Fall Cooking

Fall is finally here! The difference between the east and west coasts is that the west coast has many evergreen trees so the fall colors are interspersed with green pine trees. Here on the east coast, everything is deciduous so when the trees change colors, they ALL change colors. It makes driving down the highway absolutely beautiful. Both sides of the road are lined with all different colors. Unfortunately, it also means once the leaves fall, all you see are sticks for miles and miles. Pretty ugly.

In honor of the fall, the soup section of my cookbook is back open for business! Tonight I made "Easy Corn Chowder" with cheesy biscuits. After I pulled the cheesy biscuits out of the oven, since it was already preheated, I threw in a butternut squash (picked fresh from our garden!!!... the one and only squash that came from 3 squash plants...) to roast for butternut squash quesadillas that we'll eat tomorrow night. My sister has a blog going full of recipes she wants to try/has tried. I enjoy reading through it and getting new meal ideas. While I'm not ambitious enough to start an entire recipe blog, I thought I'd share tonight's dinner recipe for those who want to try a new, easy-to-make, soup. I recommend doubling the recipe, which will give you enough for 8 servings - plenty to freeze or eat for lunches.

Easy Corn Chowder - from Pampered Chef

2 medium unpeeled red potatoes
1 cup cubed cooked ham (can usually be found packaged near the kielbasa at the grocery store)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 Tbsp flour
1 can (14oz) chicken broth
1 can (12oz) fat-free evaporated milk
1 can (15oz) creamed corn
2 Tbsp sliced fresh chives
salt & pepper to taste
cooked crumbled bacon (optional - I usually forget it)

1. Cut potatoes and ham into 1/2 inch cubes, set aside. Dice bell pepper. Coarsely chop celery.
2. Heat butter in a large pot. Add bell pepper and celery; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until crisp tender. Stir in flour; heat another minute.
3. Gradually whisk in broth, evaporated milk, and creamed corn. Add potatoes; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cook uncovered, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Stir in ham; heat through. Remove from heat, stir in chives, salt and pepper.
5. Ladle soup into bowls and top with crumbled bacon, if desired.


Cheese Biscuits

2 cups baking mix (ie: Bisquick)
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I actually used 1/2 cup of an Italian cheese mix that I had in the fridge, and it was delicious too)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine baking mix, milk, and cheese in a bowl. Mix until a soft, sticky dough is formed.
3. Drop by the spool full onto an ungreased baking sheet, making approx. 16 2" balls of dough
4. Cook 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
5. Melt butter, stir in garlic powder and parsley. Brush over the tops of the warm, cooked biscuits.