Apple Crisp from Jessica Sargent

Filling
3 large apples, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 to 2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 c cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

Topping
1 pouch (1lb. 1.5oz) Betty Crocker Oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 c butter or margarine melted
1/2 c chopped pecans (optional)

1. Heat oven to 300. Spray bottom and sides of 8 inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, toss filling ingredients. Spread mixture in baking dish. In same bowl, stir cooking mix and melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling.
3. Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with pecans. Bake 15 to 20 min. longer or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temp.

Makes 9 servings.

Corn and Squash Soup from Vanessa Powers

Disclaimer: Photo does not do justice. This stuff is amazing; 4 out of 4 cooking club members agree!

8 Servings

Ingredients

12 bacon strips, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
6 celery ribs, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Chicken Broth6 cups mashed cooked butternut squash
2 cans (8-3/4 ounces each) cream-style corn
2 cups half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Sour cream, optional

Directions

To mash the squash:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds using a spoon. (Discard seeds.) Brush the cut sides with some butter and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Place the squash in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet and wrap pan well with aluminum foil. Cook until squash is fork tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and, using a large spoon, scoop the flesh from the skin and place squash in a heatproof mixing or serving bowl. Using a potato masher, mash the squash to the desired texture.

To make the Soup:

In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. In the drippings, saute onion and celery until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the half and half, squash, corn, cream, parsley, salt, pepper and bacon. Cook and stir until heated through. Garnish with sour cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1-1/4 cups) equals 381 calories, 26 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 53 mg cholesterol, 1,021 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 9 g protein.

And here is a handy print out, just click to enlarge and print!

Pumpkin Shortbread from Whitney Stephens

• FOR THE SHORTBREAD BASE:
• 1-¼ cup All-purpose Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar (heaping)
• ½ cups Softened Butter
• 1 dash Salt
• ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• _____
• FOR THE PUMPKIN FILLING:
• 1-½ cup Pureed Pumpkin
• ½ cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPINGS:
• ⅓ cups Chopped, Toasted Walnuts (or Any Other Nut)
• ⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• ¼ cups Prepared Caramel Sauce

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 8×8 square dish with parchment paper or foil (if desired) and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for shortbread until moist. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.

In different large bowl, whisk together ingredients for pumpkin filling. Stir until smooth. Pour over shortbread and smooth the top. Sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips over top and press lightly into filling. Drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the entire dessert.

Bake 45 minutes-55 minutes or until pumpkin filling has set. Cool completely before removing. Cut into 12 equal squares and serve.

Recipe from http://www.laurenslatest.com/

Oh, and here is a nifty little print out, just click to enlarge and print it out for your records.

Meeting Recipes

Hi everyone! Rather than sending out emails all the time updating you all on the dishes that others are bringing I thought I'd just put it in this blog for you all to see and I'll update as people let me know what they're bringing. So far we have the following dishes being brought to our October 22 meeting:

Apple Crisp
Corn and Squash Soup
Hot spiced Cider and Harvest Beans
Pumpkin Shortbread



Also, if you are planning on bringing a friend please let me know so I can let our October host, Chrissy, know how many guests to expect. Just a reminder the meet up is on October 22nd at 11am and will be at Chrissy's house off base. I'll be sending the address via email a week prior to the meet up, if you want to come and you're not on the email list send me an email at whitney_sp@yahoo.com