Autumn Meal for Cooler Days

This is an updated version. The vegetable dish recipes I provided are classics in our home! Hope you enjoy this updated post and making the recipes for your family and friends.

Fall means crisp mornings and evenings and the end of the summer garden vegetables. We can still enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the porch. It’s late October and we have the heat on to take of the chill. Soon, there will be morning and evening fires.

We often have our daughter and her family for a Sunday meal. Usually we see the other kids and thier families monthly so they may get a similar meal this fall too!

Timing is important when making a meal with several hot dishes so it is all ready at the same time.

Caprese Platter Roasted Pork Loin with Rosemary, Thyme and Apple Slices Jim’s Roasted Vegetables Cheesy Cauliflower Hot Rolls

Setting the table and preparing and having food ready to serve before everyone arrives makes a better time for YOU! That takes some thoughtful planning ahead and not just for the grocery shopping! Save yourself some frenzy and enjoy preparing the meal to be ready to serve the main dishes at the same time.

This meal did not include any appetizers hot or cold. If you do plan to serve appitizers they should be ready when the compnay comes through the door!

Planning a time line for preparing your delicious meal and following it really can make a difference in your enjoyment and by extension for your guests too!

Slicing and layered the caprese salad first then refridgerating it was quick and done! Just before serving it, I drizzed just plain thick rich balsamic vinegar over the top. Check out StoneGable’s caprese tower version here for beautiful individual servings.

I have several long platters that are particlatrly nice for serving many different dishes. Doesn’t it just make it look even more delicious! Using different types of serving dishes and platter shapes add interest to the table or buffet.

Backward planning your timetable is the most helpful for me. What takes the longest to cook and what needs to go in last are good start points. Don’t forget; often you can prepare dishes the day before. These are lessons I learned years ago!

The hardest part of making roasted vegetables is cutting them up into bite sized pieces. For this menu I used late summer garden vegetables straight from our garden. This is Jim’s contribution including making the dish! Cooking the potatoes, zucchini, onion, yellow peppers, tomatoes in phases is key!

Check out this other excellent recipe for roasted vegetables with an extra pop of fall flavor of cranberries from our DIL, Hailey.

Scroll down for Jim’s Roasted Vegetables and Cheesy Cauliflower recipes.

Do you enjoy lingering after a meal with loved ones? We do! Fall afternoons are especially fine for lingering outside. Often, we will all go outside to sit in the warm sunshine for after dinner talk and play. Emma brought out a board game that was Jim’s childhood game. It was her first time to play. Now, she and Jim often play a few rounds when she is here; a time for together just for her and her grandpa. The game is called Hit the Beach!

When the weather is fine, the kids play and play! Did you know hola hoops make great stepping stones over lava? What an imagination they have!

Taking time to just linger in the sun was wonderful! The strains of a busy work and school week just fades away. Sometimes, we have afternoon coffee. There may be a dessert. Serving plain ice cream is one I often serve.

Eventually we’ll mosey back inside when the sun goes down. Sometimes Nathan will grill burgers for our evening meal. Add condiments and chips. I use paper plates for a quick clean up. That second meal will always be an easy one.

Hope you can take time to linger over good food and enjoy the autumn afternoon sun!

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teas yellow mustard
• salt
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• Boil water. Optional: add 1/2 or less salt
• Remove core and leaves from cauliflower head. Rinse and drain
• Cut into bite size pieces
• Boil cauiflower 15 -20 mintues under just tender. Don't over cook
• Drain and put into ungreased baking dish
• Mix mayonnise and mustard together. Add a little more mustard for extra an extra tangy flavor.
• Spread over cauliflower
• Top with shredded cheddar cheese
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slighly bubbly

Share some of your autumn dishes and how you get ready for company with us.. Also if you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my blog and never miss future ones! Looking forward to hearing from you!

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