Favorite Autumn Recipes

[jeninky]

12 ounces butterscotch chips

1 (5 ounce) can chow mein noodles

1 cup cocktail peanuts

Microwave morsels in glass bowl on medium just until shiny.

Add chow mein noodles and nuts.

Stir quickly and thoroughly until noodles are evenly coated.

Quickly spoon onto waxed paper.

Let them set until dry (about 15 minutes).

[jeninky]

OKay

are you ready??

This is my dads special family recipe for his fudge/candy!

Chocolate Candy/Fudge

2-12 oz. bags of chocolate Chips

2-cans of Vanilla Frosting

1 Bag of Chopped Pecans (optional)

Melt Chips over a double broiler and then add the frosting then add nuts.

Pour in a PAM sprayed glass dish and let it get hard and cut into pieces...

It might look kinda greasy but that will go away when it hardens...

To make Peanut Butter Candy/Fudge

Use 2-12 oz. bags of Peanut Butter Morsels instead of the Chocolate!

[Jokelly]

One of my favorite cold weather recipes is Potato Soup.

Ooo, we make potato soup, too, in the fall and winter. Our recipe is different, I think more of a German Potato Soup, but every family I know makes it different than the next. I've heard of people pureeing their potatoes, made with cheese, without, chunky, with dumplings, without. Here is how we make ours. I like hearing the different varieties of Potato Soup.

Potato Soup

4-5 potatoes cubes (or however many you want)

Water (or chicken broth)

Milk (or evaporated milk)

1 onion diced

2-3 Tbsp. butter

Bisquick drop dumpling recipe.

Salt

Pepper

Cover potatoes and onion in pot with water. Parboil potatoes and onion until a little tender. Don't cook completely or they'll dissolve. Pour some of the water off the potatoes until they are just barely covered in water. Add a can of evaporated milk (or a two cups of milk, your preference) and a few tablespoons of butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. While soup is simmering mix up some Bisquick drop dumplings (recipe on box) and drop small spoonfuls into soup. The dumplings thicken the soup as they cook. Cook soup on low heat until potatoes are done. If you like you can add bacon pieces and/or cheese to taste.

My favorite thing to make in the fall is apple butter. I grew up eating homemade apple butter and am now spoiled and hate anything store bought because everyone uses cloves. The recipe I grew up with was made without it. So now I just make it myself because the organization that used to sell it doesn't make it anymore. They used to make it in giant cauldrons over open flame outside in October, stiring with wooden paddles. I miss that so much. I buy a bushel of what are called "seconds" from local farmers. They're not perfectly round or pretty but they are perfectly good for eating and cooking and are much cheaper than first pick. I also use apples from my apple trees in my yard, but this year was terrible and I don't have any.

This isn't an exact recipe because I just wing it. It depends on how many apples I cook. Be sure to start it early in the morning or it will take two days. I've made it in the crockpot, but I like making it on the stovetop because I have more control over it. I've also started it later in the afternoon, cooked it a few hours, and then finished it the next day.

Apple Butter

Apples (how ever many you want)

Apple cider

Cinnamon

Brown sugar

White sugar

Slice apples and put in a pot. Cover to the top with apple cider*. The amount of cider will depend on how many apples you use. Boil until apples are tender and has the consistancy of apple sauce, stirring often so apples don't burn. Turn down apples to simmer and cook on very low heat for a few hours, stirring occassionally so it won't burn. After a few hours add a half cup of brown or white sugar and stir. Continue cooking. Check sweetness as you cook because sugar content depends on sweetness of apples and you're personal preference. I use both brown and white sugar, but have made it with just white sugar and just brown sugar. Continue adding sugar until it's sweet enough. Like I said, it's hard to give measurements. Also add a tablespoon or two of cinnamon to mixture depending on preference. (I omit cloves since I don't like them with apples, but you can add them if you like) After 5 or 6 hours (or more) the apple butter will turn a medium to dark brown color. If it's not smooth enough I sometimes take an emulsion blender (those stick blenders) and blend a few times in the pot, but it's not necessary. After it's cooled I put in bowls and stick in refrigerator and ready to eat.

*Some recipes have you boil the cider and reduce by half before the apples are added. I've made it this way but it doesn't seem to make a difference to me in taste so I skip this step. I just put the apples in the pot and cover with regular apple cider. Usually a gallon or less will do.

My grandparents and great aunts and uncles used to can the apple butter, but I'm lazy and just buy those really small Glad or Ziplock containers and fill them up and freeze them. Then you can take them out of the freezer and use them as needed or give away. I make a big pot and get about 12-15 small containers out it, enough for most of the year until it's apple harvest again. It's one of those recipes that are really forgiving and you just add stuff until you like the taste. It sounds much more difficult than it is. It's actually extremely easy to make, it just takes a long time. Like I said, it can also be made in a crockpot.

