How to Plan the Perfect Fall Brunch

‘Tis the season to indulge. When the temperature drops and the leaves begin to change, your wardrobe isn’t the only thing that requires a cozy fix.  Now is the perfect time of year to snuggle up with a warm drink and a filling dish—especially when it comes to brunch.

Since there is a slight chill in the air—and you can’t seem to part ways with your warm blankets—you might not be as inclined to wait on that long line for an order of pancakes. Plus, leggings are all-too inviting when you’re about to stuff your face. So what better way to celebrate your favorite season and favorite meal than with an at-home brunch?

Here are a few tips for your mid-morning get-together that celebrate all things autumn. Happy munching.

Channel the season at the table.

Amazon

Food is simply one way to celebrate a fall state of mind. Fun décor options also provide the opportunity to show your love for the season. Who wouldn’t want to steal a scoop of sugar from this pumpkin dish? Your French toast can look just as lovely as it tastes when you snag a set of plates with warm hues and multicolored leaves. Presentation goes a long way in the brunch department.

Don’t forget to accessorize.

Shutterstock

A jack-o-lantern adds the perfect creepy and kooky fall touch to your weekend get-together. After you unleash your inner Edward Scissorhands and carve a funky face, use the leftovers to whip up a batch of pumpkin bread. The recipe calls for pumpkin puree, and nothing beats homemade ingredients.

Keep your place smelling fresh.

Shutterstock

After you’re done preparing in the kitchen, keep the sweet aroma alive with some scented candles. If you’re looking for an alternative to cinnamon or pumpkin (as delightful as they both are) try something cozy like this mulled cider-scented candle or a hot cocoa and cream option—both of which might inspire some of your menu items.

Get inventive with your dishes.

Chowhound

If you’re falling in love, don’t be afraid to show it, especially when it comes to the treats you’re preparing. Buttermilk pancakes are certainly delicious, but you can enjoy those anytime. Pay homage to sweater weather with options like cornbread pancakes with maple-pecan syrup—a fun take on the brunch staple. Up the ante with other seasonal offerings such as pumpkin spice pecan streusel muffins, apple cider doughnuts, caramel apple cinnamon breakfast casseroles, brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, or omelets with bacon, apple, and blue cheese. You and your guests definitely won’t leave hungry after those options.

Have fun with the drink options.

Chowhound

Whether you’d like your morning cup of Joe to taste like fall in a mug thanks to pumpkin spice coffee, or if you’re looking for a boozy alternative to a mimosa with a pitcher of cranberry-apple shrub, there are plenty of fall drink options that will satisfy the pickiest of brunch-goers.

Don’t forget to prepare ahead.

Any type of gathering creates a lot of work—both before and after the actual event. Prepare as early as possible and don’t wait to set the table or make your famous dish. Put an autumn spin on your prep and cleanup by listening to fun tunes, a spooky podcast, or while watching one of your favorite horror movies. After all: Loading the dishwasher isn’t as frightening as dealing with a haunted house, right?

Related Video: How to Make Mini Pumpkin Spice Bites

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How To Incorporate Fall Flavors into Seasonal Cocktails

Meatless Chicken-Fried Steak? It’s Possible with These Vegan Recipes

We Americans love our fried foods. I mean, would calamari even be on menus if it weren’t fried? The truth is, you can slap some breading on almost anything, dip it in super-hot oil, and you’ve got yourself a crispy, crowd-pleasing appetizer or entree. It’s no wonder, then, that vegan versions of your favorite fried fare are all attainable, indulgent ways to avoid meat. Give these recipes a try, B.Y.O. red-and-white-stripey-bucket, and you’ve got yourself delectable fried goodness sans animal products.

Chicken-Fried “Steak”

House Vegan

I’ve been some form of vegetarian for a few years now and, honestly, I’ve eaten way more chicken-fried or country-fried “steak” than I ever did the original, meat-centric dish. The vegan kind just works so well—crispy seasoned breading covering savory, tender seitan is delicious whether or not you are comparing it to its meat-ful counterpart. Try this recipe for Country Fried Seitan, which includes instructions on how to make the seitan itself. If you want a shortcut, you can always buy pre-packaged seitan (I can usually find Tofurky and Upton Naturals seitan at chain grocery stores near me).

