Pumpkin Bisque

Ingredients:
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 tsp. salt
2 cups cream or milk
4-5 cups chicken stock

Directions:
Melt butter in skillet and add sliced onions. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and saute until soft. Sprinkle with curry powder and saute an additional few minutes. In a food processor or blender or a hand immersion blender mix curried onions, pumpkin, and salt. Transfer pumpkin mix to large saucepan and heat slowly with chicken stock (add 2 cups to start, then continue adding more until you get the consistency you prefer), then add cream. Add salt & pepper to taste. I sometimes also add nutmeg and ginger.

Shaw Family holiday treats...

Mama Shaw's fudge

2 Tbsp butter

2/3 c. undiluted evaporated milk

1 2/3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 c. (4 oz) miniature marshmellows or marshmellow creme

1 1/2 c semi sweet chocolate chips or milk:)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. chopped nuts

around

I added toffee bits but not sure i liked it?!

Combine butter, evap. milk, sugar and salt in saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a boil. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly (start timing when mixture starts to "bubble" pan edges)

Remove from heat. Stir in marshmellows, chocolate, vanilla and nuts until blended and smooth.

Pour into 8" square buttered pan. Cool. Cut in squares.

Mama Shaw's English Toffee

1 cup butter

1 c. sugar

Pecans if you like?!

I doubled this recipe to fill 1 lg Jelly Roll pan

Lay out pecans on cookie sheet, lined with foil. Cook butter and sugar-stir vigorously till color of brown paper bag. Takes about 5-10 minutes...starts to "smoke"....if over-cooked then candy sticks to teeth.

..it kinda looks overcooked when first pour it on pan but it cools lighter than it starts.

Take off stove, pour over pecans. Then I sprinkle chocolate chips on top and toffee cool for about 5 minutes and then use rubber spatula to spread melted chips and sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.

Mom's homemade microwave Caramel

1 cup margarine or butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar (slightly packed)

1 cup Karo syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk (Like eagle brand)

Melt butter first. Add other ingredients stirring well. Cook on high for 7 minutes. Take out and stir to mix again and return to microwave for 7 more minutes or until soft ball stage. Put cold water in a glass measuring cup. At end of microwave cooking time, put a spoonful of caramel mixture into cold water....as it cools...take it out in your fingers and feel consistency...should be soft and chewy..... Pour into a greased 9x9 ppan. Cool, then cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper or use for yummy holiday turtles...

Mama Shaw's Turtles

Spray Pam or use butter--copious amounts on wax paper or silicone pad

Arrange 4-5 pecan halves in star shape...i can get at least 20 plus turtles on jelly roll pan

use a drop of microwave caramel to "glue" legs together (about 1/4 of small cookie scoop)

When first small drop is cooled (fast) go back and put additional caramel on turtle backs (one small cookie scoop)

You can reheat caramel in bowl briefly in microwave if it makes it easier to spoon onto turtles...or work fast :)

This recipe makes about 50-60 turtles...Make em as big as you choose...remembering that you will eat them :)

In a glass measuring cup put about 2 c. chocolate chips and 1-2 tsp of crisco and melt in microwave till smooth and creamy. Scoop one small cookie scoop of choc on each turtle back then I use a fork in circle motion to spread it evenly in circle and sometimes drizzle white choc on back:)

English Toffee

Ingredients

• 14 tablespoons (1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Dash salt
• 1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips or thin chocolate bars

Directions

Generously butter a cookie sheet.

Put butter, sugar, and water in a heavy pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a bubbling boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove spoon from pan, and cook to a very brittle stage (300 degrees to 310 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Or, make a cold water test: candy will separate into hard, brittle threads when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat and add nuts to mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread to 1/4-inch thickness. Cool slightly, top with chocolate chips or chocolate bars, and spread as it melts. Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Wisconsin Cauliflower-Cheddar Soup

i found my recipe here from good housekeeping. but i changed a little.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon(s) (1/4 stick) butter or margarine
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 2 cup(s) milk
• 1 can(s) (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 head(s) (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon(s) Dijon mustard
• 2 package(s) (8 ounces) shredded extra sharp white Cheddar cheese,
• About 8 oz pepper jack (give or take)

Directions

1. In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth.
4. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.



Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 large squash, chopped and seeded.
• 1 medium size onion
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg (I like LOTS of flavor, but you can always add less nutmeg)
• Pepper for taste

Directions:

1. Chop onion into small pieces.
2. Softened chopped onion with butter in a large soup pan.
3. Once onion is softened, add chicken broth, chopped squash and nutmeg to the pan.
4. Cook on med-high until squash is cooked (about 20 minutes).
5. Blend the squash and onions in a blender. Be careful not to burn yourself.
6. Add blended squash back to soup pan and pour in cream.
7. Bring to a simmer.
8. Take off heat, add pepper for taste.

Eat and enjoy!

Vegetable Cheese Soup

3 qts water

3 Tbl chicken bouillon

1 stick margarine or butter

1/2 cup to3/4 cup flour

8 oz velveeta

4 small potatoes, diced (I use red potatoes)

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup cauliflower florets (or more)

1 cup broccoli florets (or more)

1 cup sliced carrots (or more and I like baby carrots)

Boil the onions and carrots in water and bouillon in a stock pot. Add potatoes 2-3 minutes later. Melt margarine in frying pan and add flour, whisk together until thick paste. Add margarine mixture to pot, stirring until smooth. Add cauliflower and broccoli. Cut velveeta into chunks and add, stir until melted. This soup is really good served in sourdough bread bowls!

French Onion Soup

Ok, here is the recipe for French Onion. Easy Peasy.

Melt 1 T olive oil & 4 T unsalted butter in saucepan.
Add 2 lb. thinly sliced onions (I often use more than that) & 1 t sea salt.
Cook over low heat for 20-30 min until onions are golden-brown.
Sprinkle 1/3 c flour over onions,(OR thicken at end with 2 T cornstarch (first in tap water, then slowly add warm broth to cup before pouring whole thing so it doesn't clump...I think fills same purpose & works better sometimes)
Pour in 32 oz beef broth
Add salt n pepa to taste! (careful with the salt... I rarely add salt because its gross if too salty..like at Red Robin-yuck! :)

Toast bread slice in oven for 15 min. so hard and dry (otherwise when you put in soup it will be SOGGY) and cover top of soup. Cover with gruyere OR swiss (poor man version) cheese and bake/broil for 15 more min. in oven to brown top.

pot pie

okay here is the link to my most favorite pot pie ever!

i usually also throw in some celery and usually always forget about the green beans.

not b/c i don't like them but b/c i really just forget about them. i also use the butter flavored crisco it is so delicious!

Favorite Fall Recipes

Okay everyone, start posting your favorite fall recipes! It doesn't even have to be what you brought to FOOD Club (don't you think that's a better name for our club?). Cassie-I want your pot pie recipe! Please? :)

Here's the link to the Caramel Apple Cider I made the other night. And the Caramel Apples. Yes, I went overboard on the "caramel apple" theme but they were good, right?

Thanks to everyone that made it on Thursday! Can't wait for next month. Does anyone have a specific theme they want to do? I was thinking maybe a Thanksgiving dish that your family makes every year.

Next month's FOOD CLUB meeting will be

Thursday, November 18th at 8:00pm.

...Our Next Meeting...

Our next book/recipe club will be Thursday, October 21st at 8:30pm.

The theme is FALL FOOD....so bring anything fallish (ie: bread, soups, pumpkin).

I hope you have all read Catching Fire because it's really good!

See you Thursday! :)