With our Canadian Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner I wanted to feature these ‘fabulous fall cheesecakes’ as a dessert option for the occasion.
Traditional Thanksgiving desserts (like pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and dense cheesecakes) are notoriously heavy at the end of a massive turkey feast. The bright orange zest and sharp fresh ginger in these cheesecake desserts cuts through the heavy dairy and earthiness of the root vegetables. Because they are individual size, they offer a lighter, refreshing alternative that guests can comfortably enjoy after a heavy meal.
Think of it as a creative cross between a morning-glory spiced root vegetable cake and a classic New York mini cheesecake. The combination of carrots, parsnips, and beets mirrors the exact crops pulled from the ground during the late-summer and autumn harvest. The heavy rotation of cinnamon, cardamom, and fresh grated ginger immediately evokes classic cozy fall baking. The natural colors from the grated orange carrots, deep red beets, and golden-orange dried apricots create a gorgeous, rustic autumn palette and the use of pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds) adds an earthy crunch that is distinctly seasonal, pairing beautifully with the sweet crunch of the brown sugar streusel.
Because these cheesecake/muffins contain a baked cream cheese layer and fresh root vegetables, they actually taste better the next day, served cold, (they are so good cold) as the warm spices and ginger infuse into the cream cheese. This is an added bonus when it comes to all the preparation needed for the turkey feast alone.
In October of 2025, we published a version of this ‘apricot root vegetable’ combination in a cake format. Brion & I just loved it, so this year I though I would bring the idea back to life in a cheesecake form. Worked out great!
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Apricot Veg Cheesecakes
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Ingredients
Ginger Cream Cheesecake Filling
Ingredients
Ginger Cream Cheesecake Filling
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Instructions
Streusel
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar & cinnamon. Add cooled melted butter & whisk with a fork to make coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Ginger Cream Filling
In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, egg, sugar, ginger & flour just to combine. Set aside.
Cake Batter
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 8 muffin cups with large paper liners.
Finely dice the apricots & set aside. Peel & finely grate beets. Place between paper towels to absorb some of the juice (and color). Finely grate carrots & parsnips & place in a large bowl. Zest an orange & add to the vegetables in the bowl.
Pour in the syrup, eggs & olive oil & blotted beets. Using a fork, mix batter to just combine. Fold in the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
Add apricots to the bowl along with the nuts/seeds, then mix everything until just combined but DO NOT OVERMIX.
Assembly
Place a scoop of cake batter in the bottom of 8 lined muffin cups. Gently make a small depression in the center of each. Divide the ginger cream filling between the 8 cups placing a generous spoonful in the depression.
Top the filling with the remaining cake batter. Spoon the streusel over each cheesecake/muffin.
Bake about 28-30 minutes or until the cheesecakes test done with a toothpick. Remove from oven & cool 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If using glaze, whisk powdered sugar with milk, start with a tsp of milk & add more if needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cheesecake/muffins.
Recipe Notes
If you are like me, maple syrup is not something I usually have on hand. Here's a good substitute ... 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water & 1/4 tsp maple extract. Place the sugar & water in a small saucepan. Simmer on low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved & mixture thickens slightly, 3-5 minutes. Stir in maple extract (adjust to taste). Allow to cool before using (mixture thickens as it cools).
• I made these a large size but do them in whatever size your occasion calls for.
How about upside down cake turned into cookie form? What makes these peach upside-down cookies special is that they capture the essence of a summer peach. Soft & chewy with a bottom layer of soft peaches coated in brown sugar and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar.
The concept of upside-down ‘cakes’ dates back to the Middle Ages, when Europeans made some cakes by topping batter with fruit — usually apples or dried fruit — and cooking it over a fire (or baking it), then flipping it over for serving.
In 1925 the Hawaiian Pineapple Company sponsored a contest calling for (canned) pineapple recipes. They received a flood of 60,000 submissions of which an alleged 2,500 were for pineapple upside-down cake. No surprise then that the winning entry was—yes, a pineapple upside-down cake! The company built a major advertising campaign around the winning recipe and by the mid-1930s pineapple upside-down cake was probably the most popular home-baked cake in North America.
These ingenious inverted cakes were no doubt the precursor to the upside-down cookie idea. The ‘classic’ upside down cake is often thought to be made with pineapple. I think these cookies are a great way of enjoying whichever fruits are plentiful, fresh and in season.
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Peach Upside-Down Cookies
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with foil-lined muffin paper cups.
In each muffin cup, place 1/2 tsp brown sugar & 1 full slice of peach.
Cream butter & remaining sugars until fluffy. Add egg & vanilla. Mix well. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cornstarch & cinnamon. Gradually add to wet ingredients.
Divide dough into 12-14 portions & roll each into a ball. Place a cookie dough ball on top of each peach slice in the muffin cups..
Bake for 12–15 minutes. Cool 5 mins, then gently flip cookies out & remove paper cups. Serve peach side up warm, chilled or at room temperature. Store in airtight container.
