Fall weather food...

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

I have not tried any of those, I'll check them all out soon.  I've been meaning to go to Gartner's, just lack of dedication. Who'd you recommend for ham hocks?

Gettingoldercarguy said:

In reply to grafmiata :

Post pics!  What meats do you use in your jambalaya?

Usually just andouille sausage and "Slap Yo Mama"-marinated shrimp.  Sometimes I'll throw some chicken in as well.  Will post pics later this weekend.

Once we get to fall here, I'll be up for some Smoked sausage, butternut squash, and wild rice soup.  I usually make mine with andouille, for a little spice to offset the slightly sweet butternut squash.  Of the andouilles available locally, I much prefer Cajun Hollar.  The other packaged brands are milder.  The butcher shop varieties, when available, aren't much better.   

I don't puree all the squash, as I enjoy some chunkiness.  The varied textures really make this soup.

In reply to Gettingoldercarguy :

I'd probably call first to be sure. I'm no ham hock expert, but tend to turn to Otto's or Edelweiss for sausages and similar since both know smoking. Sheridan is just a fantastic grocery with a really good meat counter (who also have an interesting sausage range). Honestly, I'm also in the "been meaning to try Gartner's but haven't managed it yet" camp. They just get so much mention in meat that I assume they'd be a good source.

In reply to slantvaliant (Forum Supporter) :

Bookmarked that recipe, it looks wicked

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

Edelweiss looks boss, gonna give them a go in a bit.

We're having taco soup tonight.
 

It's pushing the envelope for fall foods here, especially since we're hunkered down under a tropical storm at the moment, but I've been saying that I was looking forward to soup season since the middle of the month. 

Still have power, but if it goes off, the stove is gas. Can't bake though, oven has electronic controls. 

In reply to Gettingoldercarguy :

It's a neat place; great sausage, cool selection of German import foods, beer, wine, and if you happen to manage to go around lunchtime I highly recommend grabbing lunch at their deli counter (that last bit really applies to Otto's as well; different but also awesome. They serve up grilled sausages outside, and do sandwiches at a counter inside).

The little VCH's love my puff pancake for breakfast (or "breakfast" any other time of day), and recently I did a fall twist on it that turned out outstanding.

a) Preheat oven to 425F

b) Chop up an apple into little pieces, like 1/4" cubes

1) Melt 2 T butter in a #9 cast iron skillet

2) In large bowl, beat 4 eggs with 1/2 cup of milk, then beat in 2 T honey

3) Beat in 1/3 C all purpose baking flour

4) Mix in the apples.  Add 1/4t salt, 1t cinnamon, 1/4t allspice, 1/4t ground cloves, 1/8t nutmeg (adjust spices to taste)

5) Mix in 1t vanilla extract

Pour the contents of the bowl into the cast iron you melted the butter in, make sure you spatula the mixing bowl well to get it all out.  

Bake for ~15-17 minutes.  It will puff up dramatically and get nice crispy brown edges.

When done, remove from the oven immediately and gather round to admire the hot, puffed pastry.  Cut and serve as quickly as possible, as it will fall as it cools.  

Recipe serves 3-4; you can also scale up to 6 eggs, 3/4c milk, 1/2c flour, and scale up everything else accordingly.  It still works in the #9 pan, it's just a bit thicker.  

In the last week I've had chili, lasagna and a smoked sausage/cheesy potato casserole.

STM317 said:

In the last week I've had chili, lasagna and a smoked sausage/cheesy potato casserole.

Overachiever

I eat the same stuff year round. However fall does bring Octoberfest so my beer drinking changes a bit.

Red beans, rice and sausage!

And for some reason fall is when I like to sip spiced rum neat by the fire pit. Don't care for it any other time of the year.

The wife has tex-mex and cajun kitchen superpowers, so chili, jambalaya, red beans and rice, various soups(be another month before I have butternut squash ready, love that stuff)  She made this ham and potato casserole thing, because we had a bunch of leftover ham and a sack of potatoes, cheese on top, naturally.  The ham bone turned into split pea soup.  I am partial to clam chowder, which is almost invariably improved by a teaspoon of sherry

I bake more when it gets cold out, so cornbread to go with the chili, home made bread, and if I am making bread dough, probably some cinnamon rolls, and if it is going to be raining or something so I won't be planning on going outside, cabbage buns*

Hot apple cider with a shot of Tuaca in it, or hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps really hits the spot, but that is more of a Winter deal for me

*cabbage buns are a German meat pie you eat with your hand.  4# hamburger meat browned and drained, chop up a head of cabbage and a big onion, you may need to cook it down a bit so all the cabbage fits, cook with browned hamburger until done, drain well, salt and pepper to taste, at least a teaspoon of each, it will need about twice as much pepper as you think it will, in my experience, but I like pepper, and you can always add pepper when you eat it.  Put meat filling in fridge over night, handles much easier if cold.

