Autumn is knocking. What do you cook?

Carole, thanks for the recipe. My Texas-born hubby will be sure to love it. I've been away from the food/cooking thing for 5-6 years now, but will have to try to get back into the kitchen to try this one out for him. And I'll dig around to see if I can find a recipe to add here.

Great starter, Carole! I love to cook year-round, but in the fall I like to get back to the more substantial, "it's time to get warm" fare. My boys like chili all through the summer months, but I think it's best in the fall. Here's my cobbled-together recipie; note very few of the spice amounts are set, as I usually add to taste.

PS - some'll argue that this is "chili con carne", but hey, I'm from WV...it's all just chili to me.

Chili

1 can light red kidney beans, undrained
1 can dark red kidney beans, undrained
1 1/2 - 2 pounds ground beef (preferably ground chuck or better)
1 can diced green chilis, undrained
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes or tomato sauce + 1 can of water
1 medium onion, chopped fine, -or- about 1/2 cup dehydrated onions, rehydrated
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, chopped -or- a generous shaking of garlic powder (not garlic salt)
About 1 tablespoon of the following spices/seaonings:
Oregano
Basil
Thyme
Emeril's Essence seasoning
Paprika
Parsley
Sugar
Salt
Black pepper
About 1 teaspoon (less where indicated) of the following spices:
Cinnamon (just a couple measley shakes)
Cayenne pepper (more if you like it hot)
Generous amounts of the following (explained in instructions):
Chili powder
Cumin powder (3 to 5 tablespoons)
3-4 small Bay Leaves or 2 large ones

In a large pot, brown ground beef with undrained green chilis, onions, and garlic. Do not drain. Once meat is browned, add beans, paste, tomatoes, water and spices. For chili powder, once all ingredients are in and mixed well, cover top of chili with chili powder and stir in. Add cumin powder, beginning with 3 tablespoons. Allow chili to simmer (stirring occasionally) for 15-20 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Simmer for at least 30 additional minutes. Before serving, add more chili powder (about 1/2 the previous amount) and stir in. Test again for seasoning, and add additional salt if necessary.

I hope this isn't too difficult to follow - if you'd like to try this, just send me a PM and I'll try to clarify for you. I never work from a recipie - this is one of those dishes that I just do - My family loves it. If I'm not the first to get a bowl, I usually don't get any at all.


Edited to add - I usually serve this with shredded cheese (like a colby jack), sour cream, crackers and a great big pan 'o' cornbread (the not-sweet kind).

Carole said:

Great! My aunt...actually all of us are originally from West Virginia, but we all seem to have scattered to the winds. I think she adapted this recipe from her husband's family, all of whom are from TX

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Oh, my gosh, that's awesome! Another 'eer! Hello from back home, then!

WVWG

Noodle-Wurst Casserole

Cook a 1-lb. box of rotini pasta per package directions. While it drains, dump a 16 oz. container of sour cream into the pot and whisk it until liquified. Add 1 can each of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, 8 to 10 sliced green onions, a teaspoon each of garlic powder and ground black pepper, and 6 oz. of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Mix well with a big spoon and fold in 1 lb. of thinly sliced smoked sausage and the cooked drained pasta.

Pour into a greased casserole and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle 6 more ounces of shredded cheddar on top and bake 30 minutes more. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

If you substitute fat-free or low-fat soup, sour cream and cheese, it's just as comforting without as much guilt.

Ah yes, autumn. That's the time of year I traditionally get most of my new writing done-not sure why, it just seems to work out that way. But, with all the time I spend writing in the fall, I don't have a lot of time to cook, so I hire a professional chef

Well not really, but I do use my crock pot nearly every day in the fall. It's a wonderful way to spend a few minutes in the morning preparing a meal before a full day of writing. Then come dinnertime, it's almost as if someone else cooked dinner.

Favorite crock pot recipe . . .

White Chile

Prep time -15 minutes
Cooking time- 6 hours on low heat setting
8 servings

Put all of the following ingredients into the pot for the first 5 hours

1 1/2 pound skinless chicken thighs
1 large chopped onion (1 cup)
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 14oz can chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce

For the final hour put the remaining ingredients in.

2 15oz cans great northern beans (rinsed and drained)
1 15oz can white corn (drained)
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Bean soup

When it starts getting chilly I start wanting bean soup to go with that cornbread recipie upstairs. Note: When the cornbread is still warm I drizzle honey on it.

Clean and soak navy beans overnight. Rinse well.
Throw in crock pot with ham bone and skin. Cover with water and one half tsp black pepper.
Cook all day on low, and drool at smell.
After doing fall chores all day, take the beans and ham stuff out of the crockpot and put in cast iron dutch oven. Throw out ham skin. Clean chunks of ham off bone and give bone to trusty dog.
Simmer on low until broth is thick and beans finish getting soft. About an hour.
During that hour make spoon bread.
When all is ready dole out large amount of soup into a pasta bowl. I put cornbread on top of soup and some on a plate with a huge gob of butter and honey. Back to the soup--my personal touch is to put ketchup on top of the soup and cornbread.
Hokay, now for the good part. Park in front of TV, your favorite show, put a napkin under your chin and eat soup with a big spoon. Drink lots of ice water.
Plan on an evening at home because you will feel like a happy pig who can't move.
mmmmmm!

Were we all hungry or what!!??

Paint said:

Were we all hungry or what!!??

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No, but I am now

Looking forward to trying your bean soup recipe--in my crock pot.

Okay, now that we've had the main course, it's time for dessert. Here's my mom's recipe for...

