Mr. Prof designer home

Fall is in the air and you know what that means - apple and pumpkin picking, which necessitates the need for apple and pumpkin recipes. As I suspected, this was another popular theme for the recipe swap. Most of the recipes are desserts but there are a few savory dishes thrown in as well. Happy Fall!

Melissa, a newcomer to the swap, made Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars:


Lishie's Mini Apple Pies are an adorable way to make this tasty treat:


Christen's recipe for Warm Apple Buttermilk Custard Pie would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving dessert table:


Joelen's recipe for Pumpkin Chili sneaks this sweet ingredient into a rich, savory chili that's perfect for fall:


The Cooking Nurse had been meaning to make this recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins for awhile, so she was excited when she got it as her swap recipe:


Nicole's recipe for Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting is a far cry from healthy, but she enjoyed a few and sent the rest to work with her husband:


Heather was very excited for the apple/pumpkin swap and enjoyed the Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:


Jey's Ginger Pumpkin (or Apple Cinnamon) Truffles were a little bite of fall:


Christine's Pumpkin Pecan Loaf was a special work treat:


My recipe for Goat Cheese, Sweet Onion, Apple and Brandy Chicken was good, if not the most photogenic:


Ashley modified her recipe for Pumpkin Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies to be gluten-free and was very happy with the result:


Swap newcomer Nicole was happy to expand her horizons with Pumpkin Bread Pudding:


Coleen was pleasantly surprised by how delicious her Pumpkin Pie Dip was:


Melissa's White Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies were a nice change from all the apple recipes she's been making recently:


Swap newcomer Ammie was excited to expand her horizons and make her own pastry shells for Pumpkin Profiteroles:


Katie's Starbucks Pumpkin Bread was a hit at her girls' weekend:


Jaida really enjoyed her Apple Butter Pound Cake, as did her coworkers:


Kate had been enjoying a similar recipe for Apple Walnut Chicken Salad all summer:


Lindsay really enjoyed her Cran-Apple, White Chocolate Chip Cookies, which she deemed the perfect autumn cookie:


Cathy's family loved her recipe for Caramel Apple Tart, especially the caramel:


Krystal enjoyed her Apple-Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops:


Rachel, another swap newcomer, modified her recipe into an Apple, Bacon, Cheddar Quiche:


Tyler had a few mishaps with her Mrs. Field's Apple Oatmeal Cookies but the result was worth the effort:


Maryanna really enjoyed her individual Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread Muffins:

The Cookaholic Wife used her recipe for Pumpkin Pie Pecan Candy to usher in fall:


Nicole had my recipe, which she modified into Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes:


Melissa shared her Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes with friends and family for Fall Fest and they were a hit:


Ellie was concerned that she wouldn't be able to pull of her Apple Croissant Bread Pudding but it ended up being super simple and delicious:

Want to see what other Apple/Pumpkin recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Apple/Pumpkin Recipe Swap Roundup

Choosing themes for the recipe swap isn't always easy. I try to pick something broad enough that most people will have something to submit. Now that fall is in the air and everyone seems to be on the hunt for apple and pumpkin recipes to usher in the season, apple and pumpkin seemed like the perfect swap theme.

My recipe was one of the few savory dishes submitted - Goat Cheese, Sweet Onion, Apple, and Brandy Stuffed Chicken.


I never have any luck with stuffed chicken (the filling never stays inside the chicken) so I knew I needed to modify the recipe. I decided to turn the onion, apple and goat cheese mixture into a sauce. What I didn't foresee was how unappetizing the finished product would look. I'm sorry about that, but please don't let the pictures dissuade you from making this. It's actually a really good recipe.

Goat Cheese, Sweet Onion, Apple, and Brandy Chicken
Modified from Cheesecurd in Paradise

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied or pounded thin
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1/3 cup brandy
1 cup chicken broth
3 oz goat cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and lower the heat to medium.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon each butter and oil to the skillet, then add the apples and onion and cook until onion starts to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add brandy and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add chicken broth to thin the sauce, then add the goat cheese, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.

Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer 2 minutes. Serve, spooning the sauce over the chicken.