I have been spending more time in the kitchen as of late and am loving it. Fall is the perfect excuse to spend mixing and pouring and baking and smelling the wonderful aromas coming out of the oven. And now that the weather is starting to cool off, I’m happy to have my oven turned on while I listen to some smooth jazz. Here are a couple of recipes I’ve made that were such huge hits, I have to share them.

Everyday Sandwich Bread : Simple to make and oh so delicious. We downed an entire loaf straight out of the oven, my husband took one to work, and we froze another (recipe makes 3 loaves). I didn’t have any wheat flour on hand, so I used all unbleached white. It was so good I ate it straight without any toppings. My husband used it and thought it was maybe a little too buttery for sandwiches (though the only butter I used was to glaze the top after taking it out of the oven). I on the other hand thought it was amazing and will definitely be making it again. Looks like weekly sandwich bread baking will be in our future.

Apple Muffins : After our trip to the apple orchard up in Oregon, we naturally came home with bags of apples. I’m visiting family in Texas this week and wanted to bring a special apple treat along with me. These muffins were so easy to make (the hardest part, for me, was peeling the apples) and came out so good. I followed a commenter’s suggestion and used 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 cup oil (instead of 1 cup oil), 1 1/2 cups sugar (instead of 2 cups sugar), and added an extra tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg. This was my first time baking or eating an apple muffin, and I am in love. Plus, my kitchen smelled heavenly.

Happy fall baking! Are there any recipes you just have to make each autumn? Any apple recipes you would suggest? If you’re not on Pinterest, I’d highly suggest checking it out. It is an amazing resource for any recipe you could so desire (and how I found both of these).

-wonderland sam