Fall apples are crunchy, juicy and full of flavor. They definitely deserve their own celebratory month, which happens to be October. In honor of this healthy and tasty fruit, here are a couple recipes from U.S. Apple Association. Get more at Dawn's Dish.

Cranberry-Apple Salsa

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 sweet apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 2 cups)

1 cup whole cranberry sauce

1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

To prepare salsa, combine sugar, cider vinegar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add half of the chopped apples stirring well; cover and reduce heat. Cook gently until apples are soft and mash with a potato masher until almost smooth. Add cranberry sauce to apple mixture and let cool slightly. Add the remaining apples, scallions, jalapenos, and cilantro if desired. Serves about 4. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Apple-Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Baking Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 (1 ¼ cup) servings

1 ¼ cup dry elbow macaroni (5 ounces)

1 ½ cup small diced, unpeeled, tart green or red apples

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 ¼ cup whole milk (lower fat milk can be substituted)

1 small bay leaf

2 1/3 cup shredded sharp white or yellow cheddar cheese (about 10 ounces)

½ teaspoon dry sherry

Salt to taste

Ground white pepper to taste

1/3 cup plain panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2-quart round casserole; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking; drain well. Return pasta to saucepan. Add apples.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and cook over medium heat about 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour; cook and stir about 1 minute or until fragrant.

Slowly stir in milk with wire whisk. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and cook sauce for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in 2 cups of cheese and dry sherry. Cook and stir 1 minute or until cheese is melted. Remove from heat; add salt and pepper, if desired. Add cheese sauce to pasta-apple mixture; gently stir until well combined. Transfer mixture to prepared casserole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup cheese and panko. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven about 30 minutes or just until heated through and lightly browned. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.