Make bread dough, there are many recipes online, I think there is a recipe on the packets of yeast that is not bad.  For that amount of meat, you are going to want at least a couple packets of yeast and a half dozen cups of flour worth of dough.  Too much flour makes your bread heavy, which is no better for bread than it is a race car.  Roll the bread dough out fairly thin, maybe as thick as a nickel or quarter I guess, wife likes bread more than meat, I roll it out a bit thicker and make a separate pan for her because I may not be smart, but I am not an idiot.  Cut bread dough into squares, 4-5", or even bigger if you like.  Aunt Leah made one for me when I was a kid that was giant sized, but smaller ones are easier to eat.  You put meat in the center of square, pull corners up and pinch edges together.  You want it sealed, because no matter how well you think you drained the filling, some juice will still cook out of it and make them stick a little if it leaks  Vegetable oil to cover the bottom of your baking pan, put completed cabbage buns in your baking pan, I prefer pyrex, but metal pans work fine.  Sort of dunk the top in the oil to cover it, and put folded side down, you want them coated with oil really, but not drowning in it.  I put the pan on something to tilt it slightly, so the oil pools at the low end, dunk them and fill the pan with cabbage buns from the high side to the low side.  Bake at 375* until top is golden brown and crispy, 20 minutes maybe.  Typically eaten with mustard. 

I have a jug of all the stuff I drained off when I made these the last time, going to slice up some potatoes and onions and see if it will make decent soup.

84FSP said:

Lots of heavy soups, Stews, and Chilis.  Had a nice bean soup with ham hocks and fresh corn bread tonight.  Thinking of acorn squash soup (Panera knockoff) and some fresh bread for tomorrow.

Can you share the acorn squash soup recipe?  That stuff is awesome 

If you are into soups and are feeling adventurous, try Vietnamese Winter Melon soup.  Its hearty and filling. You can also use Vietnamese meatballs ( 1:1 ground pork to ground shrimp paste ratio, green onion, black pepper, and fish sauce.  I don't use sugar because of diet reasons) and/or pork ribs.

https://www.vickypham.com/blog/winter-melon-soup-with-shrimp-canh-bi-dao-tom

Not quite soup, but making this next weekend for a bunch of neighbors.  Good food makes for a helluva meet and greet.

Italian Sausage Soup.

Taco Soup.

grafmiata said:

Gettingoldercarguy said:

In reply to grafmiata :

Post pics!  What meats do you use in your jambalaya?

Usually just andouille sausage and "Slap Yo Mama"-marinated shrimp.  Sometimes I'll throw some chicken in as well.  Will post pics later this weekend.

I bought my wife a gallon of slap yo mama hot sauce one year for Christmas.  Really good gift.

Lasagna and poutine.  Not at the same time, but now that I think about it...

Cider donuts. I will travel to get these made hot, onsite.

Fresh shellfish.  Nah, I mean fresh, like you collect them yourself kind of fresh.

Soups, stews, chili and roasts.

Venison, if I'm lucky.

In reply to eastsideTim :

Oh, I gotta make some beef stock for poutine.  Thanks for reminding me.  

New England Chili.

Think I'll buy chili stuff today.  Couple nights ago I had tomato soup and grilled cheeses for the first time in quite awhile, followed by hot chocolate and getting the big comforter out of the closet.  It went from 93F to 70F overnight here.

Wxdude10 - Mike said:

84FSP said:

Lots of heavy soups, Stews, and Chilis.  Had a nice bean soup with ham hocks and fresh corn bread tonight.  Thinking of acorn squash soup (Panera knockoff) and some fresh bread for tomorrow.

Can you share the acorn squash soup recipe?  That stuff is awesome 

https://cincyshopper.com/copycat-panera-autumn-squash-soup-recipe/