Fall Festival: My Favorite Fall Recipe

Share your favorite fall recipe at LifeasMOM. All participants will be entered for a chance to win The Autumn Book by Susan Branch.


This is somewhat of a repost but I can't help it, the following truly is my favorite fall recipe. It is great because you eat it at all three meals and dessert.

This recipe came on the back of my electric bill and gives credit to Bernice Hass:

Apple Bread

1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 c chopped apples
1 c sugar
2 Tbsp sour milk (or buttermilk, I use a little milk and vinegar)
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Topping: 2 Tbsp butter, 4 Tbsp sugar, 1-2 tsp cinnamon

Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs & beat. Stir in sour milk, vanilla, flour, baking soda, & salt. Add chopped apples and nuts. Put in greased bread pan. Add topping and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. MMmmm!

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Abbie over at Farmer's Daughter is hosting a Christmas Cookie Recipe Swap! I'm excited to check out everyone recipes. Here's my first contribution.



Pumpkin Pie Squares
Recipe taken from Farm Journal's Best-Ever Cookies by Patricia A. Ward.

1 c. sifted flour
1/2 c. quick-cooking oats
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. butter
1 (16-oz.) can mashed pumpkin (2 c.) <----2 c. was most of a bigger can for me, not sure about that
1 (13.5-oz.) can evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs. butter

Combine flour, oats, 1/2 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. butter in bowl. Mix until crumbly, using electric mixer at low speed. Press dough into bottom and 1/2" up sides of ungreased 13x9x2" baking pan. Bake in 350 degree (F) over 16 minutes.
Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves in bowl. Beat well, using rotary beater. Pour into baked crust.
Bake in 350 degree (F) oven 20 minutes.
Combine pecans, 1/2 c. brown sugar and 2 Tbs. butter; sprinkle over pumpkin filling. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool in pan on rack. Cut into 2 1/4" squares. Makes 24.

My comments: I liked this one because it allows you to work very efficiently. While the crust is baking you mix the filling, while the filling is baking you mix the topping. I whipped these together the night before my hubby headed up north for Thanksgiving. This is a great thing to make if you don't know what others are bringing, there were other regular pumpkin pies at his family's but these squares were a little bit different and still festive.
Sorry I don't have a pic, I'll add one next time I make them. Basically they look a lot like pumpkin pie but you could add them to a tray of other goodies. As mentioned above, the 16 oz. can and the 2 c. didn't add up for me so I may have used too much filling. The bars may be a little firmer and not require a fork if you stuck to the 16 oz. can. Enjoy!

Oh and of course you don't have to use pecans, I used walnuts and no one complained.

What is that sound!?

Okay, so first a little backstory. When we moved here last year Brian's aunt asked if she could still come and pick some walnuts in the fall. We said sure. Last year I was so busy fixing up the house and going to college that I didn't even notice the walnut trees. Well, I did notice one Black Walnut tree hanging over the new horse pasture. Black walnut trees are poisonous to horses.
Here's a video a Brian pulling it down with the tractor. Our friend Ron is a professional tree trimmer so they had the job done in no time flat.



Anyway, this year the dogs developed a craving for the English walnuts that we have. Those are the ones you see in the nuts mixes. The dogs have gotten very good at cracking them with their jaws and getting the meats out, so I picked up a lot before Brian's aunt came, and a lot more since she was here. We've got this nice box almost full.

Then we noticed the black walnuts. Everrrrywhereee. There is a small half dead one out by the shop so when you're walking out to do chores in the morning it is a lot like trying to walk on marbles. Then there is a huge one in the front yard, right by the road. We've got a LOT of black walnuts already:
These...

these...

all of these...

and THIS!!


So anyway, today I woke up and wandered sleepily out to the front porch to let the dogs out. I fought the urge to duck and cover as I wondered - what the heck is that sound!? It sounded reminiscent of a machine run on some old time war money. I could barely see in the dark... guess what? It was raining walnuts.

Now my hubby and I have both struggled to keep the yard and road clear of these things, and we have done pretty good. Well, with the winds last night I would say there are at least twice as many more walnuts in the yard then we've got so far.





I was a little worried about the six cars that make up our morning traffic driving on all these things. It was making a big mess all over the road and I can just see someone suing us when a walnut flies up and dings their paint. So this morning I spent a little time outside, in the rain, sweeping the road. I'm still wondering if we should make a sign BEWARE: FALLING WALNUTS to protect ourselves. If someone had driven under that tree during some of the big gusts I think they would have some dings or a cracked windshield for sure.

Such are the joys of living on a farm.