Two fall recipes.

Including a very cute Halloween cookie!

Is it just me, or has this fresh fall air lured you back into the kitchen? While I was very happy grilling and eating outside throughout summer, I’m secretly a little excited to be turning the oven on, to be pulling out the heavy pots, and to be entering a fall-cooking-era.

Here are two of favorite recipes that I’ve made lately. I hope you love them too and I’d love to hear what you’ve been making!

Beef Barley Mushroom Soup

I often find that soup doesn’t get the love it deserves. Some people argue that “soup isn’t a meal.” But I think they’re not doing it the right way! My pitch for soup stems from its versatility: In the summer, this can be a refreshing gazpacho or chilled corn soup. In the fall, it can be a luxurious butternut squash soup or a nourishing sausage kale soup. When we approach mid fall, I find myself experimenting in the kitchen, optimizing another soup recipe. What I crave at the end of the day are a cozy blanket, my cats, a nice book, and warm cuppa soup. Life’s simple pleasures.

I’ve been loving this Beef and Barley Mushroom Soup. It has stellar representatives from each of my favorite food groups: Protein from hearty beef chunks, slow starch from nutty barley, meaty mushrooms, and the holy trinity that is mirepoix. This is a great soup to prep the night before or whip up and leave on the stovetop for an hour as you unwind from the day with a hot shower and meditation.

With a thick slice of buttered toast and some comfy pajamas, this soup is unbeatable. What soups are you enjoying this fall? This recipe is scaled for 2-3 people.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided

• 1/2 lb beef chuck, cubed and seasoned with salt and pepper

• 1 medium carrot, chopped

• 1 medium stalk of celery, chopped

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

• 1/3 lb mushrooms, chopped

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 4 cups stock or broth

• 1 cup barley, cooked to manufacturer’s instructions

Method:

1. In a deep pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add seasoned beef cubes, turning every 2-3 minutes to ensure browning. Remove cubes from heat.

2. Pour out beef fat and add additional 2 tbsp olive oil in the same pot. Add chopped carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Salt to draw out moisture. Sweat until the veggies are tender and the onion translucent, 7-10 minutes.

3. Add tomato paste and fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

4. Reintroduce beef to the veggie mix. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer immediately. Continue simmering for 30-45 minutes.

5. With about 15 minutes to go, add cooked barley. This will allow the barley to soak up flavor without getting too soft.

6. Serve with a hearty slice of buttered toast, and enjoy!

Halloween Cocoa Cookies

Spooky season is here! When I used to live in New York City, I’d see countless decorated brownstones, cobweb-studded cafes, and even people wearing costumes in the week leading up to Halloween. Now upstate, I’m living the real Halloween fantasy with ancient trees, piles of golden leaves, and the inevitable early morning fog. I love it!

While I’ve traditionally saved cookie recipes for the holiday season, I’m making an exception here to help get everyone in the mood. This Halloween, Dave and I have our own little pumpkin to take care of: My daughter! Sure, she’s a bit too young to take part in the Halloween activities this year, but that won’t stop us from getting into the spirit. This cookie recipe is perfect to get your little ones involved from measuring ingredients to dividing the dough to – my favorite part – decorating. What sets this cocoa cookie recipe apart from others is cornstarch. Cornstarch is not an ingredient I typically use in cookies, but here it gives a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Tag me in your cookie photos - I want to see what you make. Maybe this year you give our cookies instead of candy!

Ingredients:

• 10 tbsp butter, softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg, room temperature

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup flour

• 2/3 cup cocoa

• 3 tbsp cornstarch

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

Icing

• 2-3 tsp oat milk or other dairy alternative

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Method:

Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Add softened butter and sugar to one large mixing bowl. Mix on high until smooth, 1-2 minutes. (This will take longer if your butter is cold.)

3. Add egg and vanilla until just combined.

4. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

5. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

6. On a pre-sprayed baking sheet, spoon dough into neat little circles, about 1 tablespoon each.

7. Bake at 325F for about 25-30 minutes until the edges are crisp. Remove from oven.

8. Cool on countertop until completely room temperature. This step is key because we don’t want our icing to slip off.

Icing

1. Mix milk or dairy alternative, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar until combined.

2. Transfer into a Ziplock bag, and cut a small piece of the corner. Decorate to your heart’s desire.

Happy cooking!

Live, Learn, Lovewell

✌️Emma