Seasonal Fare
Color is everywhere, leaves rustle, and the birds congregate. Harvest your vegetables or head to a farmer's market and start a pot of soup. Apples, pumpkins, and chrysanthemums are ready to be picked. The first frost begs for the wood to be cut and piled high. Round out the season with turkey, squash, cranberries, and your favorite pie. It is a time of plenty.
Sopa Ranchera
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 3/4 cups peeled baking potato, cubed
- 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
- 1 cup corn
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Toppings
- 2/3 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2/3 low-fat sour cream
- 2/3 cup shredded quesodilla cheese or reduced-fat Monteray Jack
- 10 lime wedges
To prepare soup, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add oregano, cumin, garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add chicken stock, potato, and chickpeas; bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Add chicken, corn, salt, and zucchini; cook 5 minutes. Stir in tomato and cilantro; cook 2 minutes. Serve soup with toppings. The lime is especially good.
Fall Recipes
Pumpkin Cookies from the Minneapolis StarTribune, years ago
I always need more icing for the cookies; not quite double.
Cookies
- 3 1/2 cups sifted flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
Icing
- 5 T crown super
- 3 T butter
- 3 T milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar, extra if needed
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In a large bowl, using electric on medium, beat shortening and granulated sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add pumpkin puree and mix until well combined.
Slowly add flour mixture, mixing until combined. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes; do not overbake. Remove from oven, cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Icing
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter, and milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, set aside to cool completely, about an hour. Stir in powdered sugar until icing is desired consistency, adding more if necessary. Ice cookies to taste.