My first newsletter!
Three recipes inspired by Fall
Welcome to the first edition of A Snack, a Dinner, and Dessert! For a long time I’ve wanted a better way to organize my recipes and my content, or at least something a little more sophisticated than trying to cram them into an Instagram caption. Each week I’ll send out three original recipes, written by me and tested extensively by my husband and kids! I focus on recipes that are unique, filling, easy, and delicious!
A little about me before we dive in: I’m a dad to a four-year-old and a one-year-old, a content creator, a cookbook author, a former lawyer, a recipe developer, and a guest on shows like the Kelly Clarkson Show, the Rachael Ray Show, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, the Sherri Shepherd Show, and more. I gained a reputation online for making colorful fresh pasta (shout out to the Beyonce ravioli!), but my day-to-day cooking is focused on comfort food that is largely influenced by my Italian-American upbringing. I’m currently writing my second cookbook, Italianish, which is being published next year by Penguin Random House.
On to the recipes! These recipes are all inspired by the Fall season, making use of apples, squash, pumpkin, cinnamon, and more. Fun fact: my first job ever was at an apple orchard in upstate New York when I was 14 years old. I worked at the apple cider donut counter, bagging donuts all day long and stuffing my face with the leftovers.
A few notes before we dive into the recipes:
The Snack: Pumpkin Spice Granola - Homemade granola is easy to make and better than store bought. It’s also endlessly customizable. My Pumpkin Spice Granola has pecans, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and cranberries in it, but you can add in other ingredients as you wish. Walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips all make great additions! But keep in mind that any dried fruit or chocolate needs to be added at the end, after the granola has baked, or it will melt in the oven. And don’t use instant oats - only old-fashioned or rolled oats will work.
The Dinner: Squashio e Pepe - This is my butternut squash and cacio e pepe mashup! It’s a smooth, cheesy, rich sauce that’s deceptively easy to make. There are two ways to make this depending on how much time you have. You will get the most flavor by roasting a whole butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and if you have the time I recommend this to get the richest taste. But my favorite shortcut is to use a bag of frozen butternut squash! Pop it in the microwave and dinner is ready in 15 minutes. I’ve included instructions for both methods in the recipe. I recommend using a microplane to grate the cheese so it melts easily.
The Dessert: Apple Cider Donut Bread - Although I’ve categorized this as a dessert, I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve been eating it for breakfast. It uses both reduced apple cider and applesauce in the batter, although I like that the flavor is still subtle. My husband Steve says it doesn’t need the cinnamon sugar on top, but I always include it :)
The Recipes
Pumpkin Spice Granola
Prep Time 10 Min | Cook Time 35 Min | Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
â…“ cup light brown sugar
â…“ cup pureed pumpkin
â…“ cup maple syrup
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon allspice
Pinch nutmeg
3 cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup pepitas (roastedÂ
pumpkin seeds)
½ cup raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl combine the brown sugar, pumpkin, maple syrup, olive oil, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and nutmeg. Stir until they are well combined.
Pour in the oats, pecans, and pepitas and stir until they are well coated with the syrup mixture.
Pour the oats onto the baking sheet and spread them out to cover the entire surface.Â
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then take them out and use a spatula to mix them up a bit to ensure they toast on all sides. Note: if you prefer your granola to have more clusters and be less loose, you can skip this step.
Return to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the oats have started to become crispy and browned. Note that they will still be soft at this point, but they will firm up as they cool outside the oven.
Remove from the oven and spread the raisins and cranberries on top. Let cool before serving.
Squashio e Pepe
Prep Time 15 Min | Cook Time 35 Min | Serves 2
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash (or one 10-12 ounce bag frozen butternut squash)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces (half a box) pasta
1 ½ ounces freshly gratedÂ
Pecorino Romano (about half a cup)
2 tablespoons butter
Recipe
If you are roasting the squash, preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Note: if you’re having trouble cutting the squash, microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes first to soften the skin. Place the squash on the baking sheet skin side down and rub the top side with the oil, salt, and a dash of pepper. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until it is tender enough to easily pierce with a skin. Once it is cool enough to touch, scoop out the flesh and skip to step 3.
If you are using frozen squash, microwave it according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and begin cooking the pasta.Â
Place the cooked squash in a blender along with 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta water, then blend until smooth. If you’re having trouble blending it, add more water.
Add about a 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to a wide saucepan and toast over medium heat just until fragrant, about a minute. Then add in the squash puree and the cheese and mix together until the cheese melts. If the sauce is very thick, add a spoonful of pasta water until it is the right consistency. Taste and add more cheese, salt, or pepper if desired.
Once the pasta is al dente, drain it and add it to the sauce. Add the butter and mix together until the pasta is well coated with sauce, then serve.
Apple Cider Donut Bread
Prep Time 15 Min | Cook Time 50 Min | Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 ½ cups apple cider
8 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup apple sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon salt
For topping
2 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Recipe
Heat the apple cider in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it reduces to ½ cup, 10 to 15 minutes. The easiest way to do this is to keep a liquid measuring cup next to the stove. Every few minutes pour the cider from the saucepan to the measuring cup to see if you’ve reached ½ a cup.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 8 ½ inch by 4 ½ inch loaf pan.
In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix. Add the apple sauce and vanilla and mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating just until combined.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick in the middle of the loaf comes out dry. If the middle of the loaf is too moist, the bread will collapse as it cools.
Let the bread cool completely, then remove from the pan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the melted butter on the top of the loaf, then sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. Slice and serve.
Ack! I’m making the bread now but it doesn’t say anywhere when to add the reduced apple cider?
These look so great! I can't wait to try them out. Thank you for sharing!