8509_MENWinterComfortFood2017

MOTHER EARTH NEWS • Winter Comfort Foods

This pork tenderloin dish is seasoned with Chinese Five Spice, which is a blend of anise, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

4 A Taste of Comfort

Cook up these three hearty soups and stews for winter warmth.

8 Seasonal Soups and Stews

Chase away the winter blues with robust seasonings.

14 Wholesome and Hearty

Nothing takes the chill out of a dark evening like a steaming bowl of stew and a fresh loaf of bread.

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21 Slow Cookers

to the Rescue

Returning home to find dinner ready to carry to the table is a great relief to many cooks working long hours.

28 Cornmeal to Cornbread

A chunk of this savory yet sweet concoction makes a meal all by itself.

34

62

34 Homemade Breads

Simple and delicious biscuits, muffins, rolls, and breads for any meal.

38 Grow Gorgeous Garlic

and Perfect Potatoes

Garlic’s pungency complements potatoes’ congeniality in these comforting recipes from around the world.

COVER PHOTOGRAPH: ADOBESTOCK/PETRRGOSKOV

Table of Contents

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8/10/18 11:28 AM

44

88

44 Dressing or Stuffing?

59 Recipes for Turkey

48 Growing and Cooking

62 Savory Dinners

Call it what you want, this side dish has earned a permanent spot on the Thanksgiving table.

Leeks and Winter Squash

These two cold-weather dinner favorites will bring rich flavors to your table.

54 Winter’s Glowing

Root Vegetables

Brilliant beets and cold-hardy carrots can light up your winter meals.

Our recipes for turkey include barbecue, mango curry, soup, salad, and pita sandwiches.

Simple to Make

Use your slow cooker to create delicious meals easily, with the nifty bonus of tasty leftovers.

70 Meals for the Slow Cooker

Make mealtime simpler with these 20 delicious dishes.

94 80 Extraordinary Holiday Fare Start some new traditions this holiday season with these interesting dishes — from the main course to the morning after.

88 Slow Cooker, Great Sweets Add desserts to the list of recipes that utilize your slow cooker.

94 Any Way You Slice It

Homemade pies are the ultimate dessert.

76 Easy One-Pot Meals

Want to serve up convenient, wellbalanced dishes without making a mess of your kitchen?

76 Chili and cornbread, cooked together in a slow cooker, make a flavorful and simple stew that is perfect for cold winter nights.

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Be careful when adding certain seasonings if you plan to freeze the soup as chiles and some herbs and spices will become much stronger. Add salt and pepper with caution in long cooking soups.

H C S

Yields 8 to 10 servings.

This was a favorite recipe of many of our friends from years ago at Hilltop Herb Farm.

21⁄2 pounds meaty beef bones 1 cup chopped yellow onion 2 large garlic cloves, pressed 2 tablespoons paprika, preferably Hungarian 11⁄2 tablespoons caraway seed 8 cups water 5 cups canned, chopped tomatoes, with juice 11⁄2 pounds green cabbage, finely shredded 1 pound apples (cored and coarsely chopped) 2 teaspoons sugar 4 large bay leaves 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (4 to 6 sprigs or 2 teaspoons dried leaves) 1 ⁄4 cup lemon juice 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 Brown the beef on all sides in a heavy pan (not a deep soup kettle). Add the onion and garlic; cook until golden but not browned. Add the paprika and caraway and cook briefly to toast the spices.

2 Add all of the remaining ingredients except the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let cook at least 11⁄2 hours until the vegetables are soft and the flavor is rich.

Add more water to keep the soup at approximately the same volume.

3 Add salt and pepper toward the end of the cooking time; taste and correct seasoning, adding additional thyme, salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice as needed.

4 Remove the bones, chop any meat still on the bones, and return it to the soup.

N: This soup can be prepared with diced beef stew meat or with canned or homemade beef stock; adjust salt as needed.

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S V S W L, S P,  K

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

With rice or couscous, a bowl of this hearty stew is a perfect supper for a cold winter evening.

3 tablespoons fruity olive oil 11⁄2 cups chopped yellow onion 2 large cloves garlic, pressed 2 cups sliced celery 1 tablespoon ground coriander seed 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground clove 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sweet marjoram or mild oregano (1 teaspoon dried) 2 cups sliced carrots 3 cups peeled sweet potato chunks, 1 inch in diameter 1 cup French green lentils, well rinsed 3 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, with juice 4 to 5 cups vegetable broth or water to cover vegetables 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more to taste) 1 ⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper Salt to taste 2 cups thinly sliced kale leaves, tough center stem removed 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh spearmint, for garnish Steamed rice or couscous

S T  R W T, S, W S,  B Yields 6 servings.

We lovingly call dishes such as this stoup — a cross between soup and stew.

