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***image1***Fall is a time for hearty and warming foods. It is when you pull your crock pot and bread maker out of storage and start baking treats with cinnamon and orange spice.
It is time to thumb through your favorite cookbooks and call Mom to ask for the thousandth time how to make cream cheese frosting for her famous pumpkin bars. All of this is signaled by the first true chill in the air, the suggestive scent of wood smoke in the evenings and the welcome appearance of fresh fall produce in grocery stores and road-side stands.
When you ask people what foods remind them of autumn, a slow smile crosses their faces and their minds begin to wander, their mouths watering. Conversations begin featuring a dark, steaming roast, encircled with bright carrots and peppery potatoes and onions, a brimming basket of hot buttery rolls and sweet wedges of cinnamon apple pie. Everyone has a history with food, from treats they grew up with to special meals for sick days and holidays.
The inevitable cold is almost worth coming down with when you get to lie on the couch, balancing a hot cup of lemon tea with honey and a big bowl of healing chicken soup, swimming with noodles and carrots with a chunk of crusty French bread for dunking.
Families can easily reconnect over a deep dish of baked macaroni and cheese and a bowl of steamed zucchini and squash. Holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving have deep traditions of their own – memorable to each family. Some classic favorites are rich, hearty stews with cornbread and sweet butter, fresh green bean casseroles with French onions and the eventual arrival of a hot, moist turkey – the proud centerpiece of Thanksgiving.
Any time is right to try the combination of a cozy night in, a group of fun friends and a delicious crock pot full of chili. There are many fabulous chili recipes available to please every palate: white, kidney or black beans combined with beef,
turkey, chicken or even vegetarian. Blend those with tasty spices and juicy tomatoes and you will have a winner. Serve it over white rice with sharp cheddar cheese, or with noodles, if you prefer Cincinnati style.
And the baked goods! Piles of cookies studded with newly-harvested nuts, velvety pound cakes and crumbles full of berries and rhubarb … Oh my! The pumpkin reigns supreme in loaves of bread, perfect pies and old-fashioned layer cakes. Every morsel is warm, sweet and full of love.
Fall is the time of the harvest, and the harvest is a time to give thanks, both here in Germany and back home in the states. You don’t have to be a farmer to understand that a time of rest after hard work brings sweetness to life and a grateful attitude. We can be thankful for the many gifts in life – our families, our health and, of course, good food.
