Cooking in Autumn

Oh, how I love fall! I've been sick so much this summer . . . I'm sick of it! To celebrate feeling better, and to use some of the delicious groceries my dad bought me, I did some serious cooking this week.


Sloppy Joes: Fast easy, and tasty.



I made Beef Stew for friends on Friday. This stew was hearty:
Sear pieces of round top in a hot skillet with minimal oil.
Add large pieces of shallot, once they start to brown deglaze the pan with a red wine.
Add to shallots, meat, and wine to slow cooker +
beef broth
quartered red potatoes
carrots
celery
parsnips
whole mushrooms
garlic
salt, pepper, and a couple splashes of Worcestershire sauce.
Let cook on low for several hours. Add fresh chopped parsley just before serving with crusty bread.



Pumpkin Pie for dessert, of course!

I also created a dish without any recipe:

Combine ricotta cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh parsley and sage, garlic, salt and pepper.



Take a chicken breast and pound it flat, spread the filling, and roll up. Wrap in a piece of bacon.



Roast at 350 until done (I think it was about 40 minutes, I'm bad at keeping track). Baste with white wine 2 or 3 times while roasting. Add a slice of mozzarella and a sage leaf on top and bake till melted. Let the chicken rest while you make the sauce: Put the pan on a burner and scrape all the browned bits up. Add a tablespoon of flour and stir vigorously. Add chicken broth and stir to thicken.



Serve with a mixed green salad and French bread. This is not a very healthy dish, but it tasted really good.



Pumpkin spice cookies with cream cheese frosting.

Tonight I'm adding the leftover chicken and sauce to pasta. Should be good. I'm still working on the leftover pie :-)