This Giveaway is now CLOSED!
Thanks everyone for your patience. The winner of the Our Best Bites Cookbook is number #190 Julie N. Congratulations Julie. Please email me at: [email protected]. You have 48 hours and then a new winner will be selected.
Fall is my very favorite season and I have asked a few of my favorite bloggers to share some of their fall favorites here with you. I am so excited to have Sara from Our Best Bites sharing her recipe for Apple Cider Floats {a delicious twist to the regular apple cider drink} as part of The Idea Room Fall Festival!
Hello Hello all you Idea-Roomers! I’m so happy to be hanging out over here today on sweet Amy’s awesome blog. My name is Sara Wells and I co-author the food blog Our Best Bites with my good friend Kate Jones.
Kate and I both have a serious obsession with autumn in general, but especially with fall food. I love the smell of apples and warm spices brewing, hearty, savory soups simmering on the stove, and rustic home-baked breads in the oven. My only problem, is that where I live in Boise, Idaho, all of those amazing flavors of fall (and my desire to consume them) usually arrive well before the fall weather.
When I start seeing pumpkins and autumn wreaths in the stores, we’re still sporting shorts and flip flops and buying popsicles by the truck-load. To solve that little conundrum, let me introduce you to, the apple pie float. All of the yummy flavors of fall, but perfect for summer temperatures!
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It starts with nice, thick apple cider. Use the good stuff!
Add in some ginger ale for a little fizz action, and then plop in a big ole’ scoop of vanilla ice cream.
We like to top ours with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg and a little drizzle of caramel sauce.
The apple flavor in a good cider is out of this world, and when the ice cream starts melting and creating a creamy, frothy drink with bits of caramel and spice? Can’t beat it. So keep those flip-flops on, and enjoy every last drop of summer as you welcome in fall!
Apple Cider Floats from Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
1 cup high quality apple cider (the thick stuff is best!)
1/2 cup ginger ale
1-2 scoops vanilla ice cream, or any seasonal flavor such as cinnamon or apple pie
ground cinnamon and nutmeg for sprinkling 1-2 tablespoons
jarred caramel sauce
Directions:
Pour apple cider and ginger ale into a glass. Add vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle on nutmeg and cinnamon to taste and drizzle caramel sauce on top. Serve immediately with a straw and a spoon. Yields: one serving.
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Now, speaking of seasons, Kate and I actually released our second cook book this week and it’s called, "Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites."
This recipe is in there, along with over 150 of our other favorite things to make during the various seasons of the year. You can read about the book here.
Thanks so much Sara! It has been so great to have you here sharing your amazing Apple Pie Floats!! They look amazing! Perfect for a party! I was able to meet up with Sara and Kate just yesterday at their New Cook Book, Savoring the Seasons, Book Signing Event at Orson Gygi in Salt Lake.
Sara and Kate would love to give a copy away to an Idea Room reader! Isn’t that exciting?!
To enter simply leave a comment here, on this post, and tell us what your favorite "fall food" is. Happy Cooking!
*Disclaimer– This giveaway will end on September 19, 2012 at 9:00 pm MT. Giveaway is open to residents of the continental US. The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize before a new winner is chosen. I was given a copy of Our Best Bites Cookbook to review, however all opinions and statements are mine.
I LOVE anything with pumpkin in it. YUM! SO excited for the weather to cool down here to start enjoying everything that fall has to offer – great food being at the top of the list!
Thanks for the giveaway!!!
Hot chocolate!! Fall is my favorite season by far! Can’t wait to see what’s next from our best bites!
Fresh made apple cider in the crockpot is hard to beat. Hmm, maybe I should go start some right now!
I would love to win their new cookbook, I use their first one weekly :)
This looks amazing!! I would love to win this book! I didn’t used to love pot pies, but a couple of years ago I had the most amazing one, and it just seems like fall to me now.
I love pumpkin pie. Year round!
Ooh, I think my favorite fall food is actually a drink: pumpkin spice chai lattes! Yum!
Pumpkin and cream cheese anything! I bet my daddy would love that float!!
I love anything pumpkin flavored that isn’t pie (it’s a texture thing).
I love Pumpkin Bread and Zuchinni Bread. ! Yum! Thanks for the chance.
I love hot chocolate and apple cider… nothing better than snuggling up with a nice toasty drink and a good book. Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite is pumpkin pie.
