Hmmm, are those my Spring/Summer Tears Falling…Darn, they aren’t tears…they’re leaves… Oh Darn…it’s FALL!!!

Well, I guess I had enough fun this Spring and Summer…as you noticed I haven’t written anything in my blog for some time…The leaves that are starting to turn those beautiful colors and those beautiful landscapes…this is my one of my favorite seasons…next to Spring Summer and Winter…are there any more seasons…duh I guess I was thinking of seasonings…that’s why we’re here…Well… back to my original thought…if there were more seasons…Fall is right up there on top.

Which means I have to start thinking of those great Fall Recipes?  Now I am going to digress into a very dark place…”leaf” clean up…you know when the first leaf starts to fall sort of light the first snowflake…you think “oh how beautiful”.  I get the fireplace set up and my warm blankets or “blankie” in my case…yes, I have not grown out of that stage…just ask my wife…and the large mugs, I use for Hot Chocolate or Hot Cider…yummm…I look out the window with a sigh and see leaves all over the lawn and starting to turn a beautiful s—t brown….but in many hues…oh gross!  Anyway, I have to call (or text now-a-days)…my “favorite” son…my “savior” and say “guess what”…I can see the moan, or literally hear it if we are on the phone…he says yah Dad…I know what you are calling about…and I say I just wanted to say hello to see how your day…I can see or picture the rolling of eyes at this part of the communication…he will say the feared and hated word…”When”… I fain the questionable tone in my voice and say “ I can’t imagine what you are talking about” was (pulling the innocent card)…and down deep I am chuckling to myself at all of the “Falls” that we have shared the sweet smell of sweat of raking…now-a-days…he does most of it…I have one of those electric blower, that blow the grass and leaves…but also, sucks them up into a cloth bag with a zipper that you put on your shoulder…(that I can’t remember to zip up when I dump its contents in a large recycle bin for leaves/grass and then blows all of the dust and stuff into my face while my son is looking at me with this sniggering smile on his face and I look like” I’m in control of this”)...wow I am out of breath.  It also chews up the leaves into smaller pieces for less space in our containers. We will do this about four or five time before the trees have stopped their getting ready for winter ritual.  I have a picture in my mind of the time I had a huge pile of leaves I freshly raked and went to get a bag…got back and my two “older” children were playing hide-n-seek in the pile of leaves

…I took a picture…(with a real camera)…I think if I remember correctly…that was the “first” time my son helped me with the leaf clean up…back then he thought it was fun…but I guess as we age feeling change as well…I can now officially give you some Fall recipes…since you had to endure my memories and long winded “typing”…

Chicken Roasted on a Bed of Vegetables

 

Ingredients:

• 2          lbs.       Chicken thighs and drumsticks salt and pepper; to taste
•                         A mix of vegetables (onions; garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes and/or broccoli)
•                         fresh parsley; chopped
•                         Olive oil dried herbs (thyme; rosemary, oregano)
• 1-2       Tbls.    Balsamic vinegar 

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 425°F.

1      Wash and prep your preferred vegetables and cut into bite-sized pieces.

2      Make a bed for the chicken pieces by arranging the vegetables on the bottom of a baking dish.

3      Sprinkle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and herbs.

4      Rub the chicken drumsticks and thighs with olive oil.

5      Sprinkle the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper and place on top of vegetables.

6      Bake for an hour or until chicken is done.

7      Let the chicken pieces rest on a serving platter.

8      Mix vegetables in the baking dish and roast 5-10 minutes longer if needed.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

 

Yield: 2 Servings     

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 2 teaspoons sugar big sprinkle cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fry-shaped pieces (see photos). Try to cut them into similarly sized pieces so the fries will bake evenly.

2. Toss the uncooked fries into a mixing bowl or a plastic bag, or just onto your baking sheet. Pour in a few tablespoons of olive oil, enough to lightly coat the fries. Season with salt, pepper, and spices. Sprinkle in cornstarch. I’d try to use half a teaspoon per potato or so. Mix/shake to distribute evenly.

3. Pour the fries onto a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (aluminum foil produces mixed results). Arrange the fries in a single layer. It is very important to keep them in a single layer, otherwise they will never crisp up. It’s best to give each fry a bit of room on the baking sheet.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the fries so they can cook on all sides. I find the easiest way to flip them is with a metal spatula. Section by section, scoop up about ten fries and flip them with a quick turn of the wrist.

5. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the fries are crispy. You’ll know they’re done when the surface of the fries change from shiny orange to a more matte, puffed up texture. It’s essential to bake them long enough, otherwise they won’t be crispy. Don’t worry if the edges are a little bit brown, they will taste more caramelized than burnt.

Roasted Halibut with Walnut Crust

 

 

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
•          3/4 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
•          1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*
•          1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh Italian parsley
•          2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
•          2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
•          6 8-ounce halibut fillets (each about 1 inch thick)
•          6 tablespoons butter, melted
•          Lemon wedges

 Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
3. Mix walnuts, panko, and all herbs in small bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Brush each fish fillet with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Place fish on prepared baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle panko-herb mixture atop fish, dividing equally and pressing to adhere.
7. Roast fish until just opaque in center, about 8 minutes.
8. If crisper topping desired, preheat broiler and broil fish about 1 minute, watching carefully to prevent burning.
9. Transfer fish to plates; garnish with lemon wedges. 

Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

 

Prep: 35 m
Cook: 55 m
Ready In: 1 h 30 m

Ingredients:

• 3 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons stick margarine
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped Granny Smith apples
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the squash onto a baking sheet cut side down.
3. Fill the baking sheet with 1/2 inch of water.
4. Bake the squash in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
5. Drain off any water remaining in the baking sheet.
6. While the squash is baking, melt the margarine in a large skillet over medium heat.
7. Cook the onion and apple in the margarine until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Scrape the mixture into a bowl to cool until the squash has finished baking.
9. Once the squash is done, stir the raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, and Cheddar cheese into the apple mixture.
10. Turn the squash cut side up on the baking sheet and fill with the apple mixture.
11. Return the squash to the oven; bake until the filling is hot and the cheese has melted, about 15 minutes.

 

 

Fall Apple Cobbler with Streusel Topping

 

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 1 hr.

Servings: 12

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

APPLE BASE

12 cups apples, peeled and sliced (Macintosh, Jonagold)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

 

BATTER

1 1/3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup milk

 

STREUSEL TOPPING

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup oatmeal ( I use Quick Oats)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

.

 

Directions:

 

Prepare 9x13 pan with non-stick spray; preheat oven to 350.

Prepare Apples: toss sliced apples with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Pour apple mixture into prepared pan. Bake Apples 10 minutes.

While apples are baking, combine Streusel ingredients; set aside.

Prepare Batter: Mix batter dry ingredients in a bowl. When apples are done, whisk in milk and melted butter (batter will thicken if it sits). Immediately pour batter over hot apples; sprinkle streusel on top.

Return to oven; bake 40-45 minutes or until top is browned and apples are bubbling.

*Notes: 1) This can also be made in two 8x8 pans. 2) When I bake in glass pans, I use 325 degrees. 3) I sometimes toss in 1/2 cup cranberries or raisins to the apple mixture.