Wow, can it be October 15 already? Trees are changing to glorious colors here in Bama. We have a wooded backyard and in the fall, my favorite time of day is early morning when the sun comes up over the trees and like a spotlight, highlights the brightest of the autumn colors. This morning I saw glorious oranges, reds and a beautiful bright golden yellow. What a lovely start to my day!
Continuing our October celebration, today we're talking about our favorite fall foods and sharing recipes. I grew up surrounded by women who were fabulous cooks. My grandmother especially could make the very best of everything. And she did it with such seeming ease. Sadly, I didn't inherit those talents. When I go to make something elaborate in the kitchen, I usually come away exhausted, with a mess in the kitchen and my sweet hubby saying something like "But I thought it tasted really good". He's such a diplomatic SWEETheart!
However, I do have a couple of recipes that have become favorites in our house. They taste good and they're simple--my two requirements in making meals, especially these days. And they smell delicious. Don't you just love the fragrance of chili, homemade soup or pot roast wafting through the house. Somehow it just makes everything feel so much cozier.
I've heard from several of you who are planning to share lots of recipes, but don't feel that you have to give recipes. Today's post is all about favorite fall foods, so if you want to just tell us your favorites for this time of year, that's great too. However, if you also want to tell us how to make those fabulous dishes? Well...yum!
Here are two of my tried and true, extremely simple (did I already tell you I don't do anything else) favorite fall recipes:
Crock Pot Pot Roast (We both love this dish, as do my girls. The fragrance is amazing!)
Eye of Round Beef Roast
1 - 2 cans of Campbell's Mushroom Soup
1 package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Put roast in crock pot, pour canned soup and packaged soup over roast. Close lid and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. (If you want it faster, you can cook on high.) About every two hours or so, spoon gravy over the roast and after about three or four hours, turn roast over in the pot to cook more evenly.
LOL, yes, simple but oh so good! Makes a wonderful gravy that's fabulous with mashed potatoes.
The other dish that is super easy and a definite favorite of my husband's is my chili. I've tried the packaged 7-alarm stuff you get at stores and while it's good, if I have to read directions of things I already know how to make, I tend to get bored. (: I'm more of an experimenter about some dishes. Adding one thing one time, then maybe something else the next. Here's my chili recipe that I experimented with until I got it the way we like it.
Chili
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 cans diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans light red kidney beans
2 cans mild chili beans
cayenne pepper
chili pepper
cumin
Brown ground sirloin, sprinkling cayenne pepper, chili pepper and cumin over meat as it browns. Drain ground beef, return it to the pan, open up all the cans and pour on top of the meat, mix together. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for at least an hour.
I deliberately left out measurements on the pepper and cumin. Hubby doesn't like spicy meals, so I maybe use 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of each of the peppers. And a couple of sprinkles of the cumin because I love the fragrance of cumin. If I found I went overboard with the peppers, I'll add a can of plain stewed tomatoes. That's cuts the heat down quite nicely.
I serve it with cheese, crackers and Fritos Chili Cheese chips. (Oh, and my hubby likes it with cut up dill pickles because that's the way his mom fixed it when he was a kid.)
I know those are probably the simplest recipes you've ever come across, but they are definite hits in our house.
Now, it's your turn to share. Tell us what your favorite fall foods are and if you have recipes, go for it! If I think of some more later today, I'll post those too.
And remember, one random commenter will win a 'grab bag' full of goodies, including books! Winner announced tomorrow.
Okay, so let's have some fall Friday food fun!