3 pounds turkey wings or other turkey pieces 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 3 ribs celery, sliced 1⁄4 inch thick 3 to 4 bay leaves 4 to 6 sprigs (3 to 4 inches long) of sage, thyme, and winter savory (2 teaspoons each dried) Water to cover (6 to 8 cups) 1 cup uncooked rice (try short-grain brown rice for a change) 2 cups sliced raw carrots, 1⁄4 inch thick (or coarsely grated) 1 to 11⁄2 teaspoons salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 11⁄2 to 2 cups frozen green peas, green beans, zucchini, broccoli, or spinach (optional) Chopped fresh parsley for garnish Freshly grated Parmesan, Romano, Gruyere, or Swiss cheese for garnish (optional)

1 Place the turkey wings, onion, celery, and herbs in a deep roasting pan or Dutch oven. Add water to completely cover the ingredients by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 11⁄2 to 2 hours until the meat is very tender, adding additional water to keep the liquid at about the same level.

2 With a slotted spoon and/or tongs, remove the turkey wings.

Let the turkey cool until it can be handled. Remove the skin and bones, break the turkey meat into bite-size pieces, and set aside.

3 Meanwhile, add the rice, carrots, salt, pepper, and additional water as needed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook until the rice is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes for white rice and 45 to 60 minutes for brown rice.

4 Return the boned turkey to the mixture; add the green vegetables, if desired, to the pan, stirring carefully to combine.

Heat thoroughly, stirring often. The mixture should be soupy but not too thin. Add chopped parsley and serve with grated cheese, if desired.

NOTE: This is an excellent ending for a holiday turkey carcass.

Simply cook it with liquid until falling apart, and remove the meat from the bones. Add leftover sliced turkey at the end of the cooking time, along with meat from the bones. For best quality if preparing for freezing, do not totally cook the rice and do not add green vegetables, parsley, or cheese until you’re preparing to serve it.

1 In a large, heavy pan such as a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil; gradually add the onion, garlic, and celery, sautéing until softened but not browned.

Add the seeds, spices, and herbs along with the carrots, sweet potatoes, lentils, and tomatoes. Cover with vegetable broth or water and bring to a boil.

2 Reduce heat, cover, and cook about 30 to 45 minutes until potatoes are tender and liquids are slightly reduced; stir occasionally, adding more broth if needed to keep the vegetables covered.

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C R Yields 12 to 15 rolls.

1 cup milk 1 ⁄4 cup water 1 cup butter, room temperature, divided 3 ⁄4 cup sugar, divided 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 package (.25 ounce) active dry yeast 4 cups flour, divided 1 egg, beaten Cinnamon, to taste Powdered sugar icing or glaze 1 In a heavy saucepan, scald milk.

Stir in water, 1⁄ 2 cup butter, 1⁄ 2 cup sugar, and salt. Set aside.

2 In a large bowl, combine yeast and 2 cups flour. Add milk mixture and egg, and beat well. Stir in remaining flour.

3 Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

4 The next day, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 9-by-15inch rectangle.

5 Spread remaining butter over dough. Sprinkle cinnamon and remaining sugar over butter. Roll dough up jellyroll-style, and cut into 12 to 15 slices, about 1-inch thick.

6 Place rolls, sides touching, in a greased pan, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

7 About 15 minutes before rise is complete, preheat oven to 375 F. 8 Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, and allow rolls to cool completely.

9 Frost with powdered sugar icing or glaze.

C Z B Yields 2 loaves.

3 eggs 1 cup coconut oil, melted 2 cups sugar 2 cups grated zucchini 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda

in a large, zipper-seal plastic bag. Seal bag, and shake to mix ingredients.

2 Unseal bag, and add water and oil. Seal bag again. Use your fingers to mix and knead the dough for about 6 or 7 minutes.

3 Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

4 Unseal bag, and divide dough evenly between prepared pans.

5 Spray tops of dough with a little nonstick cooking spray, and set pans in a warm place until dough has doubled in size.

6 About 15 minutes before rise is complete, preheat oven to 375 F. 7 Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tops sound hollow when tapped.

8 Remove bread from pans immediately, and cool on wire racks.

NOTE: This bread freezes well.

Simply wrap the completely cooled loaf in plastic wrap, and freeze up to three weeks. For longer freezer storage, up to six months, wrap in plastic wrap, and seal in a zipper-seal plastic bag.

⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 ⁄2 cup baking cocoa 1 ⁄2 cup chopped nuts, optional 1 ⁄4 cup chocolate chips, optional 1 ⁄4 cup dried cranberries, optional 1

1 Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans; set aside.

2 In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla with an electric mixer until creamy.

3 In another large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking cocoa; stir to combine.

4 Stir dry ingredients into zucchini mixture. Add nuts, chocolate chips, and cranberries, if using.

5 Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, and bake for about 1 hour.

Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

B   B Yields 2 loaves.

Y D R

4 cups flour 1 package (.25 ounce) active dry yeast 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 11⁄2 cups very hot water 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Yields 12 to 18 rolls.

1 package (.25 ounce) active dry yeast, dissolved in 1 cup warm water 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 21⁄2 cups sifted flour, divided 1 egg 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted Melted butter Poppy seeds or sesame seeds, optional

1 Place flour, yeast, sugar, and salt

H  S M

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TOP TO BOTTOM: FOTOLIA

into a heavy saucepan, and place over medium heat.

