Last month, after drooling over all the posts from the Daring Bakers last challenge, Bostini Cream Pie, I knew I had to join. I don’t bake much, but I’m game for any challenge and DB gives me an excuse to eat pastries! I wrote Ivonne and Lis, letting them know that I can be quite clumsy when it comes to baking and asked if I could still join. They replied with warm welcome, encouraging me to join.

At first I was disappointed when I saw the challenge for my first month of daring bakery—Tender Potato Bread. The host of the month, Tanna, anticipated some fuss over a savory bread challenge at the very onset of the holiday season, and she explained that she’s more of a savory gal. Happy to know that the savory bread represented the host’s style, I started to get pumped. And then I started to get scared. I haven’t had much luck with yeast breads. Maybe I don’t proof the yeast properly (though I honestly try!) or maybe I knead wrong, but most yeast breads that I’ve attempted haven’t turned out right—edible, but nothing to brag about. And then to read that the dough would be much softer than normal (non-potato) bread! My whisks were tremblin’!

Hey all! There were a bunch of great recipes submitted for this round of Blog or Bust. To remind you, the theme this go-round was fall. We all love fall food—pumpkin, apples, squash, with it’s comfy spices (nutmeg, cinnamon) and warm-up your heart feel. So, Blog or Bust this time asked for you to create a “Fall” dish—pumpkin pie, chili, gratin, soup, the possibilities are almost endless. Something comfortable, something cozy, something hearty. Something that screams “Come on, holidays, do your worst!” We need to prepare ourselves for winter, people, and the best way to do that is to fill our bellies with something delicious, nourishing, and homey. We don’t, however, want to feel like stuffed turkeys, so we kept things healthy! Below is the round-up, in no particular order, and all particularly delicious!

Elly from Elly Says Opa! pretended it was Thanksgiving back in October and made this Braised Chicken Thighs with Autumn Harvest Orzo, Mushrooms & Walnuts for the event. Slow cooking is on of my favorite ways to cook chicken, and I’m always amazed by how not-healthy a healthy slow-cooked dinner will taste. And Elly’s orzo was a blend of a blend of pumpkin, sage & chestnut orzo—Mmmm!

Dani from Average Cook cooked up a chunky two bean and beef chili. Dani writes, “Not too spicy, just a little kick, perfect for me. The cinnamon added an interesting taste to the chili, in a good way. I served it with some sour cream (light), shredded cheddar (fat-free), and diced avocado. It really hit the spot. It’s a keeper.” And to top it off, there is 10 grams of fiber in the chili—nice!

Lisa from Lisa’s Kitchen created a salad of beet and feta. Pickled beets and feta cheese are dressed with a light vinagrette and fresh mint, noting that “the strong taste of beetroot goes very well with the sharp flavour of feta cheese.” It sounds invigorating and delicious!

Deeba of Passionate About Baking started off her post on a healthy apple crumble with a quote: “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking successive autumns.”-George Eliot. Her apple crumble is equally poetic, with lightly toasted oats, cinnamon, and walnuts— something to love.

Mansi from Fun and Food gives us a decadent dessert, Sour Cream Raspberry brownies! “The secret ingredient is Sour Cream,” giving the dessert “a moist and rich texture to the brownies and the raspberries give it the luscious taste in every bite that makes these beauties almost irresistible!” YUM!

On Halloween, Sara from What Smells So Good? spooked up with a Ghoulash! She gives us the nutritional facts, “A succulent meal for serving over noodles, brown rice or mashed potatoes that has 241 calories, 7g of fat, 3g of fibre and 130% of the daily recommended Vitamin A intake per serving!” That’s scary good!

Mocha from Masala Box gives us another chili, this one made with turkey (Thanksgiving chili, anyone?) This is a great, one pot meal (Mocha calls it OPM), perfect for a busy autumn night. Topped with sour cream, green onions, and a little cheese, this is a meal to cozy up to.

Maria of Dinner and Drinks made a slow-cooker apple butter that taught me a little something—I had thought apple butter was actually a butter, when really it’s more of a preserve. Knowing that, I was psyched to try apple butter! Maria writes, “What could be more fall-like than apples, brown sugar and spices slowly cooking all day long? So I made a big batch of apple butter! The aroma that this makes as it cooked away in the crock pot was amazing. It doesn’t take much to get lots of flavor, it is a mix of sweet, tart and spice all at once.” …I’m sold.

Zlamushka from Zlamushka’s Spicy Kitchen made a baked Hokkaido pumpkin with herbs, which I’ll let her explain to you. “Back in Slovakia, orange pumpkin is considered exotic. Only recently, it started appearing in stores some time around autumn. However, most people do not buy it, for one simple reason. They have no idea what to do with it. Hokkaido pumpkin (how we call it) is very sweet compared to our traditional white-greenish pumpkin (in English spaghetti squash or white “pattypan” squash). Therefore the vendors started attaching little recipe books to the pumpkin when selling. My mum all excited brought one home for me. It was my very first time cooking pumpkin, so I was quite excited myself. I prepared one of the simple baked dishes featured in the little attached recipe book.” With so many wonderful herbs in the dish, it sounds divine, and perfectly autumnal!

And finally, I blogged about cranberry applesauce a while ago, submitting the recipe to this event. It’s a great applesauce on its own, and I’m using it as a sub for cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! And keep cozy!