Our favorite fall recipes, as chosen by the Cardinal & Pine team in North Carolina

Sweet potato bread, chili, mushroom risotto and more: These are some of our favorite fall recipes for North Carolina, as selected by the team at Cardinal & Pine. 

Everyone has a few good fall recipes. You know what I mean. The cozy, heavy, sumptuous stuff that we tend to shut down when the temperature climbs outside. 

This year, at Cardinal & Pine, we want to honor those autumn favorites that make the kitchen light up when the sun starts going down early. 

We asked members of the Cardinal & Pine team, as well as our colleagues at our sister publications at Courier Newsroom, to share their favorite fall recipes. 

What are your favorites? Write me and you might see your recipe featured at Cardinal & Pine. 

Alexis’ Sweet Potato Bread

This recipe is a decadent, sweet, fragrant treat, perfect to present at any occasion or make just for yourself. It’s as rich as a cake and can be served for any time of day. Prepared as written, it produces one loaf that serves 6-8 people. – Cardinal & Pine social media manager Alexis Lawson

Sweet potatoes are, quite frankly, one of the best things we produce in great quantities in North Carolina. 

Heck, we make more of them than anyone else. 

Cardinal & Pine’s Alexis Lawson brings us this delightful mix of our most palatable potato and mixes it up with the most seasonally appropriate list of spices I’ve ever seen, including cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, ginger, and even maple syrup. 

Download the recipe here. 

Alexis Lawson’s sweet potato bread. Sign us up. (Photo via Alexis Lawson)

Michael’s Citrus and Herb Tonic Tea

First of all, it’s fun to drop huge chunks of lemons, oranges and limes into boiling water. That’s just science. Second, it takes its time both to make and sip, so it’s quiet, contemplative, perfect for staring out of frosted windows.

Now, it DOES take quite a lot of honey to accompany the bitterness of all those rinds, but when they find balance with each other? Holy crap. It’s also a non-alcoholic alternative to the restorative powers of a hot toddy. – Cardinal & Pine political correspondent Michael McElroy

Michael brings us this delightful sipper from the New York Times cookbook. 

What makes it special is the balance of bitter and sweet, which is usually the recipe for a really good drink. 

Billy’s “Kitchen Sink” Chili

Senior Editor Billy Ball makes a chili that leans heavily on Mexican chili con carne, like this. (Photo via Shutterstock)

First things first, I’m not a good cook. My style is throwing things in a pot and mixing them up and hoping they taste good. 

Sometimes, the end result is decent. Sometimes, well, the less we say about it the better. 

But I’m a fan of this fall “kitchen sink” chili I make on weekends, which really contains just about any of the vegetables I have in the fridge, as well as a few absolute “musts.” 

The quantity of each ingredient is a debate. In other words, it’s not a science, it’s an art. My take is to season at whatever rate sits well with you.

Here’s Senior Newsletter Editor Billy Ball’s “kitchen sink” chili.

The musts: 

1 pound Italian sausage (mild or spicy)

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large onion 

Chili powder

Cumin 

3 cans of dark kidney beans

3 cans of light kidney beans

3-4 cans stewed tomatoes

The “maybes”, if you have them:

2-3 large sweet potatoes

1-2 cans of corn

1 bell pepper

1-2 chili peppers

Directions

1. Brown the meats. If you opted for a less lean beef, drain after browning and before adding any vegetables.
2. Toss in the beans after you drain the juice in the can. 
3. Toss in the stewed tomatoes, with the sauce in the can. 
4. Mix up with whatever vegetables you like. I think sweet potatoes are great because they soften and take on the taste of the chili really nicely.
5. Season with chili powder and cumin to your taste. 

Jessica’s favorite Mushroom Risotto

Warm, comforting, filling, and so tasty.

COURIER’S Jessica F. Simmons wants you to try this sumptuous mushroom risotto, as crafted by internationally-known Toronto chef Dwight Smith.

Check it out below.

@chefdwightsmith

Mushroom Risotto Warm, creamy, and delicious. You have to try this. It’s a weeknight meal that gives total restaurant vibes — and the best part? It only takes about 30 minutes to make. Recipe Ingredients: • 1 cup arborio rice • 1 onion, finely diced • 1 cup mixed mushrooms (brown, oyster, portobello), cleaned & chopped • 3 tbsp butter (plus more for finishing) • 2 tbsp olive oil • ½ cup white wine • 3–4 cups mushroom stock (rehydrated dried shiitake + soaking liquid) • ½ cup grated Parmesan • 3 tbsp Boursin cheese (about half a small wheel) • 2 tbsp chives, chopped • Salt & pepper Method: 1. Sauté mushrooms in olive oil, season, add butter, cook until golden, set aside. 2. In the same pan, sweat onions until soft. Add rice, toast for 1–2 minutes. 3. Deglaze with white wine, cook until absorbed. 4. Add warm mushroom stock a ladle at a time, stirring until rice is creamy and tender (about 18–20 minutes). 5. Stir in the sautéed mushrooms, butter, Parmesan, Boursin, and chives. Season to taste and serve hot. #easyrecipes #torontochef #mushrooms #Rissotto

♬ A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke