Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts.

Marinade:
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup vegetable oil (best oil for this)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper

Marinate several cans of water chestnuts (2-3/the above proportions) for a few hours...stir occasionally to mix-in the oil.

STEPS:

1. Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around chestnuts; hold in place with toothpick.
2. Coat with brown sugar.  Works well to dip both sides in a dish of brown sugar...
3. Broil @ 550 degrees for 10 minutes (flip half way through).
   

                                                           Ruby Reynolds, March 2011.

Butternut Squash Soup

Introduced by Holly during a Fall visit to Stamford, back in the day...

3 cups of peeled & cubed squash
1/2 a small/med onion, diced
2 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/8 tsp. black pepper
"pinch" of :  *aka, 1/4 of your "1/4 tsp.," or 1/16 tsp.

• crushed red pepper  
• allspice
• nutmeg
• ginger

1/2 pkg. cream cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large soup-sized pan, saute onions in butter until tender.  Add cubed squash and stir for a few more minutes to soften. 
2. Then add broth & all seasonings.  Bring to a boil, and cook until squash is tender.
3. Puree all of it in a blender (may have to be done in a few batches depending on blender size).  Add to it, and blend--as well--the cream cheese.
4. Return the creamy soup to the soup pan and keep warm.  DO NOT boil, again.  *If needed due to thickness, milk or cream will thin-it-out a little.
5. Add 1 1/2 VINEGAR; stir in.  *This gives a little tang; we often stir red wine vinegar, as well, into our individual bowls.

VERY GOOD, and FILLING!

                   Princess Vera, By Iris.

Fall Cherry Pie, by Monica Simpson

This couldn't be easier or yummier on a brisk fall day.  Eat your hearts out crafty apple bee-yotches!

1 can cherry pie filling

1 bag cranberries (not dried)

3/4 c sugar

2 T cornstarch

Mix all together really well.  Pour into pie crust - I  use mom's recipe.  Cover with foil and bake 50-60 minutes until crust slightly browned and center bubbly.  We eat this with vanilla pudding.

Chicken, Asparagus, Mushroom Crockpot Soup. Inspired by lunch duty @ CKS, Tampa.

Just eyeing up what I saw/ate at lunch duty:

2  large carrots, cut into coins

1/4 onion, peeled, but attached at the root

mushrooms, small can or  1 cup  small cut fresh 

5 (or so) asparagus, cut into 1-in.  pieces.

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 parsley sprigs 

"Good sprinkle" of Thyme

1 Bay Leaf

4-6 bone-in chicken thighs, remove any loose skin

3/4-1 tsp. salt

8 cups  chicken broth

Lemon juice

salt/pepper

1/4  cup chopped parsley leaves

Directions

1. Toss the carrots, onion, mushrooms, asparagus,  garlic, parsley sprigs, thyme, and Bay together in the slow cooker. 
2. Rub the chicken thighs all over with 3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt total, and put them on top of the vegetables. 
3. Add the chicken broth. Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours. Or high, 4  hours.
4. Before serving, remove chicken with slotted spoon, and remove any bones, skin, or any other yucky looking stuff aside from the meat, itself.  Dice the meat to bite-size pieces.   The chicken-it will mostly fall apart on its own. 
5. Add the shredded chicken and 1 tablespoon lemon juice  back to the broth.  Give a good stir.
6. Taste, and add more lemon juice and salt as needed. Stir in a good amount of pepper and the chopped parsley, and serve hot.

Yum!

*Not saying my proportions are perfect...but it is close enough.