Crock-Pot Pumpkin Butternut Squash Chili

I enjoy making a batch of this Chili every Autumn. It is super hardy for those cold evenings (though, we have yet to experience a crisp Fall night yet this year!). The dish is delightful when accompanied by fries, cornbread, or all by itself.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning
• 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 cup corn- canned, fresh, or frozen
• 2 cups cooked black beans- from the can or fresh
• 2 cups diced fresh or canned tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups fresh peppers- I used bell peppers, but any variety will do
• 2 cups chicken or veggie broth

Simply toss all the ingredients into a crock-pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. When finished, serve with a side dish of your choice.

Hope you enjoy the Fallish cuisine!

Nancy Jane

Maple Walnut Pumpkin Cake

 

Fellow pumpkin enthusiasts, you will surely enjoy this cake. It is so cinnamony, pumpkiny, and mapley. The pastry is filled with a plethora flavors, it doesn't need frosting, a simple powder sugar topping will do.

The maple syrup brings a whole new divine twist. It's not overpowering, just a lovely sweet addition.

The cake is extremely easy to bake...and devour.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup 100% pumpkin purée
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Except for brown sugar, combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, butter, and brown sugar. Mix in pumpkin purée, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla until completely mixed.

Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stir until the dry mixture is completely mixed into wet ingredients. Then add walnuts and stir.

Grease a cake pan and pour cake batter in it. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until finished.

When cooled, serve with a fresh cup of coffee in your favorite mug. Hope you enjoy this Fall time treat!

Nancy Jane

Cinnamon Apple Scones

Simple yet full of spices; Cinnamon Apple Scones are sure to be a pleasant addition to you Autumn afternoon tea time.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 6 tablespoons cold butter
• 1 cup diced apples
• Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in food processor. Turn on machine and mix.

 

When finished, add cubed cold butter into mixer, then blend until butter turns into little balls.

 

 

Pour mixture into bowl, add apples and optional walnuts.

 

 

In a separate bowl, mix eggs and 1/2 and 1/2. Pour into the flour and butter mixture. Stir until completely combined.

 

 

Place a piece of parchment paper on cookie sheet. Lay out dough and press into a circle about a half an inch thick.

 







 Using a butcher knife or pizza cutter, cut eight triangles. Separate and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until top slightly browns.

 

 

Pull out of oven and let cool when fully baked.

 

To increase the sweetness, add frosting. Combine powder sugar, a little bit of water, and a bit of cinnamon to taste and stir. Once you achieve your desired consistency, drizzle frosting onto scone. The perfect sweet addition!

 





Nancy Jane

Pesto Winter Squash with Chicken Apple Sausage

 

Though it may still be one hundred degrees here in the Central Valley, it still doesn't mean we can't enjoy some early Fall luxuries. While we dream of rain, fog, and cooler weather, let us enjoy an Autumn dish!

Spaghetti Squash and Butternut Squash will grace the plate, yum yum! Feel free to add Acorn Squash as well; I'm not the biggest fan of that particular Winter Squash.

Recipe:

• One medium sized Spaghetti Squash
• 2 cups chopped Butternut Squash
• 2 cups chopped chicken apple sausages
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 4 tablespoons pesto, find our recipe here
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive Oil for spreading and sautéing
• 1/2 cup water

Step One:
Baking the Spaghetti Squash. Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut off the ends.

 

Cut in half long ways.

Scoop out seeds; be sure to save them for your chickens!

Brush the meat of the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then lay face down on cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake for about 40 minutes.

When 40 minutes are up, check to see if you can poke a fork into the squash with some ease. If you can, then it is done. Take out of oven and put aside to cool.

 

Step Two:
Cooking the Butternut Squash. Place chopped squash into a skillet, pour 1/2 cup of water and steam squash until soft.

Once you can stick a fork through the squash, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, sausage and a dash of salt. Sauté until sausage is fully cooked.

Step Three:
"Making spaghetti." When Spaghetti Squash is cool enough to handle, take a fork and scrape the inside of squash. You will see how it makes noodle like strands.

Scrape until the meat of the squash is gone, place in casserole dish. Repeat process with second half.

Combine ingredients from skillet into casserole dish. Add pesto, salt and pepper. Stir together; once fully combined serve and enjoy!

It's a very healthy dish, and you will enjoy all the flavors that mingle together. Super yummy!

Nancy Jane

K.E.G.'s Love for Scones

There are only three things K.E.G. loves more than scones; Jesus, family, and pugs (specifically Poe).

With a nice cup of coffee, or tea, she exudes joy when the tasty pastry has found its way to a plate next to her.

But really, who can resist the temptation of the scone? It’s a sweet siren that beckons back to proper days of old. One can feel simply elegant in pajamas while eating the sophisticated pastry.

K.E.G. and I decided that today would be a lovely scone day, and per usual of this time of the year, we are still dealing with the ongoing quest of using up all the apples from the little orchard. So we started to bake!

 

Scooping out the ingredients.

Mixin'...

 

...and cuttin'.

 

The end result. She sure does know how to make a pretty (and delicious) scone!

Nancy Jane

Apple, Butternut Squash, & Chicken Crock-Pot Curry

Autumn is around the corner, and we are enjoying harvesting our Autumnish produce! With apples and butternut squashes profusely growing, we are still trying to find ways to use them! Curry seemed like a good idea, and boy was I right!

Indian food is one of my fiancé's and my favorite cuisine. There is a hole in the wall restaurant we frequently dine at, however, due to less then flattering events happening at the place, our attendance has lessened. In order to quench our Indian food cravings, I've been searching for a replacement.

This recipe is on the sweeter side, no spiciness; which is perfect for me. And did I mention how easy the recipe is? It's so simple!

Ingredients:
(This feeds two people, just double recipe for a family of four)

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 can (13.5 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 chicken breasts, diced into chunks
• 1 cup diced apples
• 2 cups diced butternut squash
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoon sweet yellow curry
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, optional
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 tablespoons whole wheat flour.

Except for flour, combine the ingredients into crock-pot.

 

 

Set lid on top and cook on high for 6-8 hours. After the 6 hours is up, the curry may be too liquidy. Simply add flour to the curry and it will thicken.

Serve with jasmine brown rice or quinoa. Then enjoy while watching the leaves turn into a rainbow of colors.



 

Nancy Jane