Autumn Feast

A few days ago we had a delicious autumn feast. The recipes were so good I had to share them with all of my blog friends. I made Corn & Cheddar Chowder, which I got from Laurie over at Ordinary Mother. To serve along with it I made Cheese Popovers and a salad of spinach greens with feta cheese, cranberries, red onion, spiced pecans, and Balsamic Vinaigrette. The soup is easy and so are the popovers. Popovers are my new favorite to serve along with soup. Easier and faster than rolls and fun for kids, they’re a winner every time. Wish I took a picture of the popovers, but they were so warm and tasty, we ate them too fast! A picture from Cooking Light will have to do.

Happy autumn feasting!

Corn & Cheddar Chowder

Step 1- Boil
2 diced potatoes for 15-20 minutes in:
2 pints chicken broth (4 cups)
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. sage
½ tsp. cumin
2 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 2- Sautee in a separate pot:
3 Tbsp. butter
2 finely chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic

Step 3- Add
3 Tbsp. flour into butter mixture. Mix well.

Step 4- Add
¾ cup evaporated milk and
½ cup milk to step 3

Step 5- Boil
Until thickened

Step 6- Combine
Butter/flour mixture to the potatoes/broth mixture

Step 7- Add
1 ½ cups frozen corn
1 (4 oz.) can of chilis chopped

Step 8 – Add last*
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup white wine

*serve right after cheese melts (don’t add cheese and wine until you are ready to serve it).

Cheese Popovers (From Joy of Cooking)

Grease muffin or popover tins.

Preheat oven to 450.

Beat until smooth:
1 C. milk
1 TB melted butter
1/4 tsp. salt

Add one at a time, but do not over beat:
2 beaten eggs

The batter should be no heavier than whipping cream.

Grate into a separate bowl:
1/2 C. sharp cheddar or Parmesan cheese

Add:
1/8 tsp. paprika
A few grains cayenne

Pour 1 scant tablespoon of batter into each cut and cover it with a few teaspoons of cheese and another tablespoon of batter.

Don’t overload–too much batter in the pans will give a muffinlike texture. Bake at once. After 15 minutes, lower the heat without peeping, to 350 and bake about 20 minutes longer. To test for doneness, remove a popover to be sure the side walls are firm. If not cooked long enough, the popovers will collapse. You may want to insert a sharp paring knife gently int other other popovers to allow the steam to escape, after baking.