Tell us your best Autumn recipies (dry wine, cider, ingredients, skillet)

[Tarastomsgirl]

I kinda stole this from the Maine forum but it's a great idea.. With Autumn officially starting next week it'll be time to bust out those warm recipies of pumpkins and chili.. So tell us what's your best recipie every year that you can't get enough of.. here's mine.. its amazing, I take it to parties every year and I can never get to it fast enough before its gone.

Layere Pumpkin Cheesecake.


Crust
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 32 cookies) (I just buy the bags of cookies they sell that have lots of little ones and crush up the bag with a rolling pin)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling
4 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Heat over to 300 degrees. Grease 9- inch springform pan with shortening or cooking spray. Wrap foil around pan to catch drips. In small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press crumb mixture in bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. Bake 8 to 10 mins or until set. Cool 5 mins.

2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed just until smooth and creamy; do not overbeat. On low speed, gradually beat in sugar. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Spoon 3 cups of the cream cheese micxture into pan, Spread evenly.

3. Stir pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg into remaining creamcheese mixture, mix with sire whisk until smooth. Spoon over mixture in pan.

4. Bake 1 hour 25 mins to 1 hour 30 mins or until edges are set but ****er of cheesecake still jiggles slightly when moved.

5. Turn oven off; open door at least 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in over 30 mins longer. Remove from oven; place on cooling rack. Without releasing side of pan, run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool in pan on cooling rack 30 mins. Cover loosely; refrigerate at least 6 hours but no more than 24.

6. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake again, carefully remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Store cheesecake covered in refrigerator.

This recipie will WOW your guests.. It is amazing.. and the layers of dark brown cookies, white creamcheese and orange pumpkin look like autumn on your plate.. enjoy!!

[Torrey]

GREEN MAN CAKE

3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp green food coloring
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 cup boiling water
Cooking Spray
1 container of frosting - your choice
Decorative candy - Candy corn of autumn colors is great.
2 (9 inch) round cake pans
One set of decorative antlers and autumn maple leaves to decorate around the base of the cake.

Preheat oven to 350. Melt the chocolate in a small sauce pan over low heat. Allow to cool. Put butter, sugar, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, and the melted, cooled chocolate. Add Green food coloring. Beat on low speed for about 1 minute until the batter is blended.

Sift flour and baking soda into a second bowl. Add to batter alternately with sour cream, mixing with a long wooden spoon. Add the boiling water, and mix again. Batter should be runny.

Spray the bottom of the baking pans with the cooking spray, and lightly flour. Pour the batter into the pans and bake for approximately 35 minutes. Cool for 15-20 minutes, then frost and decorate.

The Green Man is the symbol of Diety in nature. His face is seen on many cathedrals all throughout Europe. I suggest doing a google search so you can get some ideas for decorating.

Happy Harvest.

[Katlakat]

What a fun idea!

Sweet and sour meatballs

I take these to every party I go to, including Christmas eve, this one is a tradition in my family-common and popular recipe

1 jar (regular size) 8oz maybe Heinz Chili sauce

1 large jar bama grape jelly. If you don't have Bama brand, use welches, jelly not jam. Start with half the jar at first until almost ready, then add the second half if you want it sweeter.

1 package frozen SWEEDISH MEATBALLS. Don't use the italian, it won't taste right.

Good sprinkle of garlic powder
Good sprinkle of oregano

too much oregano will make this dish spicy, you just want to cover the top meatballs with a nice coat and stir, then let the magic begin.

Throw all ingredients into your crock pot. Turn on high, let cook for 3 hours, then turn on low, and let cook for an additional 1-3 hours. When meatballs are cooked and the sauce is a dark purple-red you're ready. When this dish sets in the fridge overnight, it will have orange on the top, just scoop out and stir, these are even better reheated the next day.

Add more jelly if you want it sweeter, more chili sauce if you want it more sour. I have never added more than one full jar of chili sauce, and never more than 3/4 of the jelly. Its just right.

I put this together the night before a party, sleep as it cooks on low, then stir in the morning and unplug the pot. This is a really simple recipe.

STICKY CHICKEN

1 bag frozen or fresh drummettes and wings (small party size chicken)
1 jar of apricot jam
1 package of Lipton's onion soup

Mix jam and soup together in a bowl. Spread chicken on a foil lined baking sheet and turn on oven to 350 degrees. Coat chicken both sides with mixture and try to use all of it.

Bake until chicken is done and coating is a darker color.

I can't remember how long to bake it, my notes are packed already. If you have home made jellies and jams, these party dishes will be even more special, unique, and a hit!

[Valerie C]

One of my favorite recipes, nothing fancy, just good fall (and winter) food.

4 c flour
3 c sugar
4 eggs
2/3 c water
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 can pumpkin
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift dry ingredients into large bowl and mix well. Add oil, pumpkin and water; blend well. Add eggs, one at a time. Pour into 2 large or 4 small greased loaf pans. Bake 1 hour. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out and wrap in saran wrap.

[miklaur]

Pork Roast in Slow Cooker

1 pork roast
carrots
potatoes
1 1/2 cups apple juice or cider
1 onion sliced
1 Tsp Thyme

Place all ingredients in crock pot, cook on low all day until tender. Juice left in crock pot makes a great pan gravy!

[skytrekker]

Seafood Stew

1 large can of Bell shaped tomatoes, place in large pot, heat low to medium, mash down into a puree. Leave on low.

cut up 1 medium red pepper in medium strips
Dice 1 medium sweet onion
Cut 2 carrots in lengthwise in strips, then cut by 3
In a large skillet, pour about a quarter cup of vegetable oil, heat, put in veggies, cook until semi done.

The fish and more;
1 pound of cod
about 10 medium shrimp
about 6-8 sea scallops
about 6-8 clams or mussels

put all seafood except mussels in a bowl- add crushed coriander (about a teaspoon)
add the equivalent of 1 squeezed lime. A teaspoon of kosher salt, half a teaspoon of black crushed pepper, and a cup of white dry wine. Sprinkle over the top hot crushed red pepper -one half a teaspoon.

Add the veggies to the tomatoes- let cook five minutes low- then add the fish and stuff.
While cooking also add a half a cube of vegetable bullion cube.

Cook till shrimp is pink, fish is opaque, scallops are tender, and clams and mussels have opened.

Serve with a crusty baguette and white dry wine. This serves 2-3 people.

Great in the autumn and winter-hearty and bold and healthy! Classic New England.

[Ohiogirl81]

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin! I eat pumpkin as a vegetable; it can be used in any recipe that uses winter squash (well, maybe not spaghetti squash).

• Steam it and serve with applesauce and raisins
• Mix mashed pumpkin into your oatmeal, with cinnamon and brown sugar (real or artificial). Kinda like having pumpkin pie for breakfast.
• Cube peeled pumpkin, combine with cubed apples, and steam until tender
• Cubed and steamed, with olive oil and thyme

I'll also take a butternut squash (choose one with a long, thin neck and a small blossom end for this), peel it, slice it very thin, and place on a cookie sheet. Spray with cooking oil spray, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 450 about 45 mintues to an hour, until the squash is brown and crispy. Squash chips!