Who says you can’t have a Linzer cookie in April? Add some lemon-y zing and a butterfly shape and what’s not to love! A descendent of the famous Linzer torte, it’s hard to go wrong with a shortbread-like dough that melts in your mouth and a sweet/tart filling that glues it all together. Linzer cookies employ the same basic recipe as a Linzer torte, but the dough is cut into cookies and form a sandwich around the filling. The top cookie has a small cutout in its center to show off the filling underneath.
The Linzer Torte, the Austrian mother of the Linzer Cookie, is the oldest known written recipe in history. A copy of the recipe was found in the Veronese Admont Abbey’s journals, dated 1653! The tart was baked like a pie with a buttery almond crust, filled with black currant preserves and topped with a latticework crust. The recipe was developed using a crust made of nuts since they were easier to come by at times than wheat for flour. While a black currant tart is a perfect way to end a meal, bakers came up with a cookie version they could stock in their shops.
When the Linzer torte was bought to North America in the 19th century, it became very popular. Today, the Linzer cookie is still very commonly used not only for the holidays but anytime of the year in different applications.
This cookie is crisp if served on the same day it is assembled but becomes soft when stored with filling.
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Lemon Poppy Seed Linzer Butterflies
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Instructions
Shortbread
In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice & lemon zest with an electric mixer until light & fluffy. Reduce speed to low & add the flour & salt. Continue to mix until well incorporated. Slowly add poppyseeds & mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
Remove dough from bowl, form into a disk & wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour or overnight.
Lemon Curd
Fill a medium saucepan, about halfway full with water & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Fill a large bowl with ice water & set aside.
In a glass or metal bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest & salt. Set over the saucepan of simmering water, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Whisk the mixture constantly until it reaches 170 F. Immediately remove the bowl from the heat, add butter & whisk until smooth. Place over the bowl of ice water. Cover with plastic wrap making sure it is touching the lemon curd surface so a 'skin' will not form. Let mixture stand at room temperature until cooled & thickened.
Baking
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Roll out shortbread dough on a large sheet of parchment paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a butterfly cookie cutter, cut out 36 cookies. Leave 18 of them as is & cut some designs in the wings of the remaining 18 cookies. At this point you may need to place the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes so you can remove them easily to the baking sheet without destroying their shapes.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper & transfer cookies to baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until just baked. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Assembly
Spread desired amount of lemon curd on the bottom cookies. If desired, dust the tops with powdered sugar. Lightly press on a top cookie to sandwich the curd. Repeat with remaining tops. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
• Don’t hesitate to speed up the process by purchasing a jar of lemon curd. There are a lot of real good ones available.
Since the first recorded recipe, chili has been reinvented to include different spices and ingredients, changing basic things like beef to chicken, chili peppers to jalapeno peppers and tomato sauce to chicken broth. The fact remains, it’s a great meal no matter what recipe you use.
Once again, I have been drawn in by the adzuki bean with its unique and distinct taste that can be described as mildly sweet and nutty with a slightly earthy undertone. Adding a cornbread layer to this chili casserole seemed like a no-brainer to me. Thinking back to my mother’s cooking, I don’t recall much about her chili but the cornbread she served with it was ‘to die for’. Once again, I’m sure so much of it was time and place creating the taste of a memory, aside from the fact that she was incredible in the kitchen.
Cornbread is a generic name for any number of quick breads containing cornmeal and are leavened with baking powder. The quintessential late 20th to early 21st century recipe contains baking powder for convenience, sugar for sweetness and flour and eggs for lightness. Cornbread is an interesting recipe to track through the past few centuries. It is such a prolific crop, grown in America, that it was consumed across class, race and regional lines. Corn lends itself to change very easily, giving way to variations of cornbread recipes. Although traditional cornbread was not sweet at all, regional preferences for sweetness in the recipe have developed.
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Adzuki Bean & Beef Chili w/ Cornbread
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Instructions
Chili
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef until browned, breaking up meat with the back of wooden spoon. Spoon off any drippings.
Stir in cooked adzuki beans, soup, water, spices & vinegar. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to low & continue to cook, uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Grate cheese.
Pour into an 8-inch casserole dish & sprinkle with grated cheese. Set aside until cornbread is prepared.
Cornbread
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In a food processor, pulse the first 5 ingredients for a few seconds. Place in a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk & egg.
Combine wet & dry ingredients, mixing only until moistened; batter should be lumpy.
Carefully spread over top of chili/cheese in baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes or until tests done with a wooden pick.
French onion meatloaf is a modern comfort food mashup that combines traditional North American meatloaf—derived from European, particularly German, traditions like ‘Hackbraten’—with the savory, caramelized flavors of classic French onion soup. It evolved from 1950s—1960s casserole-style cooking, using caramelized onions and Gruyère cheese to elevate the standard ground beef dish.