A different way to approach the meatless chicken-fried steak, is with cauliflower. With this recipe for Cauliflower “Chicken Fried” Steak, you use sliced, roasted cauliflower and a tempura beer batter to achieve the “crispy on the outside, tender on the inside” textures of that classic Southern favorite. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also prep the included recipes for mushroom gravy and purple potato salad to complete the meal.

Fried “Chicken”

Sweet Potato Soul

Maybe you’re a vegan missing fried chicken, or maybe you’re just looking for ways to eat less meat. Whatever the reason, you’re going to be very happy with this recipe for Spicy Fried Cauliflower “Chicken”. With arrowroot or cornstarch for extra crispiness, as well as spices, hot sauce, and mustard, you get tons of down-South flavor and crunch surrounding our favorite blank canvas food: cauliflower!

If, instead of fried chicken pieces, you’d like to try to recreate chicken tenders without meat, you can try this recipe for Vegan Chicken Nuggets. This time, artichoke hearts and chickpeas form the base of the “chicken,” with cornmeal and breadcrumbs as the coating (in addition to the other spices). Pan-fry, and enjoy (and maybe don’t look at those nutrition facts on the recipe website)!

For those of you who are faux-meat purists, in that you really strive to recreate the texture of meat in vegan dishes, you can use this recipe for CFC (Cruelty Free Chicken) Drumsticks. The “chicken” part is made with canned jackfruit, stock, nutritional yeast, onion powder, and liquid smoke—this is cooked together and shaped onto cauliflower “bones” (a little morbid, mostly brilliant!). It’s not going to taste exactly like a chicken drumstick, but it will be impressively close!

Chicken-Fried Tofu

The Leafy Cauldron

With tofu, you don’t need to mess around with creating your own protein base. Just marinate, bread, and fry! This recipe for Southern Fried Tofu was inspired by KFC, delivering juicy tofu surrounded by those golden, fried peaks of breading you might fondly remember. This recipe is accompanied by complementary recipes for mashed potatoes, gravy, and coleslaw, so that you can create a whole meal of vegan, Southern goodness.

An alternative way to prepare fried, chicken-y tofu, is with this recipe for Chicken Fried Tofu Nuggets. Less of a nod to the Colonel, and more of a way to showcase tofu, this method will result in a bit less breading. Save this recipe for tofu-lovers, and choose some of the other aforementioned recipes when trying to convince your meat-loving friends of the versatility of frying vegan proteins.

With as much flavor as the original meat versions, fried vegan dishes provide all of the comfort without any of the guilt (unless that guilt is related to calories). Give them a try when you’re looking for a different take on football party snacks, a new twist on down-South flavors, or if you want just eat your feelings and not animals!

Related Video: What’s the Difference Between Tofu and Tempeh? 

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Curried Squash and Pear Soup

EASY Butternut Squash Soup with Pears, seasoned with curry and ginger

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How to Braise Meat in Milk, and Why You Should

Meat braised in wine or broth doesn’t raise any eyebrows, but to many, meat braised in milk sounds a little weird. And it’s definitely a dish that qualifies as ugly delicious, but the emphasis should be on that last word, because milk-braised meat is incredibly tender and full of dynamite flavor.

The technique comes from Italy, where the traditional meat is pork loin and the dish is called maiale al latte. The simplest recipes call for little else besides milk and meat, but they all instruct you to cook it at a bare simmer for anywhere between one and half and three hours. In that time, the meat becomes tender enough to shred with a fork and the milk turns into a golden, silky sauce—that also separates, resembling curds of ricotta floating in a pool of whey. If it really reduces and is mostly curd, it looks almost more like loose bread stuffing.

