Weekly Wrap-Up: 10/13-10/19

In case you missed them, here’s a wrap up of our favorite blog posts of the week. Read, get inspired, and start cooking!

 

Fall Vegetable Soup This hearty vegetable soup is balanced by leafy greens, hearty beans, and brightly colored vegetables. Do make enough for leftovers—the flavor deepens each time this soup is reheated.

Ingredient Spotlight: Potatoes The humble potato signals comfort, and it can also be a workhorse in the kitchen. Here are a few of our best tips for choosing and working with potatoes, plus delicious new ways to prepare them from the Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen.

How to Roast Pumpkin & Squash Seeds It’s October, and that means pumpkins are part of the picture. Whether you’re carving jack-o’-lanterns or roasting Butternuts for dinner, you can turn those seeds into a delicious snack or pretty garnish. Here’s how!

What We’re Reading: Baked Occasions In their latest book, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of Brooklyn’s Baked share desserts for every month of the year, including holidays big and small. Read our Q&A, try a Halloween recipe, and join us for a book signing to meet them in person.

Halibut with Tomatoes, Olives and Marjoram This brightly flavored fish stew, enhanced with salty olives and fragrant marjoram, has a pleasing contrast of flavors and colors. Here served on polenta, it’s equally delicious served with steamed rice or grilled crusty bread.

Best of the Web: Pumpkin & Squash With October’s arrival, cooks everywhere are trading in berries and tomatoes for the sweetest flavor of fall: pumpkin! Here’s a roundup of the most tempting pumpkin and squash recipes we’ve seen from some of our favorite blogs around the web this season.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes When all you want is a simple, classic chocolate cupcake, this recipe does the trick. Moist, tender dark chocolate cake topped with smooth, creamy dark chocolate frosting feeds the chocoholic in all of us.

How to Decorate Skull Cakes This year, we’ve got the ultimate centerpiece for your Halloween party: a skull cake! Our pan helps you to bake a sweet treat in the shape of a spooky, grinning skull. For creative ways to decorate the cakes, we turned to food stylist Cathie Lopez, who came up with four fun ideas — see them all here.

Porter-Braised Chicken with Root Vegetables Slightly bitter and with a deep coffee-like flavor, porter, a very dark ale, makes this braise rustic and hearty. Porter’s toastiness plus the sweetness of root vegetables and the spiciness of Dijon mustard creates a stew full of contrasting, but harmonious, flavors.

Weekend Project: Caramel Apples Make your Halloween festivities a little sweeter with homemade caramel apples! Gathering a group to melt, dip, swirl and snack creates a fun party activity, and you’ll be surprised how easy these treats are to make.

Roasted Beets with Orange and Herbed Goat Cheese Tangy, herby goat cheese and sweet, earthy beets are a match made in heaven. Use different colors of beets for the ultimate visual appeal.

Party Planner: Pumpkin-Carving Party Set out some gourds and clever tools that make carving pumpkins a cinch, then let guests get creative with their charming (or chilling) designs. In the spirit of the holiday, we’ve created a menu where pumpkin rules—from a warming pumpkin lasagna to spiced pumpkin cupcakes.

Recipe Roundup: Fall Pastas In honor of National Pasta Day — and everyone’s favorite comfort food — we’ve rounded up our favorite seasonal pasta dishes from farfalle to ravioli. Bon appetit!

Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches These savory sandwiches are a delicious contradiction: they’re hearty and filling, yet somehow still dainty and cute. The basic baking powder biscuits are delectable on their own spread with butter and honey, but we suggest filling them up with your favorite breakfast ingredients.

Roast Pork Loin with New Potatoes This simple one-pot dish calls for roasting potatoes and leeks in the same pan with a boneless pork loin so the vegetables absorb the flavorful juices from the meat. Round out the meal with a green vegetable, such as roasted broccoli or sautéed spinach.