Food and Beverage
Refresh Spring Menus with Sweet and Savory Favorites
Last Updated on July 7, 2024 by Daily News Staff
(Family Features) Whether your favorite springtime meals take you to the patio or have you throwing open the windows to let fresh air in, enjoying the sunshine and warmth with sweet and savory dishes is a perfect way to celebrate the season. Better yet – bring loved ones together with recipes that are as easy to make as they are delicious for refreshing taste without the hassle.
The uplifting aroma and flavor of Envy Apples offer an invitation to savor small moments around the table, especially when used in simple favorites like muffins, sandwiches, pizza or pies for delicious dishes all day long. Celebrating spring can start with this ultimate apple experience, allowing you to introduce loved ones to new ways to rethink weekly staples.
Wake up with breakfast or brunch on the patio, highlighted by Apple and Date Muffins you can prepare fresh or bake ahead of time then reheat for an easy, breezy morning. Spring often means outdoor activities which require a recharge at lunch like these Apple, Bacon and Brie Cheese Toasties featuring the perfect pairing of sweet with savory.
Wind down the day with Stilton Cheese Pizza, an ultimate family favorite and shareable solution. Finally, cap off the excitement of warming weather and time outdoors with a slice of Classic Apple Lattice Tart served with a scoop of ice cream or custard.
These recipes and more start with the craveable texture and crunch of Envy Apples – a leading apple variety – that provide balanced sweetness with flesh that remains whiter longer, even after cutting, so your favorite meals look as delicious as they taste.
Visit EnvyApple.com to find more patio-perfect recipe inspiration.
Classic Apple Lattice Tart
Servings: 8-10
- 2-3 sheets puff pastry dough
- 5 Envy Apples
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
- ice cream, custard or cream, for serving (optional)
- Preheat oven to 365 F.
- Use two sheets semi-thawed pastry to line fluted tart pan approximately 10 inches, pressing and trimming neatly to fit; chill 15 minutes.
- Peel, core and thinly slice apples into large bowl; sprinkle with sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch then toss well to evenly coat.
- Arrange apple slices in pastry-lined tart pan, laying flat.
- Beat egg with milk. Brush egg wash around pastry rim.
- Cut 1/2-inch strips from remaining pastry sheet and make lattice pattern over apples, crimping edges once lattice is completed.
- Brush tart with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake 35-40 minutes, or until pastry is golden. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with ice cream, custard or cream, if desired.
Apple and Date Muffins
Servings: 12
- 2 Envy Apples
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup bran flakes
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped dates
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- butter or powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375 F and line muffin pan with cupcake papers.
- Peel and core apples and dice finely; toss with maple syrup.
- In large bowl, combine flour, bran flakes, brown sugar, dates, pumpkin pie spice and baking powder; mix well.
- In separate bowl, whisk melted butter, egg and milk.
- Add half maple-apple mixture to dry ingredients.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold together until mixed. Spoon evenly into muffin tin cupcake papers. Add 1 teaspoon remaining maple-apple mixture to top of each muffin.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until muffin mix is set and apple topping is golden. Allow muffins to cool 5 minutes before removing from tin.
- Serve with butter or dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Stilton Cheese Pizza
Yield: 1 pizza
- 1 tablespoon pizza sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 storebought pizza crust
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/3 cup stilton cheese, divided
- 1 Envy Apple
- 4 slices prosciutto
- fresh arugula leaves, for garnish
- fresh basil, for garnish
- toasted walnuts (optional)
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Combine pizza sauce and sweet chili sauce. Spread sauce over pizza crust.
- Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the stilton cheese.
- Cut apple in half then core and slice into thin wedges. Arrange apple over cheese then top with remaining cheese.
- Cook pizza 7-10 minutes until pale golden and starting to bubble. Add prosciutto and cook 2-3 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Serve with fresh arugula and basil. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts, if desired.
Apple, Bacon and Brie Cheese Toasties
Servings: 2
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 1 teaspoon honey mustard, plus additional for serving (optional)
- 4 slices cooked bacon
- 1 Envy Apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 3/4 ounces brie cheese, sliced
- side salad, for serving (optional)
- Butter one side of each bread slice.
- Lay out two slices bread, buttered sides down. Top with honey mustard then layer with two bacon slices, apple slices and brie cheese slices. Top with remaining slices bread, buttered sides up, to create two sandwiches.
