Wondering what to cook in September? The following are the top three September fan favourite recipes from a year ago. And as an added bonus, I’m including two recipes originally published in this month that I always enjoy. Happy cooking and bon appétit!

September is one of my favourite months of the year, as it’s the gateway to fall, my favourite season. I love how the intense summer heat mellows and the beach is all but deserted for my almost-annual September stay at the lake. And oh, how the bountiful produce inspires me in the kitchen.

New Feature: Fan Favourite Recipes

I’ve been at this blogging thing for a long time now—eleven years if you can believe it!—so the traffic on the site gives me a pretty good idea of the recipes people turn to during any month of the year. It occurred to me that looking at the previous year’s fan favourite recipes is a good way to find inspiration for what to cook and bake during the month ahead.

So, at the beginning of each month I’ll be presenting the three most-visited posts from the previous year. And, I’ll also be featuring two of my most favourite recipes to make that month, especially ones that showcase the foods that are bountiful locally to me. Let me tell you, that’s not an easy choice when you consider there are about 600 published recipes here, which works out to 50 or so for each month.

September Fan Favourite Recipes

In September 2021, the top three recipes on Urban Cottage Life were:

• Hamburger, Potato and Tomato Skillet Dinner
• Pasta with Garlic, Red Chili and Lime
• Flaky Pastry with Butter and Lard

While the hamburger and pasta recipes don’t seem especially seasonal from an ingredients perspective, they certainly are fitting for September when summer vacations are over, kids are back in school, and folks generally may be more focused on work and “normal” routines. These are both quick, easy and family-friendly dinners.

As for that pastry recipe, with the plethora of peaches and apples that we see in the markets this time of year it’s not surprising that there’s pie making going on.

Urban Cottage Life’s Top Choices for September

Two recipes immediately came to mind as my features for this month. The first is my Grilled Corn Soup. I love all things corn, but grilling the cobs before slicing off the kernels adds a new dimension of flavour. This recipe celebrates so much late summer produce: corn, potatoes, field tomatoes and more. I first came up with the recipe in the tiny and rustic kitchen of the cottage on Lake Huron that I rented for many years, so it has special memories of serving it accompanied by the sound and scent of the lake.

My second choice is Caramel Apple Crumble Squares. What can I say, I’m proud of this beauty! This showcase of fresh local apples doesn’t require making a pastry crust, and thinly slicing and neatly stacking the apples adds elegant flair. And then of course, caramel … say no more.

Happy September cooking and baking!

Looking for More Seasonal Recipes?

Just about every kind of Ontario produce you can think of is available in local farm markets right now (okay, I know some aren’t!). These three recipe roundups link you up to a total of 25 recipes for soups, corn, and watermelon: Late Summer Harvest Soups; What To Do with Fresh Corn; and Watermelon Recipe Roundup. Have fun!