Anything pumpkin!!
Anything apple I dehydrate apples and can apple pie filling. Yummy
Pumpkin! It has to be pumpkin anything and of course apple cider.
Pumpkin rolls! I usually make at least 25 or 30 b/c I have soooo many requests for them. Good thing I love them!
Apple pie without doubt!
Apple Crisp followed by Pumpkin Pie – oh I love fall foods!
There is nothing like getting apples from the local orchard.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins!!! I love them, can’t get enough, however this looks DELICIOUS and I can’t wait to try it.
I love anything Sweet Potato. My favorite is sweet potato casserole with the brown crunchy stuff…NOT marshmallows!
pumpkin anything! Bread, coffee, cheesecake ect
Pumpkin Roll! :)
I love soups and stews in the fall!
Caramel Apples!
I love Potato soup & Chili!
Pumpkin rolls….pumkin cream cheese muffins…..warm fresh bread…..hot soup simmering away on the stove. Fall has the best foods!
Pumpkin anything! Thanks for the chance to win!
Pumpkin bread. And really good soups. (Our Best Bites minestrone is one of my favorites!)
Pumpkin bread! Hands down. Love that stuff!!!!
Crockpot chili is a favorite – especially if there is football on!
Caramel apples….yum!
my fav. fall food would have to be SWEET POTATOE PIE!!!
I love pumpkin rolls!
My favorite fall food is probably the ever-so-versatile apple! My husband and I are from Washington, but he is in the Navy and this is our first year being away from WA during apple season! Last year, with some friends, we pressed over a thousand pounds of apples into cider, and brought home another thousand pounds for canning and cooking! Our homemade apple cider is, far and away, the best cider I’ve ever had in my life! It’ll make an awesome float :)
Pecan pie. Gotta have a homemade crust, too.
I love pumpkin – bread, rolls, soup, just about anything!
Delicious homemade pot roast is my favorite fall dish! I also love something called Derby Pie that we have every year at Thanksgiving. I’m one of those weird people that doesn’t like pumpkin…
I love fall because I can start making soups again!
Anything with pumpkin. :)
It looks like I’m with the rest of you! I just love anything with pumpkin. My new fave is white hot chocolate with pumpkin and carmel! Yum. I want some right now!
I think my favorite fall food is anything with pumpkin in it. I don’t really eat pumpkin anything except for in the fall! :)
Do pumpkin chocolate chip cookies count? hahaha Otherwise, I love lots of really good soups. And apple pie. And trying new pumpkin recipes. And rolls! Lots of food in the fall that I look forward to.
Your cookbook looks awesome!! My favorite fall food is Apple crisp and now will try your yummy cider drink!!!
pumpkin bars….hands down.
The float looks amazing! I always love when apple cider pops up at the store every year! YUMMY!
Oooh, it has to be pumpkin pie! I could eat that any day, any time! Yum! Thanks for the chance to win! :)
Homemade apple pie is my favorite! It seems to taste so good in the autumn. Warm drinks come second, whether it’s hot cocoa, or some yummy teas.
My favorite fall food/drink has to be the Pumpkin Spice Latte, paired with whatever pumpkin treat they have to offer! I’m a sucker for pumpkin anything ;) Thanks for the chance, I’m definitely going to try this apple pie float, looks amazing!!!
Looks like a great book! My favorite fall food is apple pie/crisp. YUM!
Anything with pumpkin…I’ve already been buying pumpkin pies at Costco!
As the weather turns crisp, I get excited for chili season (and college football)! My husband and I are constantly trying to perfect our chili recipe, which means I will get many chances to enjoy a big bowl of chili topped with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips! YUM!
Oh man. There are so many! Probably Apple Pie though. I love it. Especially with a nice big scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. And that Apple Cider Float looks AMAZING! Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway! :)
I love pumpkin pie.
I LOVE my mom’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! But you have to use Guittard milk chocolate chips! Mmm…now I want some!
Love pumpkin spice cake!
I love banana bread- it is the only time I make it, in the fall, since otherwise the house gets too hot here in LA.
I would say butternut squash soup as my favorite fall food. Pumpkin Spice Lattes (found a crock pot recipe on pinterest!) is my most favorite drink :)
Homemade mac and cheese is my favorite fall food!
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I love pumpkin pie and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies… and pretty much anything with pumpkin!
