Twenty-Six Lists: On My Menu for Autumn

Welcome to Twenty-Six Lists! I hope you'll join me in this simple link-up, where I share a writing prompt for some kind of list, and invite you to share what's on your list. Your list can be very simple or include lots of explanation; short or long; a bullet point list or essay style. Interpret the list prompts however you like, depending on how much time you have to spend, and how much background you'd like to share. 

What's on the menu for the autumn season? With some big holidays on the horizon, and with so many fall-themed activities, foods, and flavors all around us, I'm curious about which fall dishes and desserts are your favorites. And although my thoughts are headed in the direction of food, a menu wouldn't necessarily have to be just things to eat, would it? We did an Autumn To-Do List awhile ago, but feel free to come up with an Autumn Menu that includes activities if that's where your thoughts are headed!

Here are some of my favorite fall foods, with a couple recipes linked, and a few included at the end of the list.

On My Menu for Autumn

Although I make it throughout the year, autumn is the perfect season for chili. My recipe is a mix of ground beef and chorizo, with onions, red and yellow peppers, and NO kidney beans. Instead, I like a mix of black, red, and white beans. Chili is best topped with shredded cheese and sour cream, and cornbread is the preferred side. 

Hearty soups are on the menu as well. I like most soups, but I don't very often make my own any more. Tomato bisque is my favorite, followed by beef barley. Following a turkey dinner, I do try to make a turkey stock and then I can make turkey noodle soup. Others that I have made from scratch and am thinking should be on my menu planner this fall are: corn chowder, cheeseburger soup, zuppa toscana, and Creamy Cubano soup. I got that recipe from Ellen at The Happy Wanderer, by the way, and her blog is a great source for good recipes. On the weekend, we ate at a little diner and had their cheesy potato soup and it was SO GOOD, which reminded me that I need to make my own potato soup again.

With soup, I need bread. Freshly baked homemade bread, of course. Challah, sourdough, rye, za'atar flatbread, or whatever. I wish I had more time to bake bread because it's my favorite. I have several favorite recipes, but I've chosen to share one that is my own adaptation. I once wondered what would happen if I replaced the sun-dried tomatos and parmesan filling in a favorite recipe with pesto, and it was a hit, so I kept making it that way!

We celebrate Thanksgiving on both the Canadian and American dates, although this year we did not have turkey on Canadian Thanksgiving. But usually we do, and our favorite way to do turkey is deep fried. The rest of our standard Thanksgiving dinner menu includes: mashed potatoes or roasted root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots), Holiday Creamy Corn Pudding (my recipe is from This Old Gal), green bean casserole (for the others, not for me!), fresh bread, and cranberry sauce. If we have the mashed potatoes, there will also be sweet potato casserole, and one dish that sometimes makes an appearance is pineapple casserole. 

Fall desserts? Yes, please! I love pumpkin pie and pecan pie, but especially for Thanksgiving dinners, we're most likely to have a homemade pumpkin roll. Right after Thanksgiving I always look forward to making Cranberry Crumble, which is a great way to use up the cranberry sauce that might be left over. Cheesecake is great any time of year, but we enjoy it in fall and winter for birthdays and special occasions. 

Bonus List of Recipes:

Pesto Bread

one pound olive oil dough

olive oil

1/2 cup (or more) basil pesto

cornmeal

Shape the dough into a ball, then roll out to about a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Use flour sparingly when rolling. If your pesto is the creamy kind or is more dry, you might want to brush the dough with olive oil, but I don't find it necessary. Spread the pesto on the dough, not quite to the edges. Starting at the short end, roll up the dough into a log and tuck the ends under. Let it rise on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal for an hour. Just before baking, brush the top of the loaf with more olive oil and slash parallel cuts across the top. Preheat the oven with a baking stone to 450*, for twenty minutes. Also put a shallow pan in the bottom rack. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone, and pour a cup of hot water into the shallow pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let it cool before slicing.

Olive Oil Dough

2-3/4 cups lukewarm water

1-1/2 tbsp yeast

1-1/2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

6-1/2 cups flour

Mix first five ingredients in a 5-quart bowl or large container. Mix in the flour without kneading (I do it with a bamboo spoon). Cover loosely and allow to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours. Use immediately or refrigerate in the covered container and use within 12 days. This recipe makes enough for four one-pound loaves.

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Pineapple Casserole

3 (20 oz) cans chunk pineapple

6 tbsp flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

6 tbsp pineapple juice

3 cups sharp cheddar, shredded

1-1/2 tubes ritz crackers, crushed

1/2 cup butter, melted

Drain the pineapple very well, reserving 6 tablespoons of the juice. Put drained pineapple in a 13x9 pan. Combine flour, sugar, and pineapple juice to form a paste; spread over pineapple chunks. Spread shredded cheese over that. Combine crushed crackers and butter to make crumb topping; spread over the cheese. Bake at 350* about 25 minutes.

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Cranberry Crumble

1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

whole cranberry sauce, about 14 oz or so

Mix together the oats, flour, sugar, and soda; mix in the butter until crumbly. Pack just over half of this mixture into a greased 9x9 pan. (Or use an 8x8 if you're short on cranberry sauce) Spread the cranberry sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Press the crumb topping down just slightly, using your hand. Back at 350*F for 35-40 minutes. Best eaten while warm, with a bit of vanilla ice cream or cream.

What's on your menu this autumn? Please share.

The link-up is open for two weeks, with a new prompt every other Tuesday. 

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If you'd like to think further ahead, you can find the list of all prompts for the 2024 Edition of Twenty-Six Lists on A Fresh Cup of Coffee here: Twenty-Six Lists - Accomplishments and Goals

Bonus List: The next few list prompts so you can think ahead!

November 12 - Blog Reading List

November 26 - Holiday Menu

December 10 - Holiday Ornaments and Memories

December 24 - Holiday Movies and Music

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