We are living in an abnormal year! The year of 2020 has brought many challenges to our lives in ways we could not have predicted as we celebrated 2019 and welcomed 2020—how we do our jobs, our children’s schooling, connecting with family, socializing with friends, celebrating special events, shopping, and just about everything else.
Sometimes in the midst of turmoil, we need to be reminded of the constants in our lives. The cycle of changing seasons being one; it’s something we can always depend on. In a normal year, there was something special about the return of routine in the fall. The end of summer might have meant a new calendar charting everyone’s school and extra-curricular activities, practice times, meeting new teachers and launching into a new academic year. For others, fall might have been a time of looking forward to reconnecting with coworkers and friends after being away or in-and-out over the summer. Fall also meant the return of football games, tailgates, visits to the pumpkin patch, carnivals, and that long-planned fall trip. Whatever fall meant in the past, COVID-19 might have changed those ‘looked forward to’ expectations.
Coming home, wherever that may be, at the end of day is another constant. It’s where we rest, relax, and recharge to be ready for whatever the next day holds. For some reason, coming home in the fall conjures up memories and smells of the past–pot roast in the oven or chili on the stove.
My AnswerLine co-workers and I are each sharing a cherished recipe handed down from our mothers or grandmothers that bring happy fall memories to mind. We hope that they will help you recall a favorite fall memory or smell to make your fall routine seem ‘normal’ and remind you that having constants in our lives gives us the fortitude for whatever unknowns the season my hold. May your fall be a time to carry on traditions as much as possible while embracing new adventures.
Memories from Marcia Steed
The comfort food that I fondly recall from my mom’s kitchen in the fall was chili. We were a busy household but always had supper together as a family. Chili was a ‘go to’ as it could be prepared ahead and would be ready for us whenever we gathered for supper. My mom would have used the
Chili Con Carne recipe from the traditional red-checkered
Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.
Chili Con Carne
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 1-pound can (2 cups tomatoes, broken up
1 1-pound can (2 cups) dark red kidney beans, drained
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 bay leaf
In heavy skillet, cook meat, onion, and green pepper till meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaf. Makes 4 servings.
Memories from Marlene Geiger
A memory that always comes back to me in the fall is the smell of Mom’s apple butter wafting in the air as I neared by childhood home after school. Apple Butter was made almost annually from the apples in the family orchard and served on toast for breakfast. The recipe is taken from the tattered pages of my mother’s handwritten cookbook in a 1940s spiral notebook. Likely the recipe is my grandmother’s. The apple butter was made in a large enamel roasting pan, the same pan used to roast a turkey. The recipe is non-specific, typical of an old recipe. Today, I make apple butter in my electric programmable pressure cooker using a tested recipe.
Apple Butter
Pare, core, and dice 15 cups apples to fill roasting pan. Add 12 cups sugar, and one teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Bake until apples are tender and thick. Mash apples if needed.
Memories from Beth Marrs
A family favorite is the chocolate chip cookie recipe that my mom made for my sister and I. It is the perfect cookie that is soft and delicious. These cookies were favorites of all of my kids’ teammates, too, as I would make multiple batches of cookies to take along to all their fall activities. I am thrilled to now be making them with my grandsons who are 2 and 4!
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ¼ cup flour
1 package chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugars. Add pudding mix, vanilla and eggs and mix until creamy. Slowly add the baking soda and flour and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. I use a medium cookie scoop to make them all the same size and shape and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. They will be light brown. Do not overbake.
Memories from Carol Van Waardhuizen
I remember fall as a time when I converted my FCS high school students into “homemade soup lovers.” To accomplish our knife skills objectives, we used potato peelers, chef’s knives and paring knives to prep our freshly harvested vegetables. Lastly, they learned of the versatility of a basic potato soup by adding cooked ham cubes, bacon bits, or grated cheeses. They couldn’t believe the goodness of a thick soup that they had created themselves.
Potato Soup
4 potatoes, washed, peeled and diced
2 carrots, washed, peeled and sliced
2 ½ cups of water
1 T. and 1 t. chicken soup base (or vegetarian)
3 T. butter or margarine
½ large onion, chopped
2 T. flour
2 cups milk
Ground pepper to taste
½ t. salt
2 t. dried parsley
1/8 t. dried thyme or other seasonings to taste
In a stockpot or Dutch oven, heat water while preparing vegetables. Add potatoes, carrots and chicken soup base to the boiling water. Return to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes if the cubes are about 1” or smaller). Some of the water will boil down, but don’t let it dry up.
While potatoes and carrots are cooking, melt butter in a skillet and add onions. Sauté onions until they are translucent. Over medium heat, add the flour to the cooked onions to make a (roux) paste and then cook 1 minute, to cook the flour starch. Gradually add the milk. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the white sauce has thickened.
Add the onion and white sauce mixture to the cooked potatoes and carrot mixture and stir well. Stir in the seasonings and heat thoroughly. You can garnish with grated cheese, bacon bits, ham cubes or other items to your preference.