Butternut squash is my favorite fall food. Thanks!
my favorite fall food is chili and cornbread!!! love it. cant wait for it to cool down more to enjoy some.
Fall is my favorite season and I love all the food that comes with it! It’s so hard to pick a favorite, but I love a good crockpot soup or stew this time of year. Walking through the front door and smelling the flavors of a good meal that’s been cooking all day makes me feel all warm and cozy inside (and anxious to eat!).
Hard to say! I love a lot of fall foods! Definitely pumpkin cookies/bread with a lot of spices. And a cup of apple cider to go with it:)!
It doesn’t usually cool down in SoCal until October. We have a tradition of homemade chili on Halloween, so that’s the signal that it’s fall!
I love pumpkin roll.
That beverage sounds SO delicious!!!
Caramel apples are a favorite for me, but I always look forward to doing any kind of baking since the kitchen is finally cooler.
This recipe look DELICIOUS! Yum! Can’t wait to try it!
My favorite food for fall, I think it’s a tie between candied apples and kettle corn.
That looks delicious! My favorite fall food is soups in the crock pot. And hot chocolate of course.
Love a pumkin Latte on a Friday nite outside by the firepit. Now talk about fall. Love it!!
I love anything pumpkin, bread, cookies, pancakes..oh and lots of Hot Chocolate!
Pumpkin pie!
I love just about anything with pumpkin or apple in it during the fall.
My favorite fall food by far is Apple Crisp!!!!! Mmmmmmm!!!!
I love trying new soup recipes and delicious drinks like this one. :)
My favorite fall food is chicken noodle soup and rolls. This book looks wonderful!
I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but anything with pumpkin is delicious!
My favorite fall recipe is chicken and dumplings! Especially in the crock pot! :) Also, anything with pumpkin!
Caramel apples!
I love pumpkin bread and peach pie!
I love soup in bread bowls! There’s nothing like coming in after enjoying one of Falls first crisp evenings and eating a yummy, warm soup.
I love apple pie with french vanilla ice cream. I also love Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider! YUMMM!!!
Anything made with pumpkin.
I love pumpkin pie with whip cream
I love fall! My favorite is very hard to choose, but I am going with pumpkin chocolate chip bread!
My favorite fall “food” is fresh apple cider. We have numerous apple orchards in the area that supply fresh cider. LOVE IT!!!!
I love cider and hot chocolate!
My favorite fall food is pumpkin roll! Yummy!
I love caramel apples. They are the best fall food. Thanks
Apple cider!
Caramel appels are my favorite!
I love everything PUMPKIN!!!
My favorite Fall food would have to be anything with pumpkin and a nice hearty soup.
I love pumpkin bread and making soup. So yummy!
Caramel Corn!
I love making soups! My all time favorite is creamy potato with pepper jack…yum
I love anything pumpkin flavored during the fall and if it includes cream cheese frosting that is an extra bonus!
I love homemade apple pie!
It’s hard to choose between Apple or Pumpkin… I think Pumpkin cheesecake would have to win, because everything is better when made into cheesecake~
I just love butternut squash… Roasted, tossed with pasta, in creamy soup, you name it. Thanks for the super giveaway!
Caramel apples and pumpkin rolls! :)
Definitely soup! Any kind really, I just love soup on a cold day :)
Apple crisp with brown sugar topping
Pumpkin cheesecake pie!!! Mmmmmmm! …..or roasted pumpkin seeds!
Tomato soup. And I love to bake! It’s about time for slab apple pie bars!
My favorite fall food is pretty much anything with pumpkin.
S’mores by the bonfire (or these days – the fire pit!)
My farorite fall food would have to be pumpkin bars! Yummy!
My favorite fall food is pumpkin roll! Love love love!
Hmmm so many yummy things, but I think I’ll have to go with pumpkin bread, I just can’t get enough of that stuff!
I love a good hearty soup or chili in the fall! That’s the first thing I want to make once the weather gets cool.
Oh I love love love pumpkin pie and pumpkin bars. Yum!!!
Anything with pumpkin!
My favorite fall treat would probably be cinnamon rolls. Mmm! (okay you can eat them all year…but they are still a fall favorite!) Or pumpkin pie
Pumpkin roll. Mmmmmm
My favorite fall food are soups, I never was good in preparing any and the canned stuff is usually not to my liking, but recently I came across some recipes, that taste delicous even when I make them.
