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Share your favorite Fall recipes!

Jessie C

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While I love crisp cool summer foods and salads, I REALLY love fall and winter comfort food dishes! Growing up near Philly, we ate a lot of foods I never see here in the south. I thought it would be fun to share one of your favorite fall/winter dishes! I'll start.

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS
This is a post depression dish made with basic ingredients to fill you up and warm you on cold nights. NO real porcupine's involved in this dish! The rice sticking out of the meatballs resembles porcupine quills, a great dish if you kave kids!

2 pounds of ground beef
1 1/2 cups white rice (any kind will do except instant)
2 eggs
2 tbsp. worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
dash of cumin
dash of nutmeg
large can of V-8 or tomato juice (I use V-8)
1 tbsp. brown sugar, and butter

Mix everthing but the V-8/tomatoes juice, brown sugar and butter to make 1 /2 to 2" meatballs. Fry them on medium heat in olive oil until completely browned.

Drain off excess oil, add V-8 or tomato juice, brown sugar, a big dollop of butter and 1/2 to 1 cup of water to thin. The rice will soak up alot of the liquid as it cooks, so you want the juice to be fairly thin, not like pasta sause.

Turn the heat down to low, cover, and saute' 45 minutes to an hour.

Serve in a bowl over cooked rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes. (I love the mashed potatoes) Voila! A one dish meal!

10725_sfs-porcupinemeatballs-9.jpg
 
Cranberry Bread Pudding:

Ingredients:​

  • 1 loaf of French bread, cubed
  • 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 
While I love crisp cool summer foods and salads, I REALLY love fall and winter comfort food dishes! Growing up near Philly, we ate a lot of foods I never see here in the south. I thought it would be fun to share one of your favorite fall/winter dishes! I'll start.

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS
This is a post depression dish made with basic ingredients to fill you up and warm you on cold nights. NO real porcupine's involved in this dish! The rice sticking out of the meatballs resembles porcupine quills, a great dish if you kave kids!

2 pounds of ground beef
1 1/2 cups white rice (any kind will do except instant)
2 eggs
2 tbsp. worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
dash of cumin
dash of nutmeg
large can of V-8 or tomato juice (I use V-8)
1 tbsp. brown sugar, and butter

Mix everthing but the V-8/tomatoes juice, brown sugar and butter to make 1 /2 to 2" meatballs. Fry them on medium heat in olive oil until completely browned.

Drain off excess oil, add V-8 or tomato juice, brown sugar, a big dollop of butter and 1/2 to 1 cup of water to thin. The rice will soak up alot of the liquid as it cooks, so you want the juice to be fairly thin, not like pasta sause.

Turn the heat down to low, cover, and saute' 45 minutes to an hour.

Serve in a bowl over cooked rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes. (I love the mashed potatoes) Voila! A one dish meal!

View attachment 67536266

You know, my mom used to make those and I never ate them (I was a seriously picky eater). But now they sound good to me, minus the worchestershire
 
You know, my mom used to make those and I never ate them (I was a seriously picky eater). But now they sound good to me, minus the worchestershire
You won't even taste it by the time the meatballs are cooked and simmer in the tomato-based sauce. You can always omit it too! If I don't hve it, I use powered beef bullion just to boost the beef flavor.
 
You won't even taste it by the time the meatballs are cooked and simmer in the tomato-based sauce. You can always omit it too! If I don't hve it, I use powered beef bullion just to boost the beef flavor.

Yeah, the beef bullion sounds better.
 
Cranberry Bread Pudding:

Ingredients:​

  • 1 loaf of French bread, cubed
  • 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Great recipe! Bread puddings of all kinds are huge here in the south.
 
Had friends at the lake for the weekend gorgeous Fall weather that screamed comfort food so I served Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato soup for lunch and Beef Stoganoff for dinner......Chocolate Pate with Creme Anglaise and raspberries for dessert

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups roughly chopped yellow onions
2 pounds peeled and cubed butternut squash
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1½ pounds before peeling)
8 cups chicken broth**
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tart yet sweet apple, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp, cored, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons honey (I use maple syrup, it's the Canadian thing to do)
l teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
** start with 6 cups of broth and after simmer add more to reach the consistency you like.....I find 8 cups a little thinner than we like

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, chicken broth, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low; simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the diced apple and honey and purée the soup with a handheld immersion blender until very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to purée soup in batches, being careful not to fill the jar more than halfway. Leave the hole in the lid open and loosely cover with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape. Pour the blended soup into a clean pot.)

Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. To thicken the soup, simmer over low heat until desired consistency is reached.

Note: This soup may thicken as it cools. If necessary, add a bit of water to thin it back to desired consistency.
 
Last edited:
Had friends at the lake for the weekend gorgeous Fall weather that screamed comfort food so I served Butternut and Sweet Potato soup for lunch and Beef Stoganoff for dinner......Chocolate Pate with Creme Anglaise and raspberries for dessert

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups roughly chopped yellow onions
2 pounds cubed butternut squash
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1½ pounds before peeling)
8 cups chicken broth
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tart yet sweet apple, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp, cored, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons honey (I use maple syrup,it's the Canadian thing to do)
l teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream


Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, chicken broth, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low; simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the diced apple and honey and purée the soup with a handheld immersion blender until very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to purée soup in batches, being careful not to fill the jar more than halfway. Leave the hole in the lid open and loosely cover with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape. Pour the blended soup into a clean pot.)

Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. To thicken the soup, simmer over low heat until desired consistency is reached.

Note: This soup thickens as it cools. If necessary, add a bit of water to thin it back to desired consistency.
OMG, my mouth is watering! I've never cooked with butternut squash, but I sure do want to now! I love creamy, heavy soups! Wonderful fall recipe, thanks Callen; I'm saving this one for sure!
 
OMG, my mouth is watering! I've never cooked with butternut squash, but I sure do want to now! I love creamy, heavy soups! Wonderful fall recipe, thanks Callen; I'm saving this one for sure!
It really is delicious and so savory and comforting. I edited to add a note
 
Wow, I have no clue what my favorite Fall Recipe is. I am going to have to think on this?
 
I narrowed it down. My favorite fall food is Chicken and Dumplings soup. Betty Crockers recipe is closest to what my grandma Sophie used to make us when I was a kid.

Chicken and Dumplings
  • Prep Time 25 min
  • Total 3 hr 5 min
  • Servings 4
Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients​

  • 1cut-up whole chicken (3 to 3 1/2 lb)
  • 2 medium stalks celery (with leaves), cut up (about 1 cup)
  • 1 medium carrot, sliced (1/2 cup)
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons parsley flakes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 5 cups water
  • 2 1/2 cups Bisquick™ Original Pancake & Baking Mix
  • 2/3 cup milk

Steps​

  • 1 Remove and discard excess fat from chicken. In 4-quart Dutch oven, place chicken, giblets (except discard liver) and neck. Add celery, carrot, onion, parsley, salt, pepper and water. Cover; heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer about 2 hours or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (at least 165°F).

  • 2 Remove chicken and vegetables from Dutch oven. Discard giblets and neck. Skim 1/2 cup fat from broth; reserve. Transfer broth to large bowl; reserve 4 cups (reserve remaining broth for another use).

  • 3 In Dutch oven, heat reserved 1/2 cup fat over low heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Bisquick™ mix. Cook and stir until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in reserved 4 cups broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add chicken and vegetables; reduce heat to low. Heat about 20 minutes or until hot.

  • 4 In medium bowl, stir remaining 2 cups Bisquick™ mix and the milk with wire whisk or fork until soft dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto hot chicken mixture (do not drop directly into liquid). Cook uncovered over low heat 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.
 
While I love crisp cool summer foods and salads, I REALLY love fall and winter comfort food dishes! Growing up near Philly, we ate a lot of foods I never see here in the south. I thought it would be fun to share one of your favorite fall/winter dishes! I'll start.

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS
This is a post depression dish made with basic ingredients to fill you up and warm you on cold nights. NO real porcupine's involved in this dish! The rice sticking out of the meatballs resembles porcupine quills, a great dish if you kave kids!

2 pounds of ground beef
1 1/2 cups white rice (any kind will do except instant)
2 eggs
2 tbsp. worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
dash of cumin
dash of nutmeg
large can of V-8 or tomato juice (I use V-8)
1 tbsp. brown sugar, and butter

Mix everthing but the V-8/tomatoes juice, brown sugar and butter to make 1 /2 to 2" meatballs. Fry them on medium heat in olive oil until completely browned.

Drain off excess oil, add V-8 or tomato juice, brown sugar, a big dollop of butter and 1/2 to 1 cup of water to thin. The rice will soak up alot of the liquid as it cooks, so you want the juice to be fairly thin, not like pasta sause.

Turn the heat down to low, cover, and saute' 45 minutes to an hour.

