Pumpkin Tapioca Pudding

Mmmm. It is that time of year: warm pumpkin something or other, hot chocolate, stew, bread. I love fall. I had purchased a can of pumpkin and had not used it so I decided to make pumpkin tapioca pudding. This is very easy and quite tasty.

2/3 c sugar
3 tbls tapioca
3 c milk
1 can pumpkin (~15 oz)
1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients, except vanilla, in medium saucepan. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until pudding comes to boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and cool.

Squash Applesauce Coffee Cake

I've made this recipe a few times over the summer to use up the bounty from my garden. I have heard nothing but good things about it and have had a lot of requests, so here it is. To be honest, I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com but I have tweaked it a lot from the original, so I don't think you'd be able to find the original anymore.

My recipe calls for summer squash, but you can use zucchini, cooked butternut or acorn squash, or a mixture that strikes your fancy.

Streusel
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1/4 c oats
1/4 c nuts (pecans are best)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbls cold butter

Cake
1/2 c butter-flavored shortening
1 c sugar
2 eggs
2 c squash
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch cloves
1 c applesauce

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add in eggs, squash, vanilla, and spices. Stir in flour. Grease two loaf pans or an 8 x 8 cake pan. Place half the batter in pan, layer in applesauce and 1/2 the streusel. Top with remaining batter and streusel. Bake at 375 for 40 min or until done.

Irish Soda Bread

One of my favorite fall/winter treats is Irish soda bread. I have been making various versions for the past few years that are more like a desert or cake, but I decided to modify one of the recipes that I use to make it more authentic. From what I know about Irish soda bread it is very basic, no eggs, no sugar, no caraway seeds, no raisins! Other recipes that I have found have also used baking powder, yeast, butter, etc. I made a yummy loaf a few days ago and it was as easy to make as it gets. I hope you give it a try, even if you don't bake, and bread scares you, it is hard to mess this one up. This recipe makes one, smallish, loaf.

2 1/4 c flour
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375F. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir in buttermilk until mixed. Knead the dough until all of the flour is incorporated and it begins to smooth out (about 5 min). Form the dough into a ball and tuck the sides underneath. Place on un-greased baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, make two shallow cuts in the form of an x on the top of the bread. Bake for 45 min or until bread sounds hollow when you knock on it. (Yes, really, go ahead and knock on the loaf).

This bread is best when eaten warm and the same day it is made. It will last a few days at room temperature but will go rancid if left too long. If you have left-overs, you can microwave a slice or toast it, but you should consider putting some butter and/or jam on it.

Shepherds Pie

I'm trying to make smaller meals and to make life easier on myself by doing some meal preparation ahead of time. This being said, a few days ago I made stuffed green peppers, as you well know. I had 1 lb ground beef, but only needed to use 1/2 lb, so I saved the remaining 1/2 to use for shepherds pie. I was able to use fresh carrots straight out of my garden! Even though the recipe seems small, it yields 4 servings. I suggest serving it with warm buttermilk biscuits.

1/2 lb ground sirloin
1/4 c diced onion
1/4 c diced carrot
1 c frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, beans)
1 tbls Worcestershire sauce
2 tbls ketchup
1 c beef broth
4 tbls butter
1/4 c milk
1/4 tsp thyme
2 large russet potatoes
2 tbls flour
salt & pepper

Heat 2 tbls butter over med-high heat, add carrots and onions. Cook for 5 minutes, then add ground beef. Cook until ground beef is cooked through and vegetables are tender. De glaze the pan with the broth, mix in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and thyme. Gradually sprinkle flour into mixture, stirring constantly. Allow sauce to thicken, stirring occasionally. Add frozen vegetables and heat for 5 minutes. Place in 1 qt baking dish.

Meanwhile, peel and dice two potatoes. Place in medium saucepan, cover with water, and add salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-high and boil for 15 minutes or potatoes are fork-tender. Strain potatoes and put back in hot pot on hot burner. All additional water to cook off, then mash potatoes, add butter while continuing to mash. Add milk, salt, and pepper to taste and consistency.

Top meat and vegetable mixture with mashed potatoes. Place in a preheated 375F oven for 20 minutes. If top does not brown, broil for 5 minutes or until potatoes are golden on top.

Stuffed Green Peppers

It's getting cold outside and the season for comfort food has arrived. I was very busy this evening, so I had to make this recipe a little different than I usually would have, but it turned out well and was very hands off.

4 large green peppers
1 c long grain rice
1 c spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c water
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1 tsp Italian spices
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 lb ground beef

Brown ground beef in 10" pan w/ lid. Add onions and cook over medium heat until tender. Meanwhile, cut tops off from green peppers, remove stem and dice tops. Add peppers and spices to pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add water, sauce, and rice, bring to boil, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, place peppers in baking dish and bake at 375F for 25 min. Fill peppers with rice mixture. Top with sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake for additional 10 min or until cheese is melted.

If you have the extra time, you can fill the raw peppers with the rice mixture, top with sauce and cheese, and bake for 25 min. Enjoy!