Apple Cranberry Margarita Slushie

This refreshing drink recipe combines fresh cranberries and apple cider for a frozen margarita that evokes Fall flavors no matter the temperature outside.

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It's Fall, and while the rest of the world has switched to pumpkin spice lattes, I'm still drinking my DIY Iced Chai Tea Lattes. I may fall asleep snuggled under the weight of my comforter and I'm grateful for the brisk morning air and the chance to break out my hoodie, but my plans for a hot hearty dinner are often thwarted by the warm sunny Fall afternoons where I'm feeling more salad than soup.


That's the kind of afternoon when I'm interested in this margarita slushie. It's got the Fall flavors that I'm craving this time of year but still in a frozen margarita form which tends to suit the weather a bit better. Those weeks where you just can't plan on it to be cold.  One year I hosted a party in early November. My ulterior motive was needing an excuse to clean the house before my spouse's return from a deployment. I planned to serve warm gluhwein from a crock pot. It was 60 degrees (F) out and no one wanted warm drinks! We sat around drinking wine instead, and the house got clean, so it was a win-win in my book.

The key ingredients of this recipe, fresh cranberries and apple cider, can be found in abundance this time of year. They both can be frozen, if you'd like to have these flavors in the middle of summer. If you're a seasonal eater like me and are craving more summer berry flavors than Fall cranberry flavors, by all means check out my Cheater Margarita Smoothie. This recipe is a riff off of that.


As always, you can make this a non-alcoholic drink by using lime juice concentrate or a margarita mix without the alcohol. One of these days I'll play around with the lime juice and simple syrup to make an entirely DIY version, but today is not that day. Today is the day to raise your glass and enjoy a refreshing COLD drink.

Roasted Beet Appetizer with Gorgonzola and Pickled Red Onions

A vibrant vegetarian way to start a meal, this recipe combines tender roasted beet cubes with tangy pickled onions and gorgonzola cheese. Add a bit of pistachio for crunch and your meal is off to a memorable start!

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I'm trying a new tactic to encourage my family to eat the beets from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share--small plates. I'm sure it's old hat to many folks, but it's a new idea for me. I mixed up a batch of this roasted beet appetizer and, instead of having folks help themselves like I usually do, I put a couple of tablespoons each into a few of my Polish pottery ramekins. These are the perfect size for a snack of trail mix of cheez its [though if you're having the Extra Toasty kind those things are like CRACK and you'll actually burn some calories jumping up off the couch to refill your little dish every few minutes].  If you've got little dishes that hold about 4 ounces (half a cup), and less adventurous eaters--give this method a try.

When I get beets in the farm share, I quickly perform Vegetable Triage on them. I cut off the greens first, if they are present. I constantly crave Sautéed Beet Greens and make that for breakfast/brunch whenever I have access to beet greens. Once the greens are removed, the beets can hang out in the crisper drawer for at least a week. This is a Good Thing when you're overwhelmed with life and aren't really prioritizing using up the fresh produce. If you've got space, you can even freeze roasted beets for several months. They come out very soft, so freeze them whole and handle gently if you'd like them to retain a cube shape. If you do plan to mash them, say, to make Cocoa Beet Chocolate Chip Muffins, then you'll be just fine with freezing/thawing roasted beets.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Parmesan and Pepper--with Barber Foods

Cubes of tender delicata squash roasted with fresh garlic and spices then topped with Parmesan cheese makes an easy and colorful side dish to celebrate Fall.

This post is sponsored by Barber Foods. I bought my ingredients and Barber Foods paid me for my time to create this recipe.

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I'm glad to feel a chill in the mornings now that Fall is here--it makes me happy to turn on the oven so I can convert the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share produce into new and delightful dishes for my family [and new ideas for you!]. For us folks who eat seasonally, the change of season provides a change in the contents of the farm share box--a return of greens plus the arrival of winter squashes in all their glory. The farmer's markets and grocery stores are brimming with gorgeous piles of squash, too.


Winter squash is one of the best parts of joining a CSA farm share. Because these squash can be stored in a cool dry place for months, you can be eating locally grown produce well into the winter. I've even cracked open a butternut squash in April! This is one way I feed my family local produce all year long. I turn a basket-lined bookcase in the basement into the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve, and each week I add all the squash and potatoes from the farm share.  I walk past the SWSR while I'm doing laundry, so it's easy to keep an eye on things.

I feel fortunate I'm getting lots of delicata squash this year. Unlike the other winter squash varieties, the skin on a delicata is edible. That means I get those pretty green and orange stripes on my plate! The first way I ever prepared delicata squash was Alanna's Delicata Squash with Hot Pepper Glaze, and it was a nice spicy change on my Thanksgiving table. Lately I'd been eyeing my delicata hoard and thinking that this roasted dish, with cheese and a bit of a kick, would be a good side dish this Fall. I seem to concentrate on the sides, since I'm always trying to use up all my fresh local produce, and the entrees become an afterthought.