I'd like to preface this article by saying that I am, in fact, a foodie. I love food and everything about it! I find myself especially enjoying cooking in the Fall when the weather gets chilly. I love putting something on to cook and having the smell fill the whole house with the scent of rich and flavorful food. So I went and talked to some of my family members and gathered up some of their favorite Fall recipes for you to try this season! I hope you enjoy them and remember that in cooking, much like life, there is no right or wrong way. As long as you don't set everything on fire, you'll be fine!
Dinner in a Pumpkin
When I think of the season, the first thing that really comes to mind is pumpkins. A pumpkin is one of the most versatile gourds you can get, and you can find them just about everywhere in the Fall. Pumpkins are great not only for decorating your house or being put in your latte, but also they can also be used to carry an entire meal! This hearty dish can be made with or without meat, and serves six! Total prep time is two hours!
Ingredients:
1 medium pumpkin
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 lbs. ground beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1 (15 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 1⁄2 cups cooked rice
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts
Directions:
Cut off the top of the pumpkin, and thoroughly clean out pulp and seeds.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large skillet, sauté onions in vegetable oil until tender.
Add meat, and brown.
Drain drippings from skillet.
Add soy sauce, mushrooms, brown sugar and soup.
Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cooked rice and water chestnuts.
Spoon mixture into cleaned pumpkin shell.
Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin, with filling, on a baking sheet.
Bake 1 hour or until inside meat of the pumpkin is tender.
Put pumpkin on a plate.
Remove pumpkin lid and serve meat.
For your vegetable, scoop out pumpkin and serve.
Hobo Stew
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 (15 ounce) cans mixed vegetables
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup water salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat a cast iron Dutch oven over a campfire, and brown the ground beef.
Drain off the excess grease, then pour in the mixed vegetables, tomatoes, macaroni, and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover, and cook until the macaroni is tender, and the stew has reached desired thickness.
Apple Streusel Cake
Apples are a big part of the season's repertoire of foods that are delicious year-round, but taste best late in the year! Cake is delicious all the time, so why not combine the two things together and make a delicious seasonal dessert? This tasty treat has a streusel topping that goes great with coffee, and is perfect to top off any meal!
Ingredients:
Coffee Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled apples (3 medium)
Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch round or 8-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, mix 1 cup flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In large bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter and the granulated sugar with spoon until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and yogurt to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Spread batter in pan. Arrange apple slices over batter.
In small bowl, mix topping ingredients except butter. With pastry blender or fork, cut in 2 tablespoons butter until crumbly; sprinkle evenly over apples.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. If desired, remove from pan. Serve warm.
The total prep time for this dessert is about an hour!