While it might appear to be a total disaster, and you usually don’t want your sauce to break, it’s perfectly natural here, and even desired. Still, if it bothers you, you can always whisk or blend the sauce at the end to smooth it out a bit. It’ll still only qualify as jolie laide, but either way, it will taste nutty and rich and porky and fabulous, and be beautifully aromatic with whatever you elect to add to the pot—lemon rind and sage are common, as is garlic.

Some versions of the dish add white wine, onions, pancetta or prosciutto, and even things like capers or porcini mushrooms, but if you’re trying milk braising for the first time, stick with something a bit more stripped down.

Get a two- to four-pound boneless pork shoulder (which isn’t so lean as loin, thus is far less likely to dry out), trim off the excess fat if there’s a ton of it (but not all, since some is good for the dish), and tie it to keep its shape nice and neat if you want tidy slices (totally optional).

Rachel Ray Every Day

In a saucepan, gently heat 4 cups of whole milk (or an equal amount of whole milk and heavy cream, at a ratio as generous as one to one if you want it even richer), just until it’s steaming. Meanwhile, liberally season the pork on all sides with kosher salt and cracked black pepper, and heat a little olive oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or equivalent pot; it shouldn’t be too large, or else the sauce won’t cover enough of the meat, nor should it be non-stick. If it’s too thin, the sauce might scorch, so go for cast iron if you have it.

Brown the pork on all sides, pour off the fat if it renders a large amount, then lower the heat and add the hot milk to the pot, along with whatever else you’d like, such as a few strips of lemon zest (removed with a veggie peeler, being careful not to get too much of the white pith), a handful of fresh sage leaves or fresh rosemary sprigs, a few cloves of peeled and smashed garlic, and a sprinkle of dried red pepper flakes, or maybe fennel seeds if you like sweet more than heat. Bay leaves can also be added. If you’re wary of curdling, a scant pinch of baking soda stirred in can help prevent it, but why not fully embrace the charmingly rustic nature of the dish?

Place the meat back in the pot and partially cover it (or leave off the lid if you’re after more curds, but check the liquid level more often in that case) and cook the meat at an extremely gentle simmer for anywhere from two to three hours, flipping the pork over every 30 minutes or so and basting it with the sauce periodically. If the liquid is reducing too quickly, you can add a bit more warm milk to keep the level up. When it’s done, the meat should be tender enough to easily shred with a fork and the rich, golden-brown sauce should be velvety, nutty-sweet, and curdled to some degree.

Remove the pork to a platter and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce the sauce a little further if desired and scrape up any dark brown goodness stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon (but skip this step if it seems at all scorched rather than just deeply caramelized)—and whisk or blend it if you really want to before pouring it over the meat, which you can slice or shred, depending on how you want to serve it. You can also skim the fat from the sauce first if there seems to be too much grease. It’s all pretty casual and subject to your whims, which is another nice thing about it. Serve it over farro, rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, or whatever sounds best. Simple greens on the side are nice for color and freshness and cutting through the groan-inducing succulence of the meat and sauce when your palate needs a break.

Milk-braised pork is a perfect dish for fall and winter, for a day when you want to spend a few cozy hours in the kitchen, and an evening when you want to fill your belly with comforting warmth. Here are a few recipes to give you even more ideas for braising meat in milk—which, no surprise, you can try in the slow cooker too.

Milk Braised Pork Shoulder Ragu with Fresh Fettucine

Chowhound

Meltingly tender, creamy-sauced milk-braised pork is great shredded for a rich ragu, whether you make your own pasta or use store-bought. Garlic, thyme, and bay leaf provide simple, earthy seasoning. Get our Milk Braised Pork Shoulder Ragu with Fresh Fettucine recipe.

Almond Milk Braised Pork Belly

Yuki Sugiura

Using almond milk means you won’t get curdles, and you’ll need to simmer the sauce at the end to thicken it for a silky yet light gravy. Using pork belly means you get luscious meat plus crunchy skin, but to preserve the textural contrast, take care not to baste the top of the meat, and don’t flip it during the braising time. Get this Almond Milk Braised Pork Belly recipe.

