Harvest Treats

Harvest TreatsOctober is upon us and the year 2012 seems to be flying by. Fall will be settling in soon, which means longer evenings and cooler days. Here are some October themed dishes for the young at heart.

Harvest Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil

4 chicken breasts (skinned,
deboned, chopped)

1 large onion, large dice

3 carrots, large dice

3 celery stalks, large dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

1 Tbsp chicken bouillon

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground red pepper

2 (16 oz) cans green beans
(drained)

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green
chiles

2 Tbsp All-Purpose flour
½ cup milk

¼ cup fresh cilantro
(chopped)

Shredded cheese

Green onions (chopped)

Bacon (cooked, chopped)

Sauté the chicken, onion, carrots and garlic in the olive oil for 10 minutes. Stir in broth, bouillon, cumin and red pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and allow to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Add beans and chiles. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and milk. Slowly pour into soup, stirring constantly. Cook for 10 minutes or until soup has thickened. Remove from heat and add the cilantro. Use toppings as desired.

Halloweenie Dogs
1 package bun length hot
dogs

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

Olive oil
Worcestershire sauce

Salt and Pepper

Buns

Cut the hot dogs lengthwise into quarters and grill. Cut vegetables into long strips and place in sauté pan with olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Sauté until cooked but still crisp. Toss together with vegetables and serve on hot dog buns.

Holy Ghost Pies
1 cup butter, room

temperature

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 egg

2 ¼ cup All-Purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2 egg whites

Pinch cream of tartar

Pinch salt

2/3 cup light corn syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

12 oz semisweet chocolate

In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and salt slowly until dough forms. Divide in half and shape into discs. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven and spray two sheet pans with grease. Roll each disc out to 1/8” thickness. Using a 2 ½” cookie cutter, cut rounds and place them on the prepared sheet pans about 1” apart. Refrigerate for 10 minutes before baking. Bake the cookies about 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown. Allow to cool completely before assembling.

Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until firm peaks form. Boil the corn syrup over high heat until it registers 230F degrees on a candy thermometer. Slowly drizzle hot corn syrup into the egg whites while the mixer is on medium speed. Once all has been added turn mixer to high until glossy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Spoon about 1 ½ tablespoons of marshmallow filling on the center of a cookie then top with another cookie and press until the marshmallow spreads to the edges. Reserve ½ cup of marshmallow filling.

The chocolate can be melted one of two ways. In a nonreactive bowl, melt the chocolate in a microwave, stopping every 15 seconds to stir ensuring that none of the chocolate is burning. Or place a pot with an inch of water on the stove over medium heat and place a metal bowl on top (or use a double boiler).

Place all the assembled cookies on a wire rack over a sheet pan lined with plastic wrap. Spoon the melted chocolate over each cookie until it completely covers the tops and sides. Reserve small portion of chocolate. Allow to set. Using a zipper bag, fill with remaining marshmallow cream and draw a “holy ghost” on top of each chocolate covered cookie. Re-melt the chocolate if necessary and use to draw faces on the ghosts. Allow to cool completely in the refrigerator.

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