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Food Blog: Easy Fall Recipes!

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Katie Samuelson Student Contributor, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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Emily Cleary Student Contributor, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Fall is here, which means it’s the perfect time to try new recipes and spice things up. Here are some great dishes that are simple and easy to make.
 
Honey Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
Fall is the perfect time to make sweet potatoes. With just a few other ingredients, this vegetable makes a great dish for when it starts to get cold outside.
 

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Ingredients:
2lbs red skinned sweet potatoes — peeled and cut into slices
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
 
Directions:
1.     Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.     Using oil, grease a 9×13 ovenproof pan.
3.     Combine the other ingredients (honey, cinnamon, salt and maple syrup) in a small bowl.
4.     Put the potatoes in the greased pan, and pour the cinnamon mixture on top of the potatoes.
5.     Cover and bake the potatoes for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, toss the potatoes and cook for about 30 more minutes, or until browned.
 

Pumpkin Bread:
This recipe was actually taken from the Food Network, but I tried it and added a few ingredients. I’ve posted the original link to the recipe below, but here is my variation to the recipe:
 

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Ingredients: 
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cans pumpkin puree (Libby’s works fine)
1 cup toasted pecans
 
Directions:
1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.     Combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
3.     In another bowl, mix together the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla.
4.     Combine the mixtures together, adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the pumpkin puree and the toasted pecans.
5.     Pour the batter into a non-stick and greased bread pan.
6.     Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Cool and serve!
 
Original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pumpkin-bread-recipe/index.html
 
 
Fall Roasted Chicken:

There is nothing better than roasted chicken on a fall day. Simple and healthy, this recipe is a winner.
 
Ingredients:
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts  
1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of melted butter
2 large onions, sliced
1 large apple cored and cut
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
¼ cup cranberry juice
 
Directions:
 
1.     Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.     Grease an oven proof-baking pan. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place the chicken breasts into the pan and roast for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
3.     In a skillet, cook the onions in the butter for about 10 minutes or until they are tender. Add the cranberries, apple, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cranberry juice. Let this mixture simmer for about three minutes over medium heat.
4.     Spoon the mixture onto the chicken. Place back in to the oven for about five minutes. Let the chicken cool and serve!
 

Spiced Apple Cider Punch:
Apple cider is my favorite fall time drink. This spiced apple cider kicks it up a notch with more flavor and some sparkling wine.
 

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Ingredients:
6 cups cinnamon apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1 cup cranberry juice
½ cup of fresh lemon juice
1 cup ginger ale
1 bottle sparkling wine
 
Directions:
Pour all the ingredients together in a pitcher or a punch bowl. Add ice cubes to keep cool and serve!
 

Emily Cleary is a 22-year-old news-editorial journalism major hoping to work in the fashion industry, whether that be in editorial, marketing, PR or event planning is TBD. With internships at Teen Vogue and StyleChicago.com, it's clear that she is a fashion fanatic. When she's not studying (she's the former VP of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta), writing for various publications or attending meetings for clubs like Business Careers in Entertainment Club, Society of Professional Journalists, The Business of Fashion Club, or for her role as the Assistant Editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of her school's magazine, she's doing something else; you will never find her sitting still. She loves: running (you know those crazy cross-country runners...), attending concerts and music festivals, shopping (of course), hanging out with friends, visiting her family at home, traveling (she studied abroad in London when she was able to travel all over Europe), taking pictures, tweeting, reading stacks and stacks of magazines and newspapers while drinking a Starbuck's caramel light frappacino, blogs and the occasional blogging, eating anything chocolate and conjuring up her next big project. Living just 20 minutes outside of Chicago, she's excited to live there after graduation, but would love to spend some time in New York, LA, London or Paris (she speaks French)!