I Love Autumn!

When I was in 6th grade, we were assigned a poem to learn and recite in class. This was my assigned poem. I think that ever since, Autumn has been my Favorite Season!

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock,

And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin’ turkey-cock,

And the clackin’ of the guineys, and the cluckin’ of the hens,

And the rooster’s hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;

O, it’s then’s the times a feller is a-feelin’ at his best,

With the risin’ sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,

As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.

Grandma's Waldorf Salad

One of our favorite salads is this simple concoction of apples, celery and walnuts. Many years ago, Grandma showed me her "secret" to making it.

In a large bowl, mix a large dollop of mayonnaise with a couple of teaspoons of sugar. Stir and mix well, until the sugar is dissolved. Then cut up one apple, 3 stalks of sliced celery, and about 1/2 cup broken pieces of walnuts. Stir all together and serve. Yumm! And it's pretty, too!

Spaetzle

For those of you who are not of German heritage, a Spaetzle is an easy German noodle or small dumpling. It really is simple to learn how to do, and super yummy, considering it is just mostly flour, egg and water! Here is a basic recipe...although you can find variations on Pinterest, this one works great...

Spaetzle makers are found on amazon and also at gourmet kitchen shops. They are a simple and fairly inexpensive contraption. They look a lot like a grater with a box on top that easily slides back and forth on runners on the sides. (I know. It sounds complicated, but I was so astonished at how easy it was the first time I made this that I was certain I was doing it wrong!)

Just like the recipe says, you mix the eggs and water and add the flour, salt and pepper, if you wish. Stir into a thick and gooey dough. Put a wide pot of water on to boil (you will not need a deep pot, but the wider it is, the more spaetzle you will be able to cook in each batch.

All you do, once the batter or dough is made, is place the spaetzle maker over the pot of boiling water (my new one even has a built-in stop on the underneath to keep the pot still), spoon some batter into the "box", and slide it back and forth along the grater. Noodles form and drop into the boiling water.

In just a few minutes, they will have risen to the top of the pot and are done! It takes no time at all. Then, you just scoop them out with a slotted spoon or scoop and put them into a bowl to cool.

I put them, 2 cups at a time (2 servings), into plastic bags. When they are completely cooled, I bag them into another bigger bag and freeze them for future use. They are so good just sauteed with a little butter and salt and go well with all sorts of things!