Autumn Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

A crisp, apple studded, protein rich chicken salad that's perfect for a hearty autumn lunch or even a simple weeknight dinner that won't weigh you down.

It's made healthier with a combination of Greek yogurt and a little mayo, and it pairs beautifully with a hearty whole grain bread. Or you can serve it lower carb over lettuce leaves for another nutritious option.

This version is made with rotisserie chicken but you can use leftover cooked chicken breasts as well. I just recommend that you avoid canned chicken for a better chicken salad.

It's simple to make and worthy of your recipe collection!

Try serving it with baked sweet potato fries or sweet potato chips for a colorful fall pairing.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Corn and Bacon!

Can you add corn to chicken noodle soup? Absolutely and it makes such a delicious soup!

That's just what you get in this soup recipe. It's like chicken noodle soup upgraded with fresh juicy corn, plus we dot it in some bacon and blend in some cream for good measure.

It's also similar to a chowder, and it's adaptable to what you have on hand (as usual see ideas below). For instance you can replace bacon with ham or make this Pennsylvania Dutch style with homemade mini dumplings called rivels in place of noodles (making the soup completely from scratch!).

Pair it with a slice of buttered homemade bread and a simple garden fresh salad with a homemade herby ranch for the most comforting homestyle dinner!

New Go-To Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

I've tried many hot fudge sauce recipes over the years and I have even shared a few others here. But as time goes on and I try new favorites, or find something easier I love to share them with you here.

This fudge sauce is made with just six simple ingredients! And you can have it ready in about 10 minutes (just plan an extra 10 to cool if you don't want it smoldering hot).

It's richly chocolatey, perfectly sweetened, silky smooth and luscious, and it makes for the ultimate molten topping over a refreshing dessert creating a tantalizing hot and cold duo.

Possible Variations

This chocolate sauce made with pantry staples and it's a versatile recipe as well.

• You can swap bittersweet chocolate chips with semi-sweet or dark.
• Brown sugar can be replaced with white sugar.
• If you are out of vanilla you can even skip it here (there's usually some in the chocolate chips).
• Make a salted fudge sauce by increasing the amount of salt added and go for sea salt. You can even just garnish flaky salt over the fudge sauce when serving.

Then the best way to enjoy it is the traditional way, poured generously over a bowl of fresh scooped ice cream. Flavors like vanilla, strawberry, cherry, pistachio or chocolate will always complement it well.

But if you want a bit of a healthier option then drizzle a little of this chocolate fudge sauce over fresh strawberries, bananas, raspberries, mangoes or peaches to give them a decadent chocolate upgrade.

Want to try a different type of burger next? Go for my Turkey Burgers or Black Bean Burgers to switch things up sometimes.

An Easy Classic Burger Recipe

Burgers have long been a staple food in our family. So I guess you can say we are a typical American family.

Growing up we had them cooked to that hockey puck doneness, overly well, but as a kid I didn't care it was a burger. One thing my mom never got wrong though was that she never used the pre-formed patties. That's burger mistake number one in my mind.

Shaping your own burgers from fresh ground beef will give you a fair superior result.

Helpful Tips

After 20 years of experience making hamburgers I've learned several other things along the way to create the perfect burger:

• Use a high quality bun for the base as this makes up a huge portion of the completed burger. Homemade or bakery fresh is best.
• Go for a good fat ratio within the beef for tenderness (personally I prefer 85%).
• Adequately season the meat with salt, this is a big one people often miss.
• Careful not to overwork the beef as you shape the patties so it's not tough.
• Use a food thermometer to cook to the right temp so it's not undercooked and dangerously rare, or over-cooked and dry and rubbery.
• Preheat pan/grill and maintain that proper temp. Otherwise you'll end up with a pale steamed-like patty or overly charred burger.
• Cook at a fairly high temp without disturbing as it cooks, this helps create a beautifully brown crust. The only way I could achieve this in the oven was to start that pan out super hot and not turn the burger until the end, for one nicely browned side at least.
• Slice toppings fairly thin. For texture and this allows the flavor of the beef shine if we don't go overboard on toppings.
• Toast the buns so they don't get soggy and they hold up better.
• If grilling burgers don't leave them unattended. Grills can have dangerous flare ups if you don't keep an eye on things. You should also be cleaning the fat from the grill regularly.

Over the years I've also tried different things like seasoning the beef to build in other flavors, creating various sizes of burgers, and trying various toppings.

