Ready for Autumn Salad

Ingredients

• Sweet potato
• Olive oil
• Cayenne
• Paprika
• Chilli powder 
• Salt
• Pepper

• Chicken
• Apple cider vinegar 
• Soy sauce or honey bbq sauce
• Brown sugar

• Pumpkin seeds
• Water
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Cayenne

• Lettuce
• Green onion
• Feta
• Green apple
• Grapes or cranberries
• Brianna's salad dressing... The one with a strawberry on it

Directions

1. Heat oven 450F
2. Cut sweet potato into small cubes
3. Put in pan, drizzle in olive oil. Sprinkle cayenne, paprika, chili powder. Toss. Put in oven. About 25 min.
4. Put chicken in pan on low with brown sugar, table spoon or two of apple cider vinegar, and soy sauce or sweet bbq (I did a tablespoon of both) cook on low
5. Put a handful of pumpkin seeds in a tablespoon of water and boil in water until water is gone. Then add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon and then some of brown sugar and a sprinkle of cayenne. Stir to a bubbly boil until slightly thicker. Arrange in pan so none are overlapping, and remove from heat. It will probably turn into a type of brittle almost and that's okay. Just break apart once cool.
6. Cut lettuce, green pepper, Apple and grapes.
7. Put together with feta, nuts, chicken, and sweet potato 

Notes

I think I must be ready for the Fall... apple, sweet potato, pumpkin seeds? Geeze! Anyway, today when I opened up my fridge, wondering what to make for dinner, I looked at my sweet potato and remembered a salad Lindsay made one time for the family. And it just went from there. Jeff said it was one of the best salads he's had in his life... So maybe you'll like it too. Sorry for no measurements. If you have questions just text me. It took me about 40 minutes to make with three crazies running around and melting down. The salad looks really pretty with all the color.  Enjoy!

Apple Bundt Cake

• Note: Make a note that this recipe actually tastes best the second day so you can make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. Also, if you are looking for other make-ahead components, the caramel sauce can be made and refrigerated for up to a week ahead of time.
• 
  
• Cake:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium apples, for about 3 cups chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
Cream Cheese Layer:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
Glaze:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla
Caramel Sauce:
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Generously grease and flour a 9 or 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. Peel, core and dice 3 cups of apples. Toss the apples with the tablespoon of lemon juice to keep from browning. Add the dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla and toss to combine. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. The batter will be quite thick. Drain any excess liquid from the apples (if any) and stir the apple mixture into the batter. Don't overmix! Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese just until smooth. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla and egg and beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth.
5. Using a spoon or butter knife, make a trench in the center of the cake batter (going around in the circular shape of the bundt pan) about 1-inch deep (just scoop the excess batter to either side. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the trench. Try and keep the cream cheese mixture in a ring in the center of the cake so it has cake batter on either side around the circle. Once the cream cheese mixture is in place, use a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the surrounding cake batter.
6. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (checking often as you may need to decrease or increase time based on your pan and exact oven temperature). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
7. While the cake is cooling, mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small pan over medium high heat. Allow the ingredients to come to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour the glaze over the cake while the cake is still in the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan before removing. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature, drizzling caramel sauce over each piece.
8. For the caramel sauce, mix the butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold (or use slightly warm but not hot). If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on cake.

Cincinnati Chili

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 finely cut onion
• 1/4 c chili powder
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 t cumin
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1/4 t clove
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 oz Mexican hot chocolate squares
• 2 cans broth
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 3 T. vinegar plain or apple cider
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 1/2 t. oregano
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Put everything in huge pot and stir while simmering. Do not brown meat, when meat is cooked turn to low and simmer.  To make it into the traditional "Mile High Cincinnati Chili" boil noodles, to put the chili on, then add toppings such as raw onions, lots of cheese, coconut, green onions, pineapple, craisens, peas, olives, etc.

Notes:

This is the best chili I have ever tasted.  I don't like beans in mine like the pictures, but the spices andMexican  chocolate make it so sweet and good. The cinnamon and clove especially.  It sounds really weird to serve it on top of noodles with all those toppings I listed in the directions, but believe me it is really good!

Source:
Recipe from my sister Evelyn
Picture

Slow Cooker Creamy Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients:

10 gloves of garlic, minced (if you use jarred, it's a 5 t equivalent)

64 oz (8 cups) of chicken stock or broth

1 T seasoned salt

5 pounds russet potatoes, washed NOT peeled, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 medium yellow onions, diced

2 cups carrots, diced

16 oz low fat or non fat cream cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients (except for cream cheese) in crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.

Take out half of soup and place in blender with most of liquid and blend with cream cheese. Pour blended soup back in with rest of soup in crock pot and stir to re-incorporate. (This will give you a creamy base with some chunky vegetables still intact). 

Can garnish with shredded cheese, green onion, crumbled bacon, if desired. 

I serve with crusty bread, usually rosemary focaccia. 

Notes:

Very simple and perfect for fall. This has become my go-to recipe to bring to new moms with newborns. It's a familiar tasting comfort food that agrees with most palates. This make A LOT of soup (it fills my crock pot up to the very top) so I take half to the new mom's family and save half for our family. You could easily half this if just eating for your own family (at least at my family's stage now, who knows in the future!). It is certainly a comfort food with the cream cheese ingredient, but so worth it! My kids all love it, including EmmaMae.

Pumpkin Rolls

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin
• 3 T oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 T lemon juice

Directions:

Beat eggs and sugar and add lemon juice and pumpkin.  Sift dry ingredients and add to the mixture. Bake at 375 for 13 minutes in a greased cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper.  Cool on a flour sack dish cloth covered with powdered sugar, spread filling on top and roll (from long side to long side). Refrigerate for at least an hour before cutting with a sharp knife. Recipe fills one cookie sheet.

