An Autumn Celebration: October

Here's what we ate at our October dinner with Vanessa as our host. Recipes coming soon.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

- 1-2 lbs. chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

- 4, 15 oz. cans Northern White Beans, do not drain

- 2, 14oz. cans of chicken broth

- 4, 4oz. can chopped green chilis ( can add or subtract depending on spiciness wishes)

- 1 T dried minced onion

- 2 tsp. garlic powder

- 2 tsp. salt

- 2 tsp. cumin

- 2 tsp. oregano

- 1 tsp. black pepper

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if desired)

- 2 cups of sour cream

- 1 cup milk, half and half or whipping cream

Method:

Pour all ingredients into a large pot. Bring to a slow boil, add sour cream, and milk ( or half and half or whiping cream). This makes a lot! Usually half of this feeds a family.

Acorn Squash with Cornbread and Cranberry Stuffing

1 whole Acorn Squash, Cut In Half Lengthwise

2 teaspoons Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ cups Celery, Diced

½ whole Yellow Onion, Diced

1 whole Tart Apple, Peeled, Cored, And Diced

½ teaspoons Dried Thyme

½ teaspoons Curry Powder

¼ teaspoons Cinnamon

2 whole Cornbread Muffins, Cut Into Bite-sized Pieces

¼ cups Dried Cranberries

½ cups Chicken Stock

Salt To Taste

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

Sprinkle Of Parmesan Cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Scrape seeds and stringy flesh from squash. Place squash in a baking dish, cut sides up. Pour about an inch of water in the bottom of the dish. Put one teaspoon butter and one teaspoon brown sugar in each half.
3. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Baste squash with the butter and sugar mixture after the 15-minute mark to prevent drying. Put back in the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until fork tender.
4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet and add the celery, onion, apples, thyme, curry, and cinnamon. Cook until softened. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
5. Place cubed cornbread on a baking sheet and set next to the squash in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.
6. Add cranberries and the toasted cornbread to the skillet mixture and gently stir to combine. While stirring, slowly add the chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Fill the fork-tender squash with cornbread stuffing and place back into oven until heated through.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

- 1 box of spice cake

- 1 can of pumpkin

- 1 bag of chocolate chips

Mix spice cake and pumpkin in a large bowl. This takes a lot of arm muscle, but keep going it does mix together! Add as many chocolate chips as you'd like. usually about 1/2 a bag for me.

Plop several spoonfuls of mixture on a cookie sheet. Cook for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. enjoy.

Spicy Pasta with Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (2 cups)
1/2 tsp each sugar, chili powder, cinnamon
8 oz dried rigatoni
1/3 C peanut butter
1 3-oz pkg cream cheese, cut up
2 tsp Asian chili sauce (such as Sriraca sauce)
1 T soy sauce
6 green onions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450. Oil a rimmed baking pan; set aside. Place sweet potato cubes in bowl. Toss with 1 T olive oil, the sugar, chili powder and cinnamon. Spread in prepared pan; bake 20 min or until tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 C pasta water. In saucepan combine peanut butter, cream cheese, chili sauce, and soy sauce; whisk in 3/4 C of the hot pasta water. Stir over medium heat until heated through. If too thick, stir in additional water. Stir in most of the green onions. Serve sauce over pasta with sweet potatoes and remaining onion.

Guacamole

4 soft avocados, peeled and seeded
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (1 tbsp minced)
lime juice from 1 small lime
1/4 Cup of salsa or pico de gallo
1 tsp of sea salt
2-3 tbsp jalapenos, chopped (optional)
cilantro, chopped

Mash avocados, add garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salsa/pico de gallo, and sea salt, mix together.

Roasted Vegetable Minestrone