I've settled on simple, and freshest is best but you are always welcome to change things up and go more bold (unique toppings, hot sauce/ peppers, blue cheese, etc).

And of course if you are a cheeseburger fan don't forget to add the cheese after turning the burger (during cooking) for perfectly melty cheesy goodness.

If you are wondering what my personal favorite method of cooking is here it's easily the cast iron stovetop method. But the others are nice for convenience as well and I use all three.

Easy Homemade Burger Buns

Beautiful golden brown hamburger buns that have delicious fresh flavor, and they make for the best diner style beef burger out there!

Plus they have so many other uses too, they aren't just for hamburgers. We love them for chicken salad sandwiches, garlic bread and cheese toast. They're great for turkey burgers, black bean burgers, pulled pork, or pulled chicken.

Or head in a more creative direction and repurpose leftovers into a French toast casserole, bread pudding, homemade croutons, or try trimming a thin layer off the top and bottom and turn them into a tasty grilled cheese.

This easy to make burger buns recipe is likely to become a family favorite! So good people will want to just slather them in butter and eat them like a jumbo roll!

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

I've had a different blueberry muffin that's been a favorite for years. But I decided I don't always have time for the blueberry crumble so I wanted to simplify and make a faster recipe.

So a few months ago I created these and we've been making them all summer long with the delicious sweet blueberries in season.

These easy blueberry muffins are fast to make, they don't require a mixer, and they're basically foolproof. And I should mention they are a generous sized muffin with towering domed muffin tops and beautiful golden brown edges. The best kind of muffins!

Perfect for a weekend breakfast, a celebratory brunch or they could even pass for a tempting birthday treat. They are  an excellent way to use up the blueberries in season!

[caption id="attachment_68447" align="alignnone" width="768"] Credit: Cooking Classy[/caption]

When shopping for popsicle makers, they should be easy to use, easy to clean, and long-lasting, so Jaclyn and I put together this list of the best popsicle molds – starting with the two popsicle molds that she has in her kitchen. Our top choices consist of flexible, durable silicone popsicle molds as well as some great plastic and stainless steel options, too! 

Below you’ll find our picks for the five best popsicle molds, and if you need popsicle ideas for what to make, some of our favorite ice pop recipes at Cooking Classy include Homemade Yogurt Popsicles, Watermelon Popsicles, and for ice cream lovers, these Neapolitan Popsicles. 

A Summery Corn Salsa Recipe

Corn salsa that's much better than Chipotle! It's a healthy dip that also doubles well as a side dish.

Fresh corn and bell pepper are fire roasted over a hot grill or gas stove flame for a beautiful smokey char, then it's tossed with a colorful plethora of other complementary fresh Mexican-style ingredients.

It has such a tantalizing blend of flavors that's is makes the perfect chip dip, or its delicious served over salmon, shrimp, chicken or beef (we love the salmon option).

Plus it's a versatile salsa with lots of ways to switch things up (see ideas below).

It's best made in season when you can get prime sweet yellow corn, but during the colder months try it with frozen corn too.

Easy Refrigerator Pickled Beets

Pickled beets used to be one of those things that I cringed at growing up but now I absolutely love them! Maybe that's because the homemade version completely changed my opinion on them.

I make these several times every summer when I get fresh beets from my brothers garden. Pickled beets really don't get any better than this!

These are super fresh, perfectly simple without other flavors to hide their unique flavor, and you wouldn't believe how easy they are to make.

These are a great option if you, like me, aren't familiar with canning things yourself (to make them shelf stable). Someday I'll learn but in the meantime this quick and simple method using the fridge is such a breeze and it makes the best pickled beets I've ever tasted! See for yourself and make a batch this week.

Then pair them with a ham and cheddar salad, or make them the star of a spinach salad and pair them with some walnuts and feta.

Easy S'mores Pie Recipe

All the classic s'mores flavors blended into a three layered incredibly decadent pie that's served perfectly chilled and refreshing!

Usually we all things of s'mores as a summer dessert but thanks to this pie you can have a s'mores dessert any day of they year when the craving strikes.

It begins with a simple homemade graham cracker base (which I made to include a hint of salt to balance out the sweetness of the pie), then it's layered with a silky smooth chocolate filling that melts away in your mouth, and next it's topped with a meringue (the kind that will remind you of melty marshmallows).

And last but not least it's toasted to stunning golden brown finish with a culinary torch.

Trust me it's a struggle to wait to dive into this s'mores pie. There may just be a slice missing when you take it to the party, it's just too irresistible!