There’s nothing better than a warm home cooked meal at the end of a chilly day. Fall is arguably one of the best times for comfort food. Pumpkins and butternut squash are now in season, and there’s endless ways to prepare them. 

With Thanksgiving almost a month away, it’s time to start planning what you’re going to make.You want to have a variety of savory and sweet dishes, but you also don’t want to make the same thing over and over again. Having the same foods can get boring very easily. 

Everyone at Fruita Monument High School was asked for ideas for fall foods.   

 Butternut squash soup by Fifteenspatulas- Soups are always the best in the fall. Tomato soup and chicken noodle soup tend to get a bit boring after a while. Butternut squash is now in season, and is incredibly easy to cook with. This soup is very easy to make and doesn’t take much time at all. Adding garam masala and curry powder can help enhance the flavor of this soup. This recipe by Joanne Ozug from “FifteenSpatulas’ ‘ said that using fresh butternut squash and roasting it yourself will make it taste the best. She also said you use broth instead of stock so the soup is smooth. 

The recipe said to roast butternut squash, then use a food processor to puree it. Then, add your spices to the puree in a large pot with a bit of heavy cream.

3 lb roasted butternut squash*

2 tbsp butter or olive oil, for dairy free option

1.5 cups chopped yellow onion

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

6 cups vegetable or chicken broth**

drizzle of heavy cream optional, for garnish

toasted pumpkin seeds optional, for garnish

 Pumpkin pie-Pumpkins are a staple of fall. Around this time of year, stores are selling cans of pumpkin puree and pumpkins are for sale. One of the most popular fall desserts is pumpkin pie. You can usually find a pumpkin pie recipe on the back of any pumpkin can. They aren’t hard to make at all, and they never fail to impress. One of the most common recipes is on the back of a pumpkin puree can. LIBBY’S pumpkin says that adding evaporated milk to your pumpkin pie mixture will make the pie smooth with little to no cracks. You can find pumpkin spice in a jar at the store if you do not have the appropriate spices on hand. LIBBY’S suggest refrigerating your pie for two hours after baking to help the pie set. A junior, Dani Lenhart suggested to add cool whip on top of your pumpkin pie slice.   About 25% of students surveyed said their favorite fall dish was pumpkin pie.  

Libby’s Pumpkin Pie:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 can (15 ounces) Pumpkin Puree

1 can (12 fluid ounces) evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

 Caramel Apple Cupcakes/Cake- Sophomore Brylee Wemple noted that “I don’t like pumpkin as much. I like apple more” and as great as pumpkin is, it’s sometimes overused. These cupcakes inspired by caramel apples are incredibly creative, are something other than pumpkin, and are also very simple. These are great to give out as gifts, and they look adorable. The caramel brings out the flavor in the spice cake. This is also great to use as a full cake with homemade caramel. Using a box for your spice cake is the easiest, but you can also make your own. This cake tastes amazing with homemade caramel, which can be made with butter, heavy cream, and sugar. The recipe by ‘Passions for Savings’ suggests using granny smith apples, but zestar apples are just as good. After the cake is baked, you can cover it in caramel and any toppings you would put on a caramel apple.

1 box Spice Cake Mix

1 cup Apple Juice

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

3 Eggs

1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled cored and shredded

10 oz Caramels (about 36)

1/4 cup Milk

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

24 wooden sticks

Pumpkin Chocolate chip cookies by allrecipes- These are also a very popular treat, You can always find these at the store, but they are much better homemade. Pumpkin and chocolate complement each other incredibly well. These cookies come out soft and chewy, almost a cake like texture. They only take about 20 minutes to make, and are great for gift giving. The recipe says to use white sugar, but brown sugar would make the cookies chewy and soft. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies Allrecipes-

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup white sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup chopped walnuts (Optional)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Having a recipe on hand to use for get-togethers is incredibly important. At some point in your life, you’re going to be invited to a party or dinner where you need to bring food. Bringing veggie plates from the store is okay, but isn’t great. It’s something everyone can do. Having a go-to dish that’s easy, doesn’t take too long, and tastes great will make life much easier.