Delicious Autumn

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns.
- George Eliot

I am lucky enough to live in a climate that experiences, in their fullest, each season the world has to offer. Of all four, Fall is my favorite. The intense aromas and colors are unmatched in any other season. The sky is never bluer and the shadows seem to take on a life all their own in Autumn.

The foods of this time of year also tend to be my favorites. Apples abound, pumpkins are ripe and ovens are lit in expectation of comforting dishes.


Anne's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

4 eggs
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
l can pumpkin (15 oz.--about 2 cups)
3/4 c vegetable oil like canola
3/4 c olive oil
1 t vanilla
3 c flour
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
l t ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
l t salt
2 c semisweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oils until smooth.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt-add to
pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in chips. Fill greased or
paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees F for
16 to 20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes
before removing to a wire rack.
24 muffins.

********************

Ham Loaves

2 lb pork~ground
2 lb ham~ground~fully cooked
4 c bread crumbs~dry
4 eggs~lightly beaten
1 c milk
1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
3/4 c water
1/2 c vinegar
1 t. dry mustard

In a bowl, combine pork, ham, crumbs, eggs and milk.
Shape into 12 ovals, using 1 cup of mixture for each.
Place in an ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan.
Combine brown sugar, water, vinegar and mustard; pour
over the loaves. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 1 hour
and 15 minutes, basting every 15 to 20 minutes. Place
the loaves on a platter and spoon some of the sauce
over them.