APPLE CRISP

5 c. sliced, pared, Granny Smith apples

1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. QUICK cooking oats

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. butter



Arrange apples in buttered 9x12 pan. Combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon; cut in butter till crumbly. Press mixture over apples. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees Farenheit) 45-50 minutes or until top is browned. Serve warm with ice cream (or Cool Whip or whipped cream). Enjoy!

Sausage and Lentil Soup (Zap 'n' Simmer Method)

1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
2 broth cans water
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 lb. dry lentils
1 lb. hot or sweet Italian link sausage (turkey sausage preferred)

Combine onion, garlic and olive oil in a removable slow cooker crock. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes in a microwave oven at 100% power, stir, heat 3 more minutes, stir again and heat 2 more minutes. Allow to cool slightly and stir in Italian seasoning, black pepper, broth, water, tomato sauce and lentils. Add sausage links whole. Cover

(At this point, the covered crock can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Set crock in heating base and cook 6 hours on High or 12 hours on Low. Remove sausages and allow to cool 15 minutes. Slice as desired. Return sliced sausage to soup. Stir for 3 minutes to puree some of the lentils and thicken the soup.

If your slow cooker doesn't have a removable crock, use a skillet to cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are transparent. Add to other ingredients in the slow cooker.

Alternate serving method:

Remove sausage links to a serving platter. Cook 2 cups long grain white rice. Serve sausage links whole and ladle the lentils over the rice. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

And, of course, fresh herbs can be substituted for Italian seasoning.

Mangia! Mangia!

Oh, fall is my favorite time of year. I cook like a demon, and begin canning and preserving stuff for the winter. This is my standard Autumn Meal menu here... let the Kitchen Witchery begin!

CHICKEN AND BARLEY STEW (COCKALEEKIE)

Half a stick of butter
A big pile of green onions, chopped
Some garlic
1 Cup shiitake mushrooms
Two pounds chicken breast
3/4 Cup barley
A splash of red wine
2 Cans chicken broth
A small handful of fresh sage and basil, chopped

Melt the butter in your crockpot or Dutch oven and saute the green onions, garlic and shrooms. Add the chicken and cook it until it's browned all over. Then stir in everything except the herbs and let it come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a couple of hours. Add the sage and basil about half and hour before serving.

**Serve this with some nice tasty cornbread, and it's just a little bit o' heaven in a pot.

BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

1 good sized squash (butternut or acorn)
A stick of butter
1/2 Cup Brown sugar
Some cinammon, nutmeg and allspice

Chop your squash in half and scoop out the goop. Fill the hollows with the butter and brown sugar. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, and sprinkle on the spices when it comes out of the oven.

MULLED CIDER

A gallon of apple cider
1/2 Cup brown sugar
Some ground nutmeg
Three cinammon sticks
An entire orange
A packet of cloves

In a big saucepan or pot, combine the cider, brown sugar and a dash of nutmeg. Toss in the cinammon sticks as well. Take the orange and stud it with cloves, then toss that in your pot too. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for a couple of hours. Fish out the cinammon sticks before serving. Ladle it into mugs and drink out on your porch as you watch the leaves turn.

JoeEkaitis said:

Sausage and Lentil Soup (Zap 'n' Simmer Method)

1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
2 broth cans water
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 lb. hot or sweet Italian link sausage (turkey sausage preferred)

Combine onion, garlic and olive oil in a removable slow cooker crock. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes in a microwave oven at 100% power, stir, heat 3 more minutes, stir again and heat 2 more minutes. Allow to cool slightly and stir in Italian seasoning, black pepper, broth, water and tomato sauce. Add sausage links whole. Cover...

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Joe,
I may have missed something here, but need to know the quantity of LENTILS for your soup...

pb10220 said:

Joe,
I may have missed something here, but need to know the quantity of LENTILS for your soup...

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Fixed!

Joe--thanks!

A potluck might be just the thing to get me cooking again. Inspiration! (Keep those crockpot--and other--recipes coming...)

Carole said:

Howdy! I'm originally from Logan. It really does my heart good to see others from home. I miss it, but the economy...well. Hubby and I couldn't quite make a go of it so here we are in TN.

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NO WAY! I'm from Chapmanville!

WVWG

Since we're on the subject of breads...

Beer Bread

1 12 oz bottle of beer (I guess - I use a "tall boy")
2 1/3 cups self-rising flour (I have a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup - I just fill it to the very top)
2-3 teaspoons salt

Dump flour in a large bowl. Pour in the whole beer and mix well (consistency should be about like pancake batter). Add salt and stir just 'til combined. Bake in 350-degree oven for 50-55 minutes.

Linley's Famous Citrus Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups all purpose flower
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp finely shredded citrus peel (orange, lemon and tangelo work best)
1/3 cup chopped pecans
3 Tbsp citrus juice (fresh squeezed)
1 Tbsp sugar

Grease bottom & halfway up the sides of 2 7 1/2 X 3 1/2 X 2 -inch loaf pans or one 8X4X2 -inch loaf pan.

In a large mixer bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds or until softened. Add the 1 cup sugar; beat about 5 minutes or till light & fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating till combined. Add flour, buttermilk, shredded citrus peel baking soda and salt; beat just till moistened. Stir in nuts.

Bake in a 350-degree oven until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean; 40 minutes for small pan, 45 minutes for large pan. Prepare a syrup with juice and sugar and spoon over warm loaves while still in the pan.

Carole said:

You've GOt to be kidding! You know the Thornhill car dealership? My brother in law & sister are part owners with Wally Thornhill. I KNOW you have seen Butch Nisbet in his silly commercials. That's my brother in law! This is TOO wierd!!!

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Boy, do I ever - you know Trader's Town with the self-storage and gas station on the Corridor? I live RIGHT BEHIND THAT! Oh good Lord!

That's it. Send me a PM, we have GOT to talk!

WVWG