Filling

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 T soft butter

Directions:

Mix together well.

Notes:

In the pumpkin mix recipe, I like to add two extra T of lemon extract, and also some lemon zest.  I also like to add about 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg, ground cloves, and ginger. If you don't have any wax paper, you can just butter your pan to death and sprinkle flour liberally on top to cover the whole pan, and then poor the pumpkin mix over that.  It comes out pretty easily when you flip it over on the cloth with powdered sugar.  

- Adapted from Sister Malan, picture from here

Black Bean "Mud" Soup

Black Bean "Mud" Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3/4 C diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)
• 3/4 C diced celery (about 2 ribs)
• 1 C diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 3.5oz can green chilies
• 2 cans low-sodium beef broth (I make my own from bullion, about 4 cups)
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 t chili powder
• 1/4 t cumin
• 1/2 t dry oregano leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• Optional Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro,  avocados, lime, etc.

Directions:

Place all ingredients (except toppings) in crockpot and cook on High for about 4-6 hours or on low 6-8 hours. Remove bay leaf. 

Place soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step). Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters. 

Puree soup until completely smooth.  Optionally you could pulse until a semi-chunky soup is achieved. Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges.  Makes about 8 C soup.

Notes:

My boys have termed this "Mud" soup and they all love it. The ingredients are very simple and usually available from what I have on hand and I love the taste. It is filling and healthy! You can also make it on the stovetop (see link below where I got the recipe) but I love throwing everything in the crockpot. 

Recipe adapted (only directions) and picture from: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/01/black-bean-soup/

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I used light)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup whipped topping for topping

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

-In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

-Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

-Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Notes:

Sadly, Jordan does not share my love for all things pumpkin. I did make this for the missionaries one night and they enjoyed it. As I don’t have a spring form pan currently, the pre-made graham cracker crust is a plus! I'm bringing it to our ward's Fall Fest chili and pie cook-off this weekend. Mainly because I want some! I think there's a video tutorial on the link below as well.

Recipe and picture from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/double-layer-pumpkin-cheesecake-2/detail.aspx 

Jessie's Winter Lentil Soup

Jessie’s Winter Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 4-8 leeks, white and light green parts only (enough for about 2-3 cups)
• 1 C tomatoes chopped (or 1 C diced drained tomatoes from a can)
• 2 T olive oil
• 6 cups chicken broth (I had 4 C real chicken broth from boiling chicken yesterday and the remaining two I made from chicken bullion - I added 2 C water and 2 t chicken bullion granules)
• 1 bunch Kale (can sub collard greens, but it’s not as good). I used about 3 cups chopped kale.
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a ½ inch dice (about 2 cups worth)
• ½ cup red lentils (you can use other types of lentils as well)
• 1 TB thyme leaves (I used dry)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 fresh basil leaves (don't use dry! I used a bit more as I had more in the package I bought, I chopped about 1 C worth)
• 3/4 C milk
• Shredded parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

-Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat

-Slice the leeks each in half lengthwise, then slice each half into ¼ inch half-moons (about 2-3 cups). Rinse with water and pat dry (come very dirty!)

-Chop tomatoes

-Add leeks and tomatoes to sauce pan and saute for 5 minutes or so until leeks are cooked.

-While cooking leeks and tomatoes, peel and cut sweet potatoes and chop kale: remove stems from kale, stack the leaves on top of each other, roll them, one cut length-wise in the middle, then chop

as small as you like. This method makes shopping them small (which I prefer) really fast and easy.

-Add chicken broth to saucepan and bring to boil.

-Stir in kale, sweet potatoes, lentils, thyme, salt, pepper, and chopped basil

-Simmer until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender 10-30 minutes depending on the type of lentils you use. Add milk about 10 minutes before you serve.

-sprinkle with parmesan as desired.

Notes:

This recipe is from a friend of Amie's (Jessie, I'm assuming!). The directions I had weren't too clear so I just adapted and wrote here what I did last night for dinner. So Amie, feel free to pipe in and tell me what I may have done wrong! I also added milk, as I love how milk fills out the broth a bit. I was intimidated at first (kale and leeks?) but it was actually not too hard. I like to prep work in the mornings, so you could easily do all your chopping earlier and then merely just add to the saucepan for an easy meal! I love that all of these veggies are in season right now and are at my local farmer's market! It is filling and tasty and how can you not feel healthy feeding your kids a bowl full of veggies? The boys were suspicious at first with how it looks. Jeffrey said, "Even though it looks like garbage soup it tastes great!" (Sorry no pics, next time!). We had some crusty bread for a side and it was a nice meal for a chilly fall or winter day.

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• ½ C applesauce
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Cups whole wheat flour
• 
2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Optional: add 1/2 cup or so of mini chocolate chips and then sprinkle some on top to dress them up a bit!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. (Or for me,it
worked perfectly for 2 of my 9x5 loaf pans).
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, applesauce, water and sugar until well blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Optional: Gently stir in chocolate
chips and sprinkle some on top once in pans, if desired. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes (7x3 pans) or 50-60 mins (9x5 pans) in the preheated oven. Loaves are done
when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Notes:

I thought the flavor was even better the second day. I think this recipe is kind of a nice compromise between healthy ingredients and taste! I reduced the sugar, replaced some of the oil with applesauce, and replaced over half of the flour with whole wheat flour. Nothing like warm pumpkin bread for breakfast on a fall morning!

(adapted from the recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Downeast-Maine-Pumpkin-Bread/Detail.aspx?prop24=etaf)