In celebration of the seasonal bounty of harvest time, this week I am sharing my selection of 4 Delicious Autumnal Fruit Recipes, plus the linky for week 37 of #CookBlogShare!
So how was your summer? Even though I suppose technically it is not quite autumn yet (though it does depend who you ask – see below), it really it does feel like summer is over. Especially since the weather has been rather cold and miserable round here lately.
Mine summer was good, filled with fun days out with the kids and a wonderful, though slightly damp, holiday in the Loire Valley. And of course quite a bit of work!
Just before the summer holidays you may remember me talking about how I was going to get all organised, preparing and scheduling most of my summer content before the school holidays even started, so that I could have a bit of a break over the summer and spend some quality time with the kids…
Well, it sort of worked! I did indeed get about 90% of my posts written and scheduled before the kids broke up. And certainly in the beginning part of the school holidays I was able to be much more chilled and relaxed and I only worked a tiny bit on holiday, just to keep things ticking over…
But, what I had totally failed to take into account was that September’s workload was going to kick in at the end of August, while the kids were still at home with me – eek! (Remind me next year to find some sort of camp for my kids to go on in the last week of August). Needless to say, quite a few late nights have been worked over the last couple of weeks!!
But I am certainly not complaining – it has all been good stuff! I have worked on some really great blog posts and collaborations over the last few weeks. One of my favourites has been my enormous, but super useful collection of 45 Easy Peasy Back To School Dinners. And a massive thank you to all of you who contributed a recipe or two – it has been a super popular post and I hope you have all had plenty of visits as a result!
Then, starting on 1st September, it was #LoveLambWeek – a fabulous, week long celebration of all things lamb, for which I created this delicious and oh so simple Easy Lamb Hotpot as part of my role as a ‘Lambassador’ for the ‘Lamb. Tasty Easy Fun’ campaign.
Also starting on the 1st September and continuing for the whole month is #OrganicSeptember, which has kept me busy on a couple of different projects – firstly a collaboration with Organic UK, creating a delicious Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with wonderful organic ingredients from Yeo Valley and Clearspring. Then a visit to an organic dairy farm with Arla Foods, which I will be telling you all about soon – watch this space! (Wanna see a sneak preview? Check out my Instagram!)
Finally, just to let you know, I am currently running a fab giveaway for #OrganicSeptember and the #FeedYourHappy campaign with not one but TWO fabulous Clearspring Organic Goodie Boxes worth £40 to be won – you can enter the Clearspring giveaway here. But hurry it closes at midnight on 21st September 2017!!
4 Delicious Autumnal Fruit Recipes
Well, depending on who you ask, it is either already Autumn or very nearly! (Apparently, according to extensive google ‘research’, meteorologists count the start of autumn as 1st September, whereas astronomers count it as starting at the autumn equinox – the point at which night and day are of equal length, which this year is 22nd September.) Either way delicious seasonal produce is plentiful at the moment – it will soon be harvest festival time, and this is absolutely one of my favourite times of year for cooking! Partly because after months of eating salad and cold food, I can start to indulge in my love of comfort food, such as stews, curries, tagines etc. And partly because I just love the seasonal produce available at this time of year… pumpkins and squashes are one of my particular favourites, as well as beetroot, sweetcorn, apples, blackberries, plums…I could go on!
Anyway, this time it was the wonderful recipes made using seasonal fruit that caught my eye among the many entries over at last week’s #CookBlogShare linky. So this week I am sharing my roundup of 4 Delicious Autumnal Fruit Recipes!
If you are not a #CookBlogShare regular and are wondering what an earth I am going on about, #CookBlogShare is a place for bloggers to share their recipes. If you are a blogger and have a recipe to share, you can link up your post by following the instructions below. If you are not a blogger, but love food and cooking, do check out the recipes that will be appearing below. If this week is as good as they usually are you will find some awesome recipes – the #CookBlogShare bloggers are very good at what they do!
Homemade Blackberry and Pear Jam
First up, I had to include this Homemade Blackberry and Pear Jam from Angela at Only Crumbs Remain. I am sure many of you have made a pot or 2 of delicious blackberry jam or jelly after a happy afternoon foraging in the fields (we ended up making 6½ pots of jam with our massive haul!!). But Angela has gone one step further and added lovely seasonal pears to her jam too. And I must say the combination sounds utterly fabulous – I need to test this out and soon. I imagine it would also be a great combination in a crumble. Angela’s jam is also a touch healthier than your average jam, having 25% less sugar than standard recipes. And if you are looking to do something special with your jam, Angela has a fab recipe for Blackberry and Pear Cupcakes, where she hides this jam in the middle – YUM!!