- Heat grill pan or frying pan and cook sandwiches until golden brown on each side and cheese is beginning to bubble.
- Cut sandwiches in half and serve with side salad or extra honey mustard, if desired.
SOURCE:
Envy Apples
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recipes
Transform Leftover Halloween Candy Into Creative Brownies
Transform Leftover Halloween Candy: Once all the trick-or-treaters have filled their pumpkin totes and the porch lights have turned off, many American households are stocked with an abundance of sweet treats in the aftermath of a successful Halloween. Make them even sweeter by using those chocolates and cookies as decorations on a tray of brownies to share with family, friends or coworkers.
Transform Leftover Halloween Candy Into Creative Brownies
(Feature Impact) Once all the trick-or-treaters have filled their pumpkin totes and the porch lights have turned off, many American households are stocked with an abundance of sweet treats in the aftermath of a successful Halloween. Make them even sweeter by using those chocolates and cookies as decorations on a tray of brownies to share with family, friends or coworkers.
Chocolatey treats work best for this recipe but the specifics are up to you. Whether you use one kind of candy for the whole tray, decorate each section with a different variety, combine them all for a flavor explosion or let the kids decide, this is a fun way to enjoy the sugary bounty. Avoid using gummy, chalky or hard candy.
You’ll add most of the candy to the top of the brownies after baking, but you can also toss a few pieces into the bottom of the pan before pouring in the batter if you’d like some extra surprises in each bite.
Find more seasonal recipe inspiration at Culinary.net.
Leftover Halloween Candy Brownies
Recipe adapted from Sarah’s Day Off
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 9
- 2 cups leftover Halloween candy, chopped
- nonstick cooking spray
- 6 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, broken into pieces
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- Transfer chopped candy pieces to container and freeze.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper and grease again.
- In small saucepan, add baking chocolate pieces and butter. Melt slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely smooth.
- Using stand or hand mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar 3 minutes.
- Scrape down mixing bowl. Set speed to low and gently pour in melted chocolate and butter mixture. Increase speed to medium and beat until mixture is completely combined. Beat in salt and vanilla. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
- Using rubber spatula or spoon, gently fold in flour and cocoa powder until mixture is smooth. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake 40-50 minutes, or until center is set. Immediately press frozen candies into top of brownies, arranging as desired.
- Refrigerate pan 2 hours, or until cool, then slice into nine equal brownies.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
SOURCE:
Food
NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Drops a 12-Day Advent Calendar for Holiday Baking
Nestlé Toll House is releasing its first-ever 12 Days Advent Calendar featuring new Snowflake Cookie Dough and Snowflake Morsels plus classic favorites. Drops Oct. 9, Nov. 6, and Dec. 4 for $29.99.
Holiday baking season is getting a new countdown tradition. NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® has announced its first-ever 12 Days of NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Advent Calendar, a limited-edition set built to help families bake, share, and make memories in the kitchen—one surprise at a time.
Designed in the shape of a house inspired by the original Toll House Inn, the calendar is meant to sit on a countertop as part of the seasonal setup. It features 12 numbered doors that also double as festive holiday cards, with each day revealing a corresponding NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE product.
What’s inside the 12-day calendar
Instead of mini candies, this calendar leans into what the brand is known for: cookie dough and morsels. The lineup includes two new holiday innovations plus a mix of familiar favorites.
Two new holiday innovations
- NEW! NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Snowflake Morsels: Snowflake-shaped morsels designed to bake into holiday treats or sprinkle on top as a decorative finish for cookies, brownies, bark, and more.
- NEW! NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Snowflake Cookie Dough: Sugar cookie dough with snowflake-shaped morsels mixed in for a winter-ready twist.
Ten favorites and festive classics
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Santa’s Cookie Dough
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Peppermint Cocoa Cookie Dough
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Holiday Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolatey Flavored Football Morsels
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Artificially Flavored Morsels
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels (made with 100% real chocolate)
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Mini Morsels
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate Morsels
- NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Remix Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Why this fits the season
For STM Daily News readers, the appeal is pretty straightforward: it’s a ready-made holiday baking starter kit that also functions as a festive countertop display. It’s positioned as a way to spark new traditions—whether that’s a nightly bake-and-watch routine, a weekend cookie swap prep session, or quick treats for school and office parties.
