Topic of the week: Fall recipes

[Beth E. (NJ)]

Now that summer is over -- and it is starting to get cold in NJ -- I am turning my cooking thoughts to good cold weather foods. You know, the ones that make me feel all warm inside.

One of the dishes that I like when the weather is cold is Macaroni and Cheese. Here is a slightly more grown up recipe for it:

Macaroni and Cheese

1 1/2 cups of macaroni (uncooked measure)
4 tablespoons butter
3 oz. creams cheese
8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup sour cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper - to taste
Butter or Pam for baking dish
paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil a pot of water and cook macaroni till al dente. Drain, put in bowl and add butter. Mix till butter melts and coats macaroni. In separate bowl beat cream cheese till softened. Then add cheddar cheese, sour cream, ricotta and egg. Mix the cheeses to combine. Add salt and pepper. Butter a baking dish and add macaroni, pour cheese mixture over the top and mix. (Or you can combine them in a bowl before putting in dish. Sprinkly Paprika over top. Bake for 1/2 hour at 350 until top is browned and cheese is melted.

 

[pumba]

I like to do American Chop Suey...or Goulash.....

pound of macaroni cooked.....
one pound of lean hamburg.....
one large can of whole tomatoes
one eight ounce can of mushrooms
green peppers and onions....
brown the hamburg....with green peppers and onions....season with ground pepper and garlic powder.......
add the mushrooms......add the can of tomatoes.....cut them up a wee bit.......juice add in too
cook it a wee bit......and add to the big pan of macaroni......serve with salad and warm bread......this is a good winter meal...plus if there are any leftovers .....hubby puts them in little butter containers and brings them to work and warms them up....the butter containers are excellent for loosing.....and staining at work .....rofl

 

[piratesmate]

I started thinking about soups yesterday. We live in an old (150+ yrs) stone farmhouse. The windows don't really fit correctly & our curtains blow when it's windy! What I wouldn't give for a pair of gloves without the fingertips!

Besides all the different soups we like, another favorite is:

Ham & Beans

Cover a ham butt, or the bone from a ham with some meat on it, with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat & let simmer for several hours. Remove ham/bone & cut into smaller pieces. Return to pot. Add green beans. I use several bags of frozen cut beans. You can use canned, though. Peel & quarter potatoes. Add to pot. Again - you can use canned.

I also do this in the crock pot. Just put the beans in first, if frozen, then the ham & the potatoes on top. When I use canned potatoes in the crock pot, I don't add them until about 1/2 - 1 hour before serving. Otherwise they turn to mush.

 

[babylisa4]

My boss brings this one to work.

1 package of candy corn
1 can of dry roasted peanuts

Put together in a bowl. Pick up one candy corn with two peanuts. It tastes like a Payday candy bar but looks festive in the bowl.

 

[missymouse3367]

babylisa4 that is a big hit @ my office. I took that in last week and everyone couldn't believe it was that time again. We always make chili (here in Indiana they put noodles in it) and cinnamon rolls. Yum! Another favorite is Potato Soup.

 

[Nikole]

Don't have a recipe to add but just have to say how excited I am for fall cooking!

I'm thinking....beef stew, mac and cheese, le cellier's cheddar cheese soup...ooh and how about the Onion tart from France (last year's F&W Fest) mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm time to go grocery shopping!

 

[*Robin*]

I posted this once already , but it is just one of my all time favorite, can't do without, would be miserable if I forgot it...recipes! It's getting down to 30 tonght...and this is what I made!

Black bean soup
3 or 4 cans black beans, 2-3 cups water, 4-5 beef boullion cubes, 1 onion, 1 green pepper, pepper, salt, garlic to taste, 1-2 cans diced tomatoes, cumin, oregano(just a bit), as much hot sauce as you want (I use Cholula for this), and very last, 1 good bunch of cilantro, chopped up.

Add everything except cilantro and let cook a good 3 hours. let the liquid reduce at least half for a really rich flavor. About a half hour before you serve it, turn it off and add the cilantro. I've found that adding it early adds so much to the flavor, but cooking it with the soup will erase the flavor completely. Don't ask me why.

When you serve it, top it with a dallop of sour cream and some more cilantro, some hot sauce if you like and few sprigs of cilantro.

I tell ya, this is my version of heaven on a cool night, with hot corn bread and honey...

Try it just once...

Note, If you don't like cilantro, don't make this, it's the cilantro that gives it the distinctive flavor that I love.
Robin

 

[Kermit]

I love bean recipes (and am looking forward to trying the ones listed here). This is one of my favorites. It tastes better after it's been in the fridge overnight, and it freezes well.

Bean Pot Lentils

3 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth (or vegetable)
1 cup (1/2 package) dried lentils, rinsed
½ medium onion, chopped
2 TBSP each brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, and mustard
½ cup diced ham or 2 bacon slices, cooked and diced (optional)
1. Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until lentils are tender and liquid is cooked down sufficiently. (You can boil uncovered a few minutes to cook liquid down.)
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. If you cooked them in a pot that wasn’t ovenproof, pour into greased 1 quart casserole.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 325, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3 cups. Nutrition information (with bacon) per ½ cup: 180 calories, 1.8 grams fat, 10.4 g protein, 30 g carbs, 3.9 g fiber, 2 mg chol, 3.9 mg iron, 138 mg sodium, 66 mg calcium


I also like beans with fruit. I put 3 cans of white beans in the crock pot with about 3/4 cup molasses, 2 sliced apples, and one small can of pineapple chuncks. Cook on low for about 3-5 hours. You can also bake it covered in the oven for 1-3 hours at about 325. I got that from the Joy of Cooking, but I remember that I changed it a little. I think I used a lot less molasses because it was too sweet, but I don't remember what else I changed.

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

This is a fall favorite at our house!


SPICE BREAD

1 C oil
2 C sugar
1 15oz. can pumpkin
4 eggs (add one at a time)
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
2 ¼ C flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsl soda

Mix as listed. Grease two loaf pans or one tube pan and bake at 300 for 1 hour.

TK

 

[Margie J]

Check out these recipes from Southern Living.

Fall Cobblers