Hackbraten, the traditional German-style meatloaf, has a history that dates back to the Middle Ages, evolving from a humble, filling meal for laborers into a staple of German, Austrian, and Swiss cuisine. It is fundamentally a ‘ground meat roast’—a mixture of ground beef and pork, onions, eggs, and breadcrumbs, seasoned and baked until golden brown.
Unlike standard meatloaf recipes that use raw onions, this version relies on 20+ minutes of slow cooking to develop a sweet-savory base. Authentic versions typically feature Gruyere, a Swiss-type Alpine cheese, to mimic the molten topping of traditional French onion soup. Using breadcrumbs or soaked bread to stretch the meat was a common practice during the Great Depression. It remains a staple in this recipe to ensure a moist texture.
Basically, French onion meatloaf is a high-flavor ‘mash-up’ that combines the nostalgic comfort of a classic family dinner with the sophisticated, savory-sweet profile of French onion soup.
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French Onion Meatloaf
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Instructions
Caramelized Onions
Slice the onions thinly & sauté them in butter or olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until they turn golden brown & sweetly fragrant. Season with salt & pepper, then allow to cool.
Meatloaf
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with half of the caramelized onions, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, egg, & breadcrumbs. Mix gently until just combined to keep the meatloaf tender.
Transfer the meat mixture into a greased loaf pan. Shape it into a loaf & bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F for safe consumption.
Once baked, take the meatloaf out of the oven & pile the remaining caramelized onions on top. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese generously over the onions. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melty and bubbly.
Allow the meatloaf to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. This helps maintain its juiciness. Serve while hot, alongside creamy mashed potatoes or a salad.
The combination of mincemeat with pancakes and orange sauce is typically enjoyed as a festive twist on traditional breakfast fare during the Christmas holidays. The orange flavor is a natural fit, as many modern mincemeat recipes incorporate orange as a key flavor.
Mincemeat originated in medieval England and the Middle East as a method for preserving meat using a mixture of minced meat, suet, fruits, and expensive spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. The spices helped to show off wealth and disguise the flavor of older meat. Over centuries, the meat content in mincemeat gradually decreased, replaced by more fruit and suet. By the end of the 19th century, meat was a rare inclusion, and the dish fully transitioned from a savory main course to the sweet Christmas dessert we know today.
You might wonder what mincemeat is good for besides mince pies (or just eating with a spoon). You can stir it into a cobbler; add a cup to a muffin recipe; heat it up and spread it on your weekend pancakes or waffles; or use it in place of dates in a date square recipe. You could even serve it on a cheese plate as a very seasonal chutney.
I realize mincemeat isn’t for everyone but if you do care for it, these pancakes with orange butter sauce are well worth a try.
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Mincemeat Pancakes w/ Orange Butter Sauce
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Instructions
Orange Butter Sauce
Place the sugar, water & orange zest in a pan & bring to the boil, let it bubble & froth for 1 minute on a medium heat, then turn down the heat to low & stir in the butter until melted. Leave on a very low heat until ready to serve.
Pancakes
Place the milk and mincemeat in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Add flour, baking powder, sugar, egg, vanilla extract & salt. Use a whisk to mix until combined.
Pour ¼ tbsp. oil in a large skillet, then wipe around with a kitchen towel to cover the pan. Heat the pan on a medium heat until hot. Pour in enough mixture to make three pancakes (approx. ¼ cup of mix per pancake). Turn the pancakes over when bubbles form on top & then burst, & the edges start to look firm (about 1-2 minutes). Cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the mixture - oiling the pan each time - until all the pancakes are cooked (keep the pancakes warm in a very low oven while you’re making each batch).
Assembly
Stack 3 pancakes on each plate. Top each stack with orange segments, butter sauce & whipped cream.
Chicken parmesan, also known as chicken parmigiana, originated from Italian immigrants in the US in the 1950s. The original version made with eggplant was adapted to use chicken breast instead.
The dish has become a ubiquitous mainstay in Italian American cuisine. Variations exist, but the core ingredients remain the same: chicken breast, breadcrumbs, Italian seasonings, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese.
Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf combines the best of both worlds—the comforting appeal of meatloaf with the irresistible flavors of Chicken Parmesan.
Meatloaf is elemental. It’s enduring, served without undue fuss or expensive implements …. comfort food without a doubt. I think an easy meatloaf recipe is something every home ‘chef’ should have in their arsenal. This particular one consists of seasoned coarsely chopped chicken thighs nestled under a zesty tomato sauce and cheese topping. I find chicken thighs make such a nice tasting option as opposed to regular ground chicken.
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Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with foil & spray with cooking spray.
In a saucepan, sauté onion & garlic in olive oil until softened. Cool completely.
In a large bowl, mix all meatloaf ingredients just until combined. Place mixture in loaf pan. Using a fork flatten then top with marinara sauce.
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Combine topping ingredients. Top meatloaf with mozzarella & bread crumb topping. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until center reaches 165 F.
Cool 10 minutes before slicing.