Serve in a bowl over cooked rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes. (I love the mashed potatoes) Voila! A one dish meal!

View attachment 67536266

I like to make those, minus the worchestershire, in a stew with potatoes, carrots, squash, Caldo de albondigas ( meatball stew) is a staple for fall. I am just waiting for a nice cool day to make it.
 
I like to make those, minus the worchestershire, in a stew with potatoes, carrots, squash, Caldo de albondigas ( meatball stew) is a staple for fall. I am just waiting for a nice cool day to make it.
Oh, there was a Mexican Restaurant in downtown El Centro, California, when I lived there that always had Albondiga Tuesday, so good. I haven't had them since I left So Cal.
 
I like to make those, minus the worchestershire, in a stew with potatoes, carrots, squash, Caldo de albondigas ( meatball stew) is a staple for fall. I am just waiting for a nice cool day to make it.

I love the word albondigas. I don’t know why.
 
I posted my Chili Primer in a Chili thread. Here it is again:

  • Brown the meat in small batches. The point is to brown and not braise. Meat contains water, which will boil given half a chance. Spread the meat to avoid this.
  • Toast your seasonings, especially if using whole dried peppers. Toast whole peppers til crunchy, pour out the seeds, and then crush in a blender or coffee grinder. Cumin should also be toasted a shade darker
  • Put your dried peppers, cumin, herbs, and other dry seasonings in a Pyrex bowl or measuring cup, and pour over a cup of boiling water. This is a technique common in making curry. The resulting slurry will release the flavors into the chili more quickly.
  • Water works as well as anything for liquid. Adding beer just before serving is nice, but using it for long cooking is unnecessary.
  • Consider baking in a covered dish, such as a Dutch oven. Cook the browned meat with water and the pepper slurry for a while then bake at 300° for 2-3 hours.
  • For thickening, mix a ladle of the simmering liquid or boiling water with a spoonful of cornmeal and stir in just before the long cook or baking.
  • Onions and garlic should also be added midway. Dry peppers and cumin early on. Fresh peppers late. Beer and beans just before serving.
  • Tomatoes are permitted. A spoonful of tomato paste adds body. Mix in with the onions.
  • Chili that is not spicy enough to require a fire extinguisher is spaghetti sauce. All right in its place, but not the genuine article.
 
Soup primer

  1. Choose a base: 2 cups tomato sauce, 6 cups water, 3 cups stock
  2. Add a meat: 1# browned beef, 1 cup diced cooked poultry, 8 pieces of cooked bacon, 1 cup cooked game, etc.
  3. Add 2-4 cups fresh or cooked vegetables: onions sautéed in olive oil, carrots, celery, corn, parsley, diced tomatoes, green beans, peas, parsnips.
  4. Add a starch: 2 cups cooked rice or pasta, 1 cup dried peas or lentils plus 2 cups water, 1 cup barley or millet plus 1 cup water, 2 cups cooked beans, 2 cans beans with gravy, 2-3 cups potatoes, or 2 cups frozen fries (the cheap kind with no oil).
  5. Add 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp dried herbs: basil, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme. If fresh, use triple amounts. Be careful with salt and pepper.
  6. If a cream soup is desired, 2 cups half 'n half or heavier cream or 1 cup powdered coffee creamer. Shredded cheese may also be added but not to a boiling mix or it will curdle.
  7. Mix all ingredients in large pot or slow cooker and heat over low heat for 1/2-2 hours to blend flavors.
  8. Add beer, popcorn, croutons, shredded cheese just before serving if desired.
 
I already started the stuffed pumpkin thread. This is another direction.

Rachael Ray's Pumpkin Lasagna

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 pounds bulk sweet Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey, whatever you like), casings removed
1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
Few dashes fresh nutmeg
1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO, about two turns of the pan. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, breaking the meat up as it cooks with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Push the meat to one side of the pan and add the eggplant, onion and garlic. Cook 7-8 minutes, until tender, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the veggies are cooking, place a medium-size sauté pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook the mixture for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk into roux, breaking up any clumps. Bring the mixture to a bubble and add the pumpkin puree and nutmeg. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Spread about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9" casserole dish. Layer three lasagna noodles over the sauce, then top them with about 1 cup of the meat mixture, a cup or so of the sauce and a palmful of cheese. Repeat these layers two times, topping the casserole with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over the noodles, sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake the lasagna until the sauce is bubbling and pasta is baked through, about 45 minutes.

During the last ten minutes of baking, remove the aluminum foil to brown the cheese.
 
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