Pumpkin, apple recipes give kids the best flavors of fall harvest

Editor's Note: The Busy Kitchen is a Monday column written by two area chefs — Tiffany Poe and Valarie Carter — who also happen to be mothers of young children. They explore nutrition, cooking for kids and more.

Nothing speaks October and harvest season like apples, squash and pumpkins. Their beautiful autumn colors and "easy to squeeze" shapes make them the perfect decoration and delicatessen for this time or year. I love having these cute "fall favorites" around my house, and I really love turning them into yummy treats with my kids.

The smell of hot apple cider, the taste of pumpkin rolls and look of roasted acorn squash with butter and cinnamon define the true flavor profiles of fall. They all have a slightly sweet comforting flavors and incredible culinary versatility.

I start shopping for pumpkins, squash and assorted apple varieties in early October because I like to plenty on hand to play with in the kitchen. They make the house feel warm and really help create the perfect mood for throwing a harvest or costume party.

I love to get my kids involved during harvest cooking time. They love carving pumpkins, dipping apples and eating butternut squash roasted with cinnamon maple butter. I love them because they are nutritious and easy to turn into tasty treats for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. I have four recipes to share with you this week. They cover all the bases for amazing fall harvest dishes on your menu no matter what kind of food mood you are in.

APPLE AND THYME HASH

Serves 4

2 honeycrisp or gala apples, medium diced

2 cups of butternut squash, medium diced (can purchase whole or pre-diced)

1/2 red onion, diced

6-8 small red potatoes, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Salt and pepper to season

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and dice apples, butternut squash, potatoes, red onion and celery and set aside.

2. On a baking sheet pan, spread potatoes and butternut squash evenly across the space. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper on the vegetables. Toss to coat.

3. Roast vegetables in oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown and soft. Remove from oven and set aside. (This step can be done ahead of time and vegetables can be refrigerated for future use.)

4. In a heavy nonstick or cast iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. On medium-high heat, saute red onion, apples and celery until soft and color appears.

5. Add fresh thyme and roasted vegetables to skillet and continue to cook for several minutes to combine flavors and allow for color.

6. Turn off heat and add 1 tablespoon maple syrup and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Enjoy with rotisserie or grilled chicken and a green salad for a tasty and super quick weeknight meal.

Note: You can substitute sweet potatoes for butternut squash.

PUMPKIN BUTTER

Makes 6 small pumpkin pots

1 bag of small pumpkins (about the size of a baseball)

1 pound salted softened butter

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Using a sharp knife, cut the top portion off of the small pumpkins. The goal is use the top as a lid for your butter container.

2. Scoop the seeds and pulp from the small pumpkin using a spoon. Make sure to get all the strings. Save the seeds for the pepita recipe.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together softened butter and pumpkin puree. Use a whisk to combine. If mixture looks separated, use rubber spatula to smooth.

4. Add pumpkin pie spice and maple syrup to combine.

5. Using a clean spoon, fill hollowed-out pumpkin shells with butter mixture. Place pumpkin top on filled shell and refrigerate until time to serve.

Note: This pumpkin butter is great on toast, muffins or bagels. You can also use these on your holiday party or buffet table.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI WITH BROWN SAGE BUTTER

Makes 35-40 ravioli

2 cups of squash puree (canned or fresh)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to serve

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs or finely crumbled crackers

15-20 small fresh sage leaves

1 package round wonton wrappers

1/4 cup water in a small bowl

8 tablespoons salted butter

Salt and pepper

1. Fill a large pasta pot or stock pot with water and bring to a soft boil.

2. In a medium bowl, combine squash puree, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, pumpkin pie spice and breadcrumbs into a paste. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. On an open counter space, lay out wonton wrapper and place 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin filling in the center of the wrapper.

4. Using your index finger, dip the tip in the water and brush a small amount around the edge of the wonton wrapper.

5. Place second wrapper on top of the base wrapper and seal around the edges of the ravioli. Make sure there are no air pockets in ravioli as it will cause the pocket to rupture during the boiling process.

6. Using a fork, press the edge of the wrappers between the fork tines to secure the two wrappers together.

7. Repeat process until all the filling is used and all ravioli are assembled.

8. Once ravioli are assembled, place 4-5 at a time in soft boiling water. When the ravioli are cooked, they will float to the top of the pot. This takes approximately 2 minutes. Once they have floated to the top, remove from pan with a skimmer or slotted spoon and place on a plate or platter. Once ravioli are cooked off you can begin the sauce.

9. Place butter in a medium nonstick saute pan. Melt butter slowly and continue to allow butter to brown on low heat. The butter solids will turn light brown and become toasty.

10. Place fresh sage leaves in butter and cook for about 30 seconds.

11. Add cooked ravioli to pan and saute for 1-2 minutes to coat butter over ravioli. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

12. To serve, top with more Parmesan cheese and spoon additional butter and sage over ravioli on plate.

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIES

Makes 6 portions

1 cup frozen pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

3 cups whole milk or almond milk

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup honey or agave nectar

1-2 cinnamon graham crackers

1. Combine pumpkin puree, yogurt, milk, honey and spice mixture into blender. Blend on medium speed for about a minute.

2. Serve with crumbled crackers and a small sprinkle of the pumpkin pie spice.

Note: You can substitute pumpkin pie filling (sold next to the pumpkin puree) in place of the puree and honey or agave nectar.

To freeze: Place the mix in an old-fashioned ice-cube tray or in a plastic storage container and freeze for 2 hours or overnight.