Comfort Food, Just What The Cooler Weather Ordered.

I do believe the cooler weather is upon most of us…and cooler weather brings warm and fuzzy feelings when a pot of soup is simmering on the back of the stove or a pot roast is in the oven. I also love to put together desserts such as pumpkin bread so here are a few recipes I have been making of late.

Pot roast is so easy to make, one does not need a specific recipe.  I like to season my roast all over with liberal amounts of salt, pepper and garlic powder and then dust my pot roast with a bit of flour and brown it on both sides including the ends in my dutch oven…. before placing the covered pot in the oven.  Sometimes I leave the covered baker on the stove top and cook the pot roast that way.  OR, sometimes I use my slow cooker.  To each his own, I say. But to continue, I usually add a package of Lipton Onion soup mix with a bit of water to the browned meat before choosing the type of cooking.  I like to cook it low and slow whether on the stove top, oven or slow cooker.  (usually about 3-4 hours) The roast gets real tender that way.  About an hour or so before serving, I add potatoes, carrots, and onion cut in chunks, replace the lid on the pot and continue to cook until the veggies are done.  I usually make a gravy from the pan drippings, adding ‘Better than beef bouillon’, if needed to darken and flavor the gray OR I just use the drippings ‘as is’.  I like to serve with biscuits and a nice garden salad.  How do you make your pot roast?  

Beef stew is another comfort food that we have as the days grow cooler.  I always plan to have it the day after I make a pot roast as I use the left overs.  So easy and quick. I chop up the pot roast into bite size pieces and place the left over potatoes, carrots and onion in a sauce pan.  Hopefully, I have enough gravy left over, but if not I add a little water and more bouillon, and corn starch to thicken the gravy.  Heat it all together, and serve with crusty bread.

I made this easy dessert for my Bible Study ladies…perhaps you remember it from the days of Pampered Chef Parties.  It is so easy, delicious. and quick to make.  The recipe calls for apples, butter, sugar, and Pillsbury crescent roll mix. I like to serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I use 2 medium apples sliced into 8 slices each and 2 cans of crescent rolls.  I separate the triangles and add a little sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter to the sliced apples before placing one apple slice onto each triangle.  Roll them up and place into a greased baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes until apples are done and pastry is brown.  I sometimes sprinkle tops with a bit more cinnamon, sugar and melted butter before baking in 350 degree oven.

Potato Soup is another quick and easy comfort food. There are many recipes out there using cream making a thicker soup…and while I like that, I grew up with a thinner soup using milk and no cream.  My mother peeled and chopped russet potatoes and yellow onion and placed them along with salt to taste in a sauce pot along with water to cover and cooked until potatoes could be pierced with the tip of a paring knife.  Then she added milk to the existing water in the pan, along with a chunk of butter and lots of black pepper. Heated, but not boiled, and then served with saltine crackers.  This soup takes about 10 minutes, start to finish and I make it that way too.  It is great on a cold day when lunch is on the fly…so to speak.  I sometimes add a half a sandwich…your choice, if the need is there.

Another comfort food is nut breads. This apple cinnamon walnut loaf is so good. Here is the recipe:

For me, Autumn has not officially arrived until I bake a Pumpkin Loaf Bread.  It is one of my favorites,  I don’t know how old this recipe is, but it was given to me in 1970 by a dear friend…and she said the recipe was given to her by her grandmother. So it is at least 56 years old!

Perhaps you want cupcakes so  how about pumpkin cupcakes? 

Another very easy recipe to follow: You only need 2 ingredients, a spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)  Heat oven to 350 degrees and use paper liners in a muffin tin.  Mix the cake mix and the pumpkin together.  Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. I use softened cream cheese (8 oz) and mix with  ½ cup of softened unsalted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and about 3 cups of powdered sugar.  You can pipe frosting on the cupcakes or spread it on. I then sprinkle the top with a bit of cinnamon OR if I want to crumble the cupcake I took a piece of to taste…I crumble that on top of the cup cake.  OR do both!  The sky is the limit!   If you don’t want to make your own frosting, you can buy the premade cream cheese frosting in a can. It all works.

As Thanksgiving draws near, our minds often rush to the details – finding the perfect turkey, pulling out those well-loved family recipes, and getting everything just right for the feasting and setting pretty tables. But beyond the shopping lists and kitchen prep, this season is really about something deeper: slowing down, preparing our hearts, and remembering all that we have to be grateful for.  Let our hearts be stirred toward gratitude, our spirits refreshed, and our joys renewed, not just for Thanksgiving Day, but for every day that follows.

Psalm 85:8 “I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.”

What is your favorite comfort food once the temps start to drop?

Blessings Always,