Fall Dairy Recipe

Happy Fall,Ya'll!  As I was browsing through the recipes on the Midwest Dairy website, I found a recipe just made for filling the kitchen with the smell of fall...Baked Apples with Cinnamon Yogurt Topping. 

Just reading the recipe brought back memories of my childhood when my Mother would bake apples in the fall or winter. The sweet smell of cinnamon and apples would fill the house. I'm ready to make some fall memories with a little dairy...how about you?

Baked Apples with Cinnamon Yogurt Topping

Ingredients:

4 Granny smith or Gala Apples with or       without skin

1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

For Baked Apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Core and thinly slice apples. Place apples in a medium bowl and toss with apple juice. Mix brown sugar, cornstarch,cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in small bowl. Sprinkle over apples and stir gently until apples are coated.

Pour apples into prepared baking dish. Bake 40 minutes or until apples are slightly browned at edges and sauce is bubbling.

For Yogurt Topping

2 1/2 cups low-fat plain yogurt

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Line a colander with several paper towels and place over a bowl to catch drips. Pour yogurt into colander and allow to drain refrigerated about 30 minutes. Spoon yogurt into a small bowl and stir in honey and cinnamon.

For each serving, top 1/4  of the warm apples with 1/4 of the yogurt topping.

Fall Chowder

We're into real leaf falling, leaf piling,frost on the pumpkin  fall that includes crisp mornings and chilly evenings. It's not quite cold enough for a fire in the fireplace but perfect for a warm soup at supper. 

Thanks to Iowa Dairymom Jonna Schutte for sharing this recipe with Midwest Dairy and The Dairy Good CookBook!

Chunky Baked Potato Chowder
     
4 slices bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
6 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
  black pepper
11/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
3 medium unpeeled russet potatoes,
    baked,cooled and cut into bite-size 
    pieces
Hot pepper sauce
2 green onions,sliced


Directions:
Cook the bacon until crisp in a large skillet. Remove the bacon from the skillet,reserving the dripping. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Add the onion,carrot,and celery to the bacon drippings in the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender;set aside.

Whisk together the milk,flour,paprika,salt,and pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Reduce the heat and slowly add the cheese, stirring constantly until melted.

Add the cooked onion mixture and potatoes to the soup in the saucepan. Stir well. Heat until all the vegetables are warm. Season to taste with hot pepper sauce. Serve topped with a sprinkling of bacon crumbles and green onion.

Dressy Pumpkin Pie Celebrates Fall

If you're looking for a dressed up pumpkin pie for your fall celebrations, you'll love Autumn Pumpkin Pie! I started baking this pie in 1987  when I found the recipe in the October issue of Southern Living. In fact, the first time I baked it was for Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws . It became part of my collection when my (best cook ever)  mother-in-law asked me for the recipe!

Autumn Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

2 eggs,slightly beaten
3 cups cooked,mashed pumpkin
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 unbaked 10 inch  pastry shell

Topping: 
1/4 cup butter,melted
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine first 12 ingredients; blend well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake @ 400 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 35 minutes.
Combine butter,1/2 cup flour and brown sugar; blend well. Stir in pecans; sprinkle mixture on pie and bake @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Yield: 1 10-inch pie 

                                 ...and of course, it's always served with vanilla ice cream!