[havanaholly]

My potato soup has carrots, celery & onion, too. DH liikes my lentil soup best, but I'm sort of partial to African groundnut soup, too.

African Groundnut (peanut) Soup (don't bother if anyone has peanut allergies)

2 - 3 sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed

1 sweet onion, peeled & chopped

1 drained can of tomatos (or one can of Rotel tomatos & you can omit the next ingredient)

3-4 jalapeo peppers or 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter (wonderful with exstra chunky)

1 tsp oliive oil

1 cup water

In a heavy saucepan brown the onion in the olive oil and add the cubed sweet potato & water, cover & simmer until tender on low heat. Add the tomatos and peppers and heat. Place n food processor and process until smooth. Serve hot with a dollop of fat-free yogurt and a sprinkle of cialntro.

[heidiiiii]

I make my groundnut soup with acorn squash. I found the recipes when I was looking for good squash recipes. Mmmmm! Good.

[havanaholly]

I make my groundnut soup with acorn squash

That may be the original recipe in the Moosewood cookbook, but acorn squash is only available in the Fall and we can get sweet 'taters the year 'round.

[Librarian-Sarah]

ooh, i'm getting all sorts of ideas. I had no idea we had so many good cooks on this forum! (should have guessed though, given the general creativity level...)

[kellee]

The boys want me to share thier Favorite recipies!

Timmys Favorite:

Spoon Bread Casserole

1 pkg. "Jiffy" corn muffin mix

1 can (8oz) Cream style corn

1 can (8oz) whole kernal corn, drained

1/2 cup melted margarine

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs.

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish.

Pour margarine and corn into casserole, blend in sourn cream.

Beat eggs, stir into casserole along with corn muffin mix. Blend Thoroughly.

Bake 35 minutes Serve hot with butter.!

Zachary loves my Bar B Que Sauce!

Brown a few slices of bacon,

in a pan add a bottle of ketchup

and then a little corn syrup & brown sugar until it tastes good.!!!

[kellee]

Oven Fried Chicken

6 pieces of chicken

1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs

1/2 stick butter

Salt & Pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375, Melt butter in 9 X 13 pan. Dip chicken pieces in melted margarine, then roll or shake in bread crumbs until coated. Place in 9 X 13 pan. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, until chicken is done.!

Applesauce

Heat crockpot on low. peel & Core apples, drop into crock pot, add cinnamon, brown sugar or regular white sugar. cook on low for several hours.... or until Zach comes in yelling " I smell Applesauce!!!!"

Kellee

[gemlady]

This year our garden yelded over 30 pumpkins

so I made:

PUMPKIN BUTTER (CROCKPOT)

12 C. PUMPKIN PUREE

6 C. SUGAR

2 1/2 TEA. CINNAMON

1 1/2 TEA. GROUND GINGER

1 1/4 GROUND CLOVES

3/4 TEA GROUND NUTMEG

6 LEMONS (JUICE OF)

1.squeeze the lemons and add their juice to the pumpkin add spices

2. cook the mixture either in a crock pot on low or in a 300 degree oven until it becomes thick and smooth. about 4 hr.s

3. put the golden pumpkin butter in sterilized very hot pint or 1/2 pint jars and seal. water bath 10 min.

[heidiiiii]

That may be the original recipe in the Moosewood cookbook, but acorn squash is only available in the Fall and we can get sweet 'taters the year 'round.

We have a Moosewood cookbook.

I tried this one last night and I had to fight them off with a stick to protect my share...

Kettle Corn

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

Coarse salt to taste.

Heat oil in a large heavy duty pot over medium/ high heat until hot but not smoking. Add popcorn kernels and cover. When kernels begin to pop, lift cover carefully, and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Cook, shaking pot frequently until the popping slows, sprinkle granulated sugar . Continue to shake pot until popping has almost stopped. (be careful not to burn). Sprinkle with salt.

Yummmm..you too will be fighting off the rug rats for YOUR share.

[heidiiiii]

I have a sammich recipe that we tried last night that I wanted to add (Greg..Oh Greg!) This came from the cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance.

I did two versions so I will put the vegan recipe in parenthesis.

Take two pieces of jewish rye bread. Spread hummus on one side of both slices. On bottom slice place bacon (or tempeh bacon), tomato, romaine lettuce, and alfalfa sprouts. Put top on. That is it. I know it is a BLT but it was sooo good and different with the hummus and sprouts.

Tempeh bacon.

Slice tempeh block into 8 thin slices. Place in marinade of 1/3 cup apple cider, 1 table of tomato paste, 2 table soy sauce, and two cloves of crushed garlic. Marinate for an hour. Put 2 tables of olive oil in fry pan, fry one side of bacon for 4 min. Flip over and put the reserved marinate on top and cover for 4 mins.