Taco Soup! It’s perfect for a chilly evening!
Anything with pumpkin :) yum!
I love dipping apples in caramel and I’m going to try making pumpkin bread this fall with fresh pumpkins!
Pumkin cookies with butterscotch chips! Yummy! And anything with carmel.
pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting… mmm – so good!
I LOVE Fall, it’s actually my favorite season. Probably my most favorite type of food is apple crisp and apple pie….yum!
Yum! I love fall! Anything with apples, or pumpkins, or caramel, or ….
pumpkin bread…
My favorite is Pumpkin pie
I love caramel Apple cider!
I have their first cookbook and I would love to add this one to my collection. My favorite fall food is Apple Crisp and homemade soup. I am excited to start making different soups for dinner.
I just love all things pumpkin. Bread, cookies, pie, cheesecake, soup. You name it, if is pumpkin, i’m there. :)
I LOVE good apple cider. Not the stuff you find in grocery stores, the stuff produced by our local farm market – it’s the best I’ve ever tasted. I would love to use some to make this float, along with everything else in Our Best Bites new cookbook.
My favorite fall recipe is Danish Apple Bars. It is a recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. It is made in a gelly roll pan and is the kind of dessert that you leave out on the counter with a knife beside it and anyone that walks by takes a little piece. It is a hit anywhere it has gone!!
My favorite fall treat would have to be apple cider, and now that i’ve seen this recipe, I know I’ll be making a new favorite very soon. :)
Apple crisp!
Pumpkin cheesecake, pretty much anything pumpkin!!
My favorite food in the fall is caramel apple. I look forward to it all summer.
my favorite fall food is a drink – pumpkin spice lattes!
I love anything pumpkin–but apple cider is a close second!
Pumpkin pie, muffins, bread…anything with pumpkin!
My favorite fall food? All of them! lol Chili, thanksgiving dinner, pumpkin pie, and my kids favorite is pumpkin chocolate chip muffins :)
I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
Homemade cinnamon applesauce. Yum!
Favorite fall food? Homemade Stew! Can’t wait until Fall! (And I’d love the OBB cookbook!)
Pumpkin pie! I always look forwardto pumpkin pie inthe fall.
I love pumpkin pie!!!
Our family can’t wait to go to the mountains to see all the leaves that have changed colors and make Autumn Soup.
Love pumpkin fudge!!! Doesn’t seem right to make it in March :)
Soup! As soon as it gets cool enough here in Arizona (which is still a long way off) I kick off the season with a whole week of soup!
Thanks!
Not really food, but it’s apple cider. I love the smell of warm apple cider in the house. definitely reminds me of fall.
My favorite fall food is Sweet Potato casserole YUM!
I love pumpkin bread in the fall.
Pumpkin anything! And apple crisp. There’s nothing like the smell of fall baking!
Apple bread! Actually everything baking
We are big fans of all things pumpkin, but especially good ol’ pumpkin pie!! :)
I love anything pumpkin, so many yummy pumpkin recipes that I love, especially pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting.
Homemade apple pie – made like my grandma used to make: thin sliced apples with a double crust, baked in a jelly-roll pan so you can slice it in squares and eat it with your hands. Thanks for the giveaway!
I LOVEEEE pumpkin pie!!
First of all, bless you for such a simple giveaway! I love that all I have to do is leave a comment – not tweet, fb, pin, repost, do a handstand, etc. I really appreciate that.
Back to the matter at hand. Fall foods? Definitely my favorite category! When I lived in upstate NY there was this stellar historic, quaint cider mill that made fresh pressed cider and homemade cider donuts. Seriously, best thing ever. When people asked what I would miss when we moved from NY, that was it. Yum.
Wow, that float sent shivers down my spine. Looks delish!
Favourite fall food? Honey Crisp apples. They’re hard to grow around where I live, and have a very short season, so they are definitely a special fall treat.
My favorite fall food is apple pie made from local/homegrown apples.
Your float looks incredible, and so fall-ish! Going to give it a try with some soy ice cream for all of us at out house who are lactose intolerant.
My all time favorite fall flavor is pumpkin – pumpkin pie, pumpkin delight, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin chili! It’s delicious in anything!
Pie!
Anything pumpkin or apple! I love fall food!