Milk Braised Short Ribs

Cooking with Books

“Always Sunny” fans, now’s your chance to make milk steak a surprisingly delicious reality! Okay, it’s not steak, specifically, but beef does take wonderfully to the milk-braising treatment. These short ribs are especially hearty, and even more so served over polenta. Get the recipe.

Milk Braised Dijon Chicken

Donna Hay

You can also do this with chicken legs, but a whole bird braised in milk is pretty impressive, and unexpected. A healthy amount of Dijon mustard adds great sharp flavor, rounded out by marjoram and fennel seeds. Get the recipe.

Lamb Braised in Milk with Fennel

Simply Recipes

And if you’re a fan of lamb, try that braised in milk too. Slightly chewy farro makes a nice foil to the gorgeously soft meat and creamy sauce, and fennel seeds are used along with fresh fennel, plus rosemary and garlic to complement the stronger tasting meat. Get the recipe.

Related Video: How to Braise Meat in Dr. Pepper

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A Cornucopia of Cornucopias: The Best Horns of Plenty

Ah, the cornucopia. Nothing says fall quite like this horn of plenty. Marked by its bountiful flora of the season, a cornucopia is often overflowing from the (occasionally edible) basket, making it an ideal centerpiece.

But how do you infuse the spirit of this decor staple into your holidays? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.

For a massive statement for multiple senses

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn’s Live Large Cornucopia Arrangement ($99)

Though this cornucopia comes in a smaller size, the large arrangement is worth the splurge. The only faux components are some tiny pumpkins, so you’ll get the fragrant aromas of eucalyptus, pine cones, and more!Buy Now

For a woodsy, aromatic cornucopia

Harry and David

Harry and David Harvest Cornucopia Centerpiece ($60)

This is another mostly real arrangement at a lower price point, but it leans more into the trees associated with fall and winter. Scents of pine and cedar accent the faux rose hips and fall leaves in this long-lasting cornucopia.Buy Now

For a more subtle scent

Michael’s

Michaels 16″ Pumpkin & Maple Leaf Grapevine Cornucopia ($62.40)

A few pinecones drive the scent in this otherwise autumnal arrangement. Faux leaves, berries, and pumpkins fill out this cornucopia for a warm centerpiece.Buy Now

For a faux cornucopia that doubles as a wreath

Walmart

Walmart 22” Autumn Cornucopia Basket ($36.51)

Want to keep the smells in your home limited to delicious holiday foods? Try this faux cornucopia with a circular handle. You can place it on a mantle or hang it on a door, inside or outside, to set some ambiance.Buy Now

For people who are more into winter

Loon Peak/Walmart

Loon Peak Pine Cornucopia ($29.99)

This cornucopia appeals to the frost lovers among us. It’s the smallest horn in the bunch, but can stay out for several months without looking out of place.Buy Now

For a whimsical look

Neiman Marcus

MacKenzie-Childs Autumn Vine Cornucopia ($295)

Serving “The Nightmare Before Christmas” vibes, this cornucopia mixes whimsy with seasonality. The iron wire horn adds a modernism to this traditional decor piece while the flora fits into most themed scenes from October to December.Buy Now

For DIYers

Party City

Party City Cornucopia Basket ($7.99)

You can fill this basket with your own faux, real, or mixed arrangement of seasonal foliage and fares. The dark wash of the basket can be warmed up with orange and red tones or cooled down for a more wintry theme.Buy Now

For sugar cookie bakers

The Fussy Pup/Amazon

The Fussy Pup Cornucopia Cookie Cutter ($14.79)

If you’re not big on centerpieces, some cornucopia cookies are nice way to tie in this traditional symbol. This cookie cutter is only the start of sugar cookie decorating fun!Buy Now

Related Video: How to Make a Modern Cornucopia

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A Guide to Balsamic Vinegar

Ever wonder what balsamic vinegar is and how it is made? Here is an in-depth guide to all things balsamic — traditional balsamic vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, balsamic glaze, and more.

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