I am celebrating fall break! It means that I can catch up on sleep and officially acknowledge that autumn has arrived, even if it is still in the 90s here and the leaves have not changed their hue.

On Friday I broke out my autumn decor. I even used the flowers from a bouquet that Mitch bought me a couple weeks ago to finish my centerpiece. Sunday afternoon I baked a loaf of my favorite banana bread! It may not be a specifically fall food, but a warm piece of this in the morning with coffee really is worth savoring. This recipe even calls for walnuts and some semi-sweet chocolate chips (which melt when you warm it up, just making even more yummy). 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chef-johns-banana-bread/detail.aspx

I got my recipe from allrecipes.com. So instead of posting the recipe I posted a link because on the site there is also a video showing how to do it, which was a big help to me. Enjoy!

In September for Mitch's birthday I made him a New York style raspberry cheesecake. I once again got the recipe from allrecipes.com I mostly followed the recipe by Chef John, but I did take advice from some other videos that they had. I hate cheesecake, so I cannot vouch for how it turned out, but Mitch thought it was wonderful :) It was a fun way to celebrate my husband and show him how much I love him. How can you show your spouse that you love them this beautiful autumn?

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/new-york-style-cheesecake-2/detail.aspx

Almond Crumble Cherry Pie--Completely from scratch!

However, I cannot claim to have invented the recipe. . . thank you allrecipes.com. Links below (there are also videos to accompany!)

1. Crust: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-homemade-pie-crust/detail.aspx

2. Pie: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cherry-pie-with-almond-crumb-topping/detail.aspx

Serve with a scoop or two of vanilla bean ice cream!

If you have come over to our place more than once for dinner, chances are that you have had our Chicken Alfredo Pizza. We LOVE to make pizza and this is one of our favorite types that we make. Oftentimes we make up our own recipe, but this one actually has an origin. I found it in the "Ready, Set, Eat" Gooseberry Patch cookbook.

Here is the recipe:
3 6.5 oz. pkg. pizza crust mix (I currently make ours homemade with the help of my bread maker)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tb. oil
16 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
8 oz pkg. Italian blend cheese
12 oz pkg. sliced mushrooms (We don't like mushrooms so we nix this and add green peppers)
1 onion, sliced and separated into rings

1. Prepare pizza crust according to package directions and divide dough evenly between two lightly greased 12 inch pizza pans. Press dough into pans and set aside.
2. Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning; saute in oil until cooked through. (If possible, we use olive oil). Cool and cut into 1/2 slices. Set aside.
3. Spread half of the sauce on each crust; top with half each of chicken, cheese, mushrooms/green peppers, and onion.
4. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut. Serves 6-8. (We usually don't bake it so long. Our oven cooks things fast.)

Mitch and I found and made this recipe last week. We loved it! One of the best and easiest lasagna recipes! However, we did make it without the spinach, because Mitch doesn't like it. I found this in a Better Homes and Garden magazine.

Italian Sausage Lasagna
1 pkg. Italian Ground Sausage           1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked            2 c. fresh spinach, lightly packed and chopped
1 medium onion                            2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cloves garlic, chopped                    1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. olive oil                              1 large egg
4 cups ricotta cheese                        1 jar marinara sauce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, lightly oil and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, saute the sausage, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Add onion and garlic and continue sauteing for another 4 minutes until the sausage is cooked through. Add marinara sauce to the sausage mixture and set aside. In a medium bowl, blend ricotta cheese, egg, half the Parmesan cheese and the chopped spinach; set aside. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil and spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/4 of the ricotta cheese mixture on the noodles and layer on 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese over this. Repeat this three times starting with the noodles and finish with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with oregano. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Alterations: Mitch and I have also made our own version of delicious lasagna where we use alfredo sauce instead of marinara. We also use chicken in place of sausage and all mozzarella cheese instead of ricotta cheese.