Lauren Accardo Shares Fall Recipes To Celebrate ‘Sweet Love’

Guest post written by author Lauren Accardo
Lauren Accardo writes steamy contemporary romance featuring strong women and the men who love them. Originally from Western New York, Lauren now lives in Queens with her stand-up-comic husband. She loves karaoke, cake, and the Adirondack Mountains, where her series takes place. Learn more online at laurenaccardo.com. Her new novel Sweet Love releases on September 28th.

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Is there any more beloved season than fall? As soon as the temperatures dip below 80 degrees in New York City, the inexplicable urge to bake pumpkin bread and drink dark beer hits me and I’m swapping my summer wardrobe for cozy wool sweaters and plaid scarves. But nowhere in the world is the fall more special than the Adirondacks.

While SWEET LOVE (available September 28) takes place in winter and the early days of spring, Mila Bailey would have an endless list of fall treats to bake up come autumn. Her caramel apple pie would be in high demand, and the below seasonal treats would definitely make an appearance at the Pine Ridge Potluck. Cooking is Mila’s passion, her escape, the one thing that never lets her down or passes judgment. And it’s one of the things that Jared Kirkland loves most about her.

While Mila is no stranger to traditional pumpkin bread and basic apple pie, she also loves branching out and using conventional ingredients in new and innovative ways. And what better on a chilly fall day—as crimson and burnt sienna leaves float lazily to the ground outside the window and a cozy fire crackles in the hearth—than a fresh take on hot soup accompanied by spicy quick bread, toasted and topped with creamy butter?

Mila would use fresh sugar pumpkins to create this recipe but canned is much, much easier.

Pumpkin Ginger Soup
Serves 4

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 white onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp ginger, finely grated (or use 1 Tbsp ginger powder)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 15-oz. cans of pumpkin puree
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp Sriracha (or similar hot sauce)
• 1/4 cup pepitas (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.
2. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 8 – 10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and ginger, cook for another 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, pumpkin, stock, cream, and hot sauce. Stir until combined and turn down heat until the soup is simmering.
4. Simmer for 25 minutes, occasionally stirring.
5. Use an immersion blender to blend in the pot or pour soup into a standing blender and blend until pureed. Replace soup in the pot and heat until hot and ready to serve.
6. Top with pepitas if desired.

Mila’s best friend Nicole is always gifting her apples from her Uncle Paul’s apple orchard and then cajoling Mila into baking cinnamon apple bread for her. Granny Smith apples work well here because they’re very sturdy when baked and retain a crispness, but you can pretty much use any sturdy apple you have on hand. Bonus points if they’re locally produced in New York State!

Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread
Makes 1 loaf (9 x 5 pan)

Bread:

• 2 cups plus 1 Tbsp AP flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large apples (any variety) cored, peeled, and chopped (about 2 cups)

Topping:

• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
2. Sift together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
3. For the topping: combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat together sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl for 1 1/2 minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Stir in flour mixture with a wooden spoon, being careful not to overmix.
6. Toss apple with 1 Tbsp of flour, and then stir into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle topping evenly over top of batter.
7. Bake for 50 minutes or until loaf is browned, begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a sharp knife poked in the middle comes out clean.
8. Cool bread in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen loaf around edge with a sharp knife and invert; turn right side up. Cool completely.