Cooking w/Molly - Sister Driggs

First of all, THANK YOU to Sister Driggs for preparing such delicious and festive Fall foods! And another thank you to Ashley Perry who is always so willing to let us invade her home for a night. There was a lot of talking and eating going on, and it was fun to see so many of us together outside of our regular Sunday meetings.

For everyone who wanted very badly to have a copy of Sister Drigg's recipes, I am pleased to announce that they are here!!! Enjoy, and remember to share some of the pumpkin brownies with your husband... and with friends (ahem...) like me. :) -Lori

Photo from www.kreativedryve.blogspot.com

Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1 fresh bay leaf
2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or 2 teaspoons ground thyme
2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
6 cups chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Relish:
1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add bay, celery, and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce, to taste, then cook flour a minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit then add in cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

While soup cooks, assemble the relish: combine apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon. Adjust seasonings in soup and relish and serve soup in shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish.

Harvest Soup

1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey

¾ c chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 ½ c water

2 ¼ chopped and peeled sweet potatoes (or regular potatoes)

1 c chopped red potatoes

1 c chopped peeled acorn squash (or zucchini squash)

2 beef bouillon cubes

2 bay leaves

½ t chili powder

½ t pepper

1/8 t ground allspice

1/8 t ground gloves

1 can (14 ½ oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

In a large pot, cook the meat, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain well. Add water, potatoes, squash, bouillon, bay leaves, and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer or 15 – 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes. Cook until heated through. Discard bay leaves.

Pumpkin Brownies

½ c margarine or butter, melted

1 c sugar

2 eggs

½ c pumpkin

¾ c flour

¾ t pumpkin pie spice

1/8 t cinnamon

½ t vanilla

Beat eggs, add sugar, add pumpkin, vanilla, and melted butter. Add dry ingredients. Bake in 9x9” pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

ICING:

¾ c powdered sugar

3 oz cream cheese

¼ c butter

1 t vanilla