Blackberry Prune Squares
If you are still in need of inspiration for your blackberry haul, then what about these delicious Blackberry Prune Squares from Monika at Everyday Healthy Recipes? They are loosely based on a recipe her mum used to make when she was a child, using a traditional type of plum jam made in Poland, called ‘powidla’. Monika has simplified her mum’s recipe and made it a touch healthier too. I can’t help thinking these would be wonderful popped in a lunchbox or as an afternoon, post-school snack, and not just for the kids! 😉
Pumpkin Cream Cheese English Muffins
Is pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? I wasn’t quite sure, so naturally I googled it! And it turns out that, from a botanists perspective, a pumpkin is technically a fruit. Which is handy, as it means I could include these Pumpkin Cream Cheese English Muffins from Jennifer at Because Food Is Love in my roundup! Jennifer made these lovely muffins for her son’s breakfast and they went down a storm – she suggests they would also be great for lunch or a snack. She also shares how pumpkin is surprisingly healthy: apparently one cup of pumpkin has 100% of the daily requirement of Vitamin A! It also contains Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Thiamin, Niacin, Folate and more…and it’s pretty low in calories!
Italian Plum and Almond Cake
And last, but certainly not least, we have this wonderful Italian Plum and Almond Cake from Jo over at Jo’s Kitchen Larder. Inspired by the challenge in Episode 1 of the current series of The Great British Bake Off to bake a cake containing fresh fruit, Jo has filled her cake with wonderful seasonal plums and topped it off with a delicious amaretti crunch. Add a sprinkle of icing sugar and you have got a perfect cake to go with your afternoon tea or coffee, or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious dessert!
If you are currently watching the new series of The Great British Bake Off on TV in the UK at the moment, you might like to know there is a special Bake Off linky for bloggers who want to bake along with the show each week. The Great Bloggers Bake Off is run by fellow CookBlogSharer Jenny from Mummy Mishaps and you can find all the details over on her site.
#CookBlogShare Linky Week 37
And so we come to this week’s linky. You can link up any foodie post that you have – both old and new posts are welcome. All you need to do is:
- Link up a recipe or foodie post by clicking the blue ‘add your link’ button below and following the instructions (maximum of 4, please).
- Add a link from your post back to this post (so everyone else can find it and link up too!) and / or add the #CookBlogShare badge to your post (you can find the code below).
- Comment on one of the host’s posts and a minimum of 2 other posts linked up here, and generally share the love with a bit of social media action!
If you wish, you can tweet a link to your recipe to me @easypeasyfoodie and also (if you have room on the tweet!) my co-hosts Kirsty @k_phillipson, Jacqui @jacdotbee and Monika @MonikasRecipes, using the #CookBlogShare hashtag and we will retweet them. You can also post your recipe on the Cook Blog Share Facebook Page.
Need some help on Instagram? You and me both…so let’s help each other! Whenever you post to Instagram, use the #CookBlogShare hashtag, then quickly hop over to the #CookBlogShare feed, liking as many as you can and commenting on any that particularly catch your eye. Not a big job at all, but if we all do it, it would make a BIG difference!!
I will comment on all the posts this week and pin them all to the Cook Blog Share Pinterest Board. I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been making!
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Just to remind you, by joining in, you are giving the #CookBlogShare hosts permission to use your pictures in a round up and on social media, if your recipe is selected as one of our favourites!
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Doesn’t it just feel like autumn Eb, the weather feels so miserable! Love your round up too, so many yummy things but I have to say Jo’s Italian Plum and Almond Cake with that Amaretti Crunch sounds soooo enticing – the recipe name was enough to do it for me! Thankyou too for including my blackberry & Pear jam.
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
I know!!! It has at least perked up today and it is wonderfully sunny….but still ccccccold! A pleasure to include your lovely jam – such a fab combo 😀 Eb x
Mandy says
Well it certainly feels like autumn here. I’m shivering slightly despite having a classy thick cardigan and slippers on and am almost tempted to put the heating on! Yesterday I had to dig out the toddler’s winter coat from last year as his rain coat had got completely soaked! So anyway, autumnal bakes, preferably served with a warm dollop or two of custard is totally where I’m at. Good to be back linking up after not managing it all summer!
Eb Gargano says
We actually have put our heating on! Only on thermostat, so it comes on when it needs to and not when it doesn’t, but still it’s SEPTEMBER!! I don’t remember EVER putting my heating on in September before. But it does at least give us a good excuse to cook some wonderful warming autumn food 😀 Eb x
Nat @ Intolerant Gourmand says
Oh I am so loving autumn and all the delicious recipes! It’s my favourite time of year! These recipes all sound so good, what a fab collection! x
Eb Gargano says
Me too – I just love autumn – the colours, the food, the feeling of cosyness, and even the weather when it’s behaving!! Eb x
Corina says
Lovely round up and the perfect theme right now as it does definitely feel like autumn. I remember Little Miss Spice starting reception wearing her summer dress last year and throughout September but this week she’s going in wearing her winter coat!
Eb Gargano says
Yes, definitely – it was so much warmer this time last year!! My kids are still refusing to wear their coats (although I make carry them in their bags), but I have been wearing mine all week!! Eb x
Vicki Montague says
Gosh you’ve been really busy!!! I love all your fabulous recipes. Keep up the good work 🙂
Eb Gargano says
I know, crazy busy of late! But it’s all good busy – lots of late nights though. Thanks for your kind comment about my recipes – don’t worry I’ll keep them coming 😉 Eb x
Helen says
All those recipes are making me feel very autumnal – although the weather is helping with that too! I’m loving the round up of easy back to school dinners – I’m all about making the everyday easy!