Chili! It’s a family favorite when the breezes are brisk and the leaves start changing colors. Not much better than a warm & hearty dinner when the season changes to Fall :) Thanks, Andrea
Anything pumpkin
My favorite fall food would have to be my Mom’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I look forward to them every year. Thanks for the great giveaway.
I love anything with pumpkin!
Pumpkin Cake and Butternut Soup….but not together…
Pumpkin anything and butternut squash!!
pumkin bread
Hot cocoa and doughnuts
I love anything pumpkin in the fall! Oh… and caramel popcorn!! :)
Just get excited to bake- pumpkin pie, sugar cookies, rolls for soup, all those warm, homey, “candle worthy” smells!
I love homemade pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream! I even request it for my birthday every year.
I love all the sweet bread, Carmel apple, zucchini, pumpkin chocolate chip! Doesn’t get better than that!
My favorite fall food is Apple Crisp.
I love everything pumpkin! Thanks for the giveaway!
Pumpkin squares with cream cheese frosting. Yum.
chellelee7{at}gmail{dot}com
I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
Pumpkin pie is my favorite fall food!
I love pumpkin cookies! I dont know why I dont makethem all year long, but Fall really makes me want them.
Soup is my favorite fall food and anything made with apples for dessert!
Pumpkin bread may possibly be the only reason I don’t cry big, salty tears at the end of the summer.
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! Yum!!!
My favorite fall food is beef stew – love it!!!
My favorite fall food is my grandma’s beef & barley soup. It’s loaded with root vegies (potato, carrot, turnip, parsnip), parsley, cubed beef and pearl barley. It’s easy to make and is even a good crock pot friendly soup. The smell and taste always remind me of cool fall days and my grandma!
This might be a southern thing, but I love sweet potato pie- not a fan of pumpkin.
Pumpkin cookies!!!
So hard to choose a favorite fall food, there’s so many! Some of my favorites are apple pie, pumpkin bread and acorn squash soup. Love the cooler weather!
My fave fall food would be cider donuts. A few of our local farms sell homemade 1s. So good. [email protected]
If it has pumpkin in it I am a HUGE fan! This is my favorite season!
So far this year we have had many batches of apple cider pancakes because I’m trying to get the recipe perfect! We LOVE making caramel and chocolate dipped apples. Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks!
My favorite fall food is anything pumpkin…pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin scones!
Anything with pumpkin-but especially pumpkin chocolate chip bread—yum! :)
I love soups and chili during the fall!
Anything pumpkin, I’m obsessed!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are my very favorite fall food! Yum!
I love OBB’s Sausage Tortellini Soup for Fall. I’m not trying to suck up either, the soup is REALLY good. Soups all around, love them but that one is a keeper.
My favorite fall food is apple crisp! Or thanksgiving pies..does that count? Yum!!!
How do you choose? Probably warm soups and of course bread on the side. That always makes me feel like fall is here.
I have to say SOUP! It is so nice to enjoy something warm. But I am going to have to include spice flavored treats too.
My favorite fall food is Pumpkin…..muffins, bread, pancakes, soup, chili
Apple dumplings from the local apple orchard!
Anything with pumpkin!!!!
I love Cheddar Apple Pear Pie! Num!
My favorite fall is apple crisp!! The smell of it cooking YUMMY
I love Sara and Kate! My favorite Fall food would have to be soup.
pumpkin rolls!
I guess it depends on if I am in the mood for savory or sweet. I love creamy potato soup and I also love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Yummm I love fall!
#1 Apple Cider
I love any pumpkin Dessert!
My favorite fall food would be anything with apples or the delicious warm soups that are perfect this time of year.
Pumpkin bread!
Fresh pressed apple cider.. Yummy!
Along with everyone else, I love apple and pumpkin anything in the fall, but this year I’m especially excited about SOUPS of all kinds. I love soup in the fall, with freshly baked bread. Sara and Kate are amazing, I would love to add their 2nd book to my collection!
apple cider donuts and apple ice cream …YUMMY ! This is of course at the apple festival in NJ every fall. Can’t wait to go!
thanks for the chance,
mary
I’m curious to know who won? I checked the giveaway winners page but didn’t see it–is there someone else I should look?
No! I just haven’t posted it yet. I will be sharing the winner today. Sorry! I am a bit slow these days :)