notion that they were relics leftover from the 1970s. But slow cookers seem hip now, with Williams-Sonoma selling $300 All-Clad versions and a plethora of more sophisticated cookbooks to maximize their results.

We are in prime slow cooker season, so I have been testing some recipes recently. Last weekend I made Real Simple’s Slow Cooker Smoky Pea Soup. The whole family enjoys split pea and ham soup, and true to its name, this one was really simple to make, and was tasty though it felt like cheating. Confession: technically I did cheat since I did not use a ham hock; I used a diced ham steak, but the results are equally good. It also provided enjoyable lunch leftovers for a few days.

Speaking of cheating, here is my favorite slow cooker trick: pulled pork. We invited some good friends over for a casual Sunday dinner a few weeks ago. I decided to make pulled pork in the slow cooker. I literally placed a boneless pork loin roast in the slow cooker and covered it with a bottle of barbecue sauce, put the lid on and let it go for about 7 hours. Once cooked, I shredded it, tossed it in the sauce, and served it on yummy, oversized pretzel rolls. Our friends raved. I had to confess it was a complete cheater’s meal. This dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, roasted sweet potato wedges and a green salad required literally a 5-item purchase at Trader Joe’s: the meat, the barbecue sauce, the rolls, a bag of sweet potatoes and a bag of salad!

Maybe next time I shouldn’t confess just how easy the slow cooker makes my life and just let everyone think I’ve been slaving over a hot stove all day.

Photo credits:

I have discovered a great recipe for keeping the little ones busy and productive, while creating an easy and healthy lunch at the same time: make-your-own-pizza!

I got this idea from those highly desired prepackaged bento-box-style lunches.

Just throw some whole wheat pizza dough (homemade or store-bought) on each child’s plate, and them them poke and prod to make the dough somewhat flat (clean hands are a plus). Let them sauce up the dough using regular marinara or pizza sauce from a jar–or better yet, make your own. Then let them shower their creation with oodles of mozzarella (or whatever cheese the kids like), pepperoni, and–most importantly–veggies! I chopped up steamed broccoli, peas, and colorful strips of peppers ahead of time.

The easiest part? Pop it in a preheated 425 degree oven for only 5-7 minutes and the mini works of art are ready for consumption. A quick, easy, and healthy lunch that they got to make on their own… what else can you ask for in a meal?

Our kids had an awesome time making and eating them. They made a smiley face and other designs their imagination inspired. It was fun not only for the kids, but also for the mommies because of the easy prep. All of the ingredients were found at my local Trader Joe’s: my go-to place for quick and healthy ingredients. Try this activity the next time you host a play date for your kids. You will enjoy your little chefs’ creativity, really love that they are actually having fun and eating their veggies, and share quality time as their sous chef in the kitchen.

The actual football was never my thing. I’m competitive and like sports, but I never quite understood the appeal of men tackling each other. But with the help of my husband’s enthusiasm and the obvious appeal of players like Tom Brady, I’ve come to appreciate the game and even find myself owning an official NFL jersey.

So what if I want to host a Super Bowl party, watch the game, see the commercials, and serve good food?

My solution is to use recipes I can make ahead. Looking through my recipes, I found a few things I can make on Saturday, so all I have to do on Sunday is put on my jersey, take the food out of the fridge, and serve it to my hungry crowd.

And although my team isn’t playing this year, I’ll be able to watch the whole game, critique all the commercials, socialize with my guests and enjoy the spread of food I’ve prepared. Especially the Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes (what’s a football game without beer?).

And using Plummelo, I’ll easily be able to find these recipes again next year. I just hope we’ll be watching the New England Patriots.

Photos by Melissa Devereaux