Eb Gargano says
Haha – I am definitely with you on making everyday cooking easy, that’s for sure!! Eb x
Jo Allison - Jo's Kitchen Larder says
I must say, the lovely sunshine managed to fool me this morning. I stepped out to do the school run and was quickly back in to grab a coat lol. I do love autumn, all the lovely colours and especially food but sudden change in temperatures tends to shock me a bit.
You have been a very busy lady indeed Eb! Great bunch of projects too!
Really love the Autumnal Fruit recipes roundup, it gives you this comforting feeling even though it’s cold outside! Thanks for including my cake too! 🙂 x
Eb Gargano says
Haha – yes. Me too!! It looks so lovely and warm, but the reality is very different. I think the temperature has changed earlier and more suddenly than usual…I’m sure it was much warmer this time last year. But yes – love, love, love the colours – always so pretty in our village. Eb x
Marilyn Lesniak says
Thank you so much for hosting. I get so much inspiration from your readers. Have a good week and be safe!
Eb Gargano says
A pleasure Marilyn. Thanks for joining in!! Eb x
Balvinder says
All those autumnal and back to school dinner recipes look great. I found some ideas to work on.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Balvinder, that’s good to hear! Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
Hi, thank you for including my recipe in your seasonal roundup! Autumn cooking is the best thing about this season (makes you forget a little about the rain:). Shared the linky everywhere:)
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Monika – oh yes, isn’t it just? I love having a pot of something delicious and warming bubbling on the stove or slow cooking in my oven… Thanks for the shares 🙂 Eb x
Cat says
I like many things that Autumn and the warming cosy food being a big part of that. I just don’t like the rain that seems to come with it too!
Great round up of tasty recipes x
Eb Gargano says
Me too!! It’s absolutely my favourite season (although, yes I agree about the rain!!!) Eb x
Renee @ MummyTries says
I always class the 1st Sept as officially going into Autumn, but the 22nd makes much more sense. Lots of lovely recipe ideas here Eb xx
Eb Gargano says
We generally do too, it just feels so autumnal by the beginning of September and I am always impatient for autumn to start as it is my favourite season!! Eb x
jenny walters says
Fabulous round up as always.Particularly loved Angela’s Jam.Actually looking forward to all Autumn’s lovely recipes xx
Eb Gargano says
Thank you! Agree – I think the best thing about autumn is the food!!! Eb x
Lathiya says
It started to feel cold in mornings when kids go to school..feeling of autumn comes when they start to wear jackets to bus… love that black berry and pear jam and almond cake…lovely collection
Eb Gargano says
So far mine have not had to wear their coats, but we live in the far south of England…so I am assuming we have it warmer than others. Won’t be long though. Well, except for my son who will still beg me to be allowed to wear shorts in December 😀 Eb x
Jenny Paulin says
autumn baking is always a pleasure , I love using apples and blackberries and making comfort food. That jam looked amazing! thanks for hosting Eb x
Eb Gargano says
Isn’t it just? Such fab flavours and so lovely to be able to indulge in comfort food again after too many months of salad! (Though I won’t deny I may have sneaked in a stew or two over the summer…I just can’t help myself!) Eb x
Lucy says
I love autumn and the blackberry and pear jam from Angela and Jo’s plum and almond cake are just some of the reasons why! Love cosy autumn baking and of course comfort food! Thanks for hosting Eb, now my kids are back at school I’ve finally found time to link up, it was really hard working and blogging too during their holidays. Sounds like it was the same for you!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Lucy – yes really hard work over the hols…I think each year it ought to be easier as my kids are older, but in reality it’s harder as I have more to do! At least having most of my posts scheduled took the pressure off. I will definitely do that again next year!! Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Now I’m back at work I really need to get scheduling more at the weekend. I need to have a full block of time to do it but time is short! I love the first pic from your holidays and how you caught the man on his bike. I do love autumn and it is certainly feeling like autumn a bit quicker than normal this year. These recipes look lovely, I am especially curious about the pumpkin one, I’ll be popping over for a look. Thank you for hosting xx
Eb Gargano says
I don’t envy you – it must be hard juggling a blog and a job (and kids!!). Where do you find the time??? Ha, yes I was very pleased with the man on a bike shot – it made me laugh when I saw him as it’s a bit of a cliche…just a shame he didn’t have a string of garlic round his neck…or a baguette under his arm!! Eb x
Sadhna Grover says
Hi EB, All four fruit recipes are calling my name, now I have to choose, I think I will go with the Jam of Pear and black berry even plum and almond cake is lovely. I like this season of Falls, but I am going to miss summer.
Thanks for hosting dear.
Eb Gargano says
I know it’s a tough choice right…why not just have them all!!! 😀 Eb x
Choclette says
Looks like I’m a bit late for the autumnal fruit recipes, but I’m very tempted by all the ones you’ve highlighted. Love those photos of France too – they’ve given me a real longing to go.
Eb Gargano says
Plenty more time for autumnal fruit recipes…keep ’em coming!! Haha – a few people have said that already…I think the French tourist board should start paying me commission 😀 Eb x