In the announcement, Melanie Knoke, Sr. Marketing Manager at NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE, said the calendar is meant to bring the brand’s long-running “bake, share and celebrate” spirit into a new format, combining seasonal newcomers with classic staples.
How to buy it (drop dates + price)
The 12 Days of NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Advent Calendar is priced at $29.99 and will be available exclusively at tollhouse.com/adventcalendar in three limited drops. Each drop goes live at 2 p.m. ET:
- October 9
- November 6
- December 4 (National Cookie Day)
Quantities are limited, and the brand notes that fans should act quickly when each drop opens.
What to watch for
Advent calendars have been expanding beyond candy into “experience” categories—beauty, coffee, and now baking ingredients. This release is a good example of that shift: it’s not just a countdown, it’s a built-in reason to get into the kitchen multiple times during the season.
For more information, NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® directs fans to VeryBestBaking.com and its social channels, including @TollHouse on Facebook.
Source (press release):
- PRNewswire — NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Launches First-Ever Advent Calendar for the Holiday Season” (Oct. 5, 2026)
Related links:
- Advent calendar purchase page: https://tollhouse.com/adventcalendar
- Brand hub / baking resources: https://www.verybestbaking.com/toll-house/
- Nestlé USA company info: https://www.nestleusa.com
Local Business
Cracker Barrel Welcomes the Holidays With Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes, Country Fried Turkey and Thanksgiving Feasts
From sweet cinnamon breakfasts to complete Thanksgiving dinners, Cracker Barrel is bringing holiday comfort food to the table with new menu items, returning favorites and convenient meals for families celebrating at home.
Food & Drink | STM Daily News
The holiday season is approaching, and Cracker Barrel is getting an early start on the festivities with a lineup of comforting seasonal dishes, festive beverages and ready-to-serve Thanksgiving meals.
The restaurant chain announced its 2026 holiday menu on October 20, introducing new Cinnamon Swirl Pancakesand a Country Fried Turkey Sandwich, alongside returning favorites such as Country Fried Turkey and Cinnamon Swirl French Toast.
For families looking to simplify Thanksgiving preparations, Cracker Barrel is also bringing back its popular Heat & Serve meals, offering complete holiday dinners that can be prepared at home in two hours or less.
The seasonal offerings are part of the company’s “Get Your Season’s Worth” holiday campaign, which encourages customers to celebrate everyday moments throughout the season rather than saving all the festivities for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
New Holiday Flavors: Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes and Country Fried Turkey Sandwich
Two new dishes are taking center stage on Cracker Barrel’s holiday menu this year.
Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
For breakfast lovers, the new Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes combine the comforting flavors of cinnamon rolls with Cracker Barrel’s signature buttermilk pancakes.
The fluffy pancakes feature a rich cinnamon filling swirled throughout and are finished with a drizzle of sweet cream cheese icing.
The breakfast comes with two eggs and a choice of thick-sliced bacon or smoked sausage.
It’s a festive twist on a traditional pancake breakfast, offering something a little sweeter for customers looking to start their day with a taste of the holidays.
Country Fried Turkey Sandwich
Cracker Barrel is also introducing a new handheld version of one of its popular seasonal dishes.
The Country Fried Turkey Sandwich features a crispy, breaded turkey tenderloin topped with gravy and cranberry relish, served on a toasted bun.
The combination brings together several familiar Thanksgiving flavors in a sandwich that customers can enjoy without waiting for the holiday itself.
For those who enjoy the traditional combination of turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce, the sandwich offers a convenient alternative to a full holiday dinner.
Returning Holiday Favorites
Along with its new offerings, Cracker Barrel is bringing back several seasonal favorites that have become familiar parts of its holiday menu.
Country Fried Turkey
The returning entrée features hand-breaded turkey tenderloins topped with creamy herbed pan gravy.
It’s served with country sides, cranberry relish and a choice of buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins.
Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast
This returning breakfast favorite features cinnamon streusel bread dipped in Cracker Barrel’s signature batter and cooked until golden brown.
The French toast is topped with cinnamon and cream cheese icings and served with two eggs and a choice of bacon or smoked sausage.
Rich DIY Hot Chocolate
For customers looking for a warm seasonal treat, Cracker Barrel’s returning hot chocolate comes topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.
Guests can personalize their drinks with a selection of toppings.
Cinnamon Swirl Latte
Available hot or iced, the Cinnamon Swirl Latte features sweet cinnamon flavor, whipped cream, an icing drizzle and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Together, these returning favorites provide customers with several ways to enjoy familiar holiday flavors throughout the season.
Thanksgiving Dinner Without Spending All Day in the Kitchen
For many families, Thanksgiving is about gathering around the table, sharing a meal and spending time together.
However, preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner can require hours of cooking, planning and cleanup.
Cracker Barrel is offering an alternative with its Thanksgiving Heat & Serve meals, designed to provide a complete holiday dinner with significantly less preparation.
According to the company, the meals can be heated and served in two hours or less.
Two options are available for families of different sizes.
Thanksgiving Heat & Serve Turkey Family Dinner — Approximately $119.99
Designed to feed four to six people, this meal includes:
- One oven-roasted turkey breast
- Sweet potato casserole
- Green beans
- Cornbread dressing
- Turkey gravy
- Cranberry relish
- Sweet rolls
The Family Dinner offers a traditional Thanksgiving meal without requiring customers to prepare each dish from scratch.
Thanksgiving Heat & Serve Turkey Feast — Approximately $189.99
For larger gatherings, the Turkey Feast serves eight to ten people and includes:
- Two oven-roasted turkey breasts
- Sweet potato casserole
- Green beans
- Mashed potatoes
- Cornbread dressing
- Turkey gravy
- Cranberry relish
- Sweet rolls
- Pumpkin pie
- Pecan pie
The larger meal includes dessert, making it a more complete option for families hosting Thanksgiving celebrations.
Important: Prices are approximate and may vary by restaurant location.
Holiday Pies for the Dessert Table
Customers who prefer to prepare their own Thanksgiving dinner but want to save time on dessert can also purchase Cracker Barrel’s fresh-baked holiday pies.
Available flavors include pumpkin, pecan, chocolate pecan and cinnamon roll, among others.
Pies are typically priced around $14.49 each, depending on location.
These desserts provide an additional option for holiday hosts who want to spend less time baking while still offering familiar seasonal favorites.
When Can Customers Order Thanksgiving Meals?
Cracker Barrel began accepting Thanksgiving Heat & Serve pre-orders on October 20.
Customers can place orders through the company’s website or mobile app.
Thanksgiving meal pickup dates: November 21–29, 2026.
With Thanksgiving falling on Thursday, November 26, customers have several pickup dates available to accommodate their holiday plans.
The company recommends ordering ahead to secure the desired meal and pickup date.
The seasonal restaurant menu is also available for a limited time at participating Cracker Barrel locations nationwide.
Celebrating the Little Moments of the Holiday Season
Cracker Barrel’s holiday campaign focuses on the idea that memorable gatherings don’t always have to happen on major holidays.
Sometimes, a family breakfast, a weeknight dinner or an unexpected gathering can become a meaningful holiday tradition.
“Some of the best holiday memories happen when you’re not planning on making them,” said Sarah Moore, Cracker Barrel’s chief marketing officer.
The company hopes its seasonal menu will encourage customers to enjoy those moments throughout the holidays.
The strategy also reflects a growing interest in convenient meal options that allow families to enjoy traditional holiday foods without spending an entire day preparing them.
A Taste of Tradition for the Holidays
Founded in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1969, Cracker Barrel has built its reputation around homestyle meals, country hospitality and traditional American comfort food.
Today, the company operates approximately 660 restaurants across 43 states.
Its 2026 holiday lineup continues that tradition by combining familiar seasonal dishes with new menu offerings and convenient take-home meals.
Whether customers are interested in cinnamon-filled pancakes for breakfast, a country fried turkey sandwich for lunch or a complete Thanksgiving feast at home, the restaurant is offering several ways to enjoy the flavors of the season.
And for families who would rather spend Thanksgiving visiting with loved ones than managing a kitchen full of pots and pans, the Heat & Serve meals may be an appealing alternative.
Where to Find More Information
Customers can explore the holiday menu, check local availability and place Thanksgiving meal pre-orders through the official Cracker Barrel website or mobile app.
Website: CrackerBarrel.com
Source: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., news release dated October 20, 2026.
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