2 Using a candy thermometer, bring the milk to 180 F, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula. (NOTE: If you don’t have a thermometer, you can tell that the milk is scalded when there’s a thin film of foamy cream on the surface, and there are little bubbles all around the sides of the saucepan.)

3 Remove from heat, and set aside to cool to desired temperature before using in your baked goods.

(2)/MIZINA, BRENT HOFACKER; OPPOSITE: FOTOLIA/BRENT HOFACKER

1 Pour desired amount of cold milk

Cinnamon Rolls

Bread in a Bag

1 In a large bowl, combine dissolved yeast with sugar, salt, and 11⁄4 cups flour, and beat until smooth. Add egg and oil. Add remaining flour, and beat until smooth.

2 Cover loosely with a linen towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

3 Punch dough down. Pinch off large pieces of dough and shape into rolls. Place in a buttered baking pan, leaving a little bit of space between them to allow for rising. Set in a warm

Country-Style Buttermilk Biscuits

place to rise until doubled in size.

4 About 15 minutes before second rise is complete, preheat oven to 400 F. 5 Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds, if desired.

6 Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

C-S B B Yields 10 to 12 biscuits.

2 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 3 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

7 tablespoons lard, cold 1 cup buttermilk 1 Preheat oven to 425 F. 2 In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix well, and sift again.

3 With a pastry blender or fork, cut in lard until coarse crumbs form.

4 Add buttermilk, and mix gently until dough forms and comes together.

5 Turn dough out onto a floured work surface, and roll or pat out to about 3⁄4-inch thickness. Cut into biscuits, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

6 Bake for about 12 minutes.

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Savory Dinners

Chinese Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin

Simple to Make Use your slow cooker to create delicious meals easily, with the nifty bonus of tasty leftovers.

By M E N Staff

T

hink outside the box when it comes to your slow cooker.

Any number of recipes can be prepared in the handy cooker, and it could be the best thing to happen to weekday dinners.

Soups and stews may be the norm for slow cookers, but give it a whirl with chicken, beef roasts, pork tenderloins, or wild game at the center of a recipe.

The slow, moist cooking conditions are ideal for cuts of meat that may be a bit

tougher than the more expensive cuts.

And don’t forget that drier meats, such as wild game, can benefit from those same cooking techniques.

In addition, you can add that chicken or roast to the slow cooker in the morning, and by the time you get back from a long day at work, dinner will be ready. Cook some rice or noodles, toss a green salad, or butter a few slices of homemade bread, and you’ll be in foodie heaven.

The following recipes were selected from the M E N recipe archives. Create one of these dishes for

dinner later this week, or convert a family favorite recipe for the slow cooker for a delicious mid-week dinner or weekend gathering.

4 Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours without opening lid during the cooking time.

L R C

VARIATIONS: • Lemon Thyme Chicken: Substitute ½ teaspoon dried thyme for rosemary • Lemon Creole Chicken: Substitute 1½ teaspoons of Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning for rosemary, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper.

Reprinted from The Magical Slow Cooker: Recipes for Busy Moms by Sarah Olson, (Springville, Utah: Front Table Books, 2015). Used by permission of Cedar Fort Inc.

By Sarah Olson Putting a whole chicken in the slow cooker produces the juiciest, tenderest chicken you will ever taste. The veggies are optional, and the cookbook includes a couple variations of seasoning below if you don’t like rosemary.

Yields 4 servings.

41⁄2 pound chicken 1 ⁄4 cup butter, melted 1 lemon 4 carrots, peeled and halved 1 large red onion, peeled and quartered 1 ⁄2 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄4 teaspoon paprika 1 ⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 ⁄8 teaspoon pepper

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By Sarah Olson This dish is not spicy; it’s flavored with the seasoning “Chinese Five Spice,” which is a blend of anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and ginger.

Yields 6 servings.

LEFT TO RIGHT: FOTOLIA (3): RAFAEL BEN-ARI, FOTEK, FOODPICS

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

1 Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Make 5 balls out of foil and place in slow cooker. Remove neck and any other loose bits from inside the chicken and discard.

2 Place the chicken on top of foil balls and brush on melted butter. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze juice out over chicken; tuck lemon halves around the chicken.

3 In a small bowl, combine rosemary, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper.

Sprinkle evenly over the chicken.

C F-S P T

21⁄2 pound pork tenderloin (not center cut) 1 ⁄4 cup soy sauce 3 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 3 tablespoons water 11⁄4 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice blend 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons cornstarch Steamed rice for serving 1 Add the pork to a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.

2 In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, water, Chinese Five Spice, garlic, and cornstarch; pour mixture over the pork.

3 Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 8 hours without opening lid during cooking time.

4 Shred meat with 2 forks. Serve over rice and top with sliced green onions.

Reprinted from The Magical Slow Cooker: Recipes for Busy Moms by Sarah Olson, (Springville, Utah: Front Table Books, 2015). Used by permission of Cedar Fort Inc.

L C

Edited By Melinda Keefe and Kari Cornell With more than 400 blue-ribbon recipes, you are sure to find the flavors of farm country that you love in The Best of The Farmer’s Wife Cookbook (Voyageur Press, 2010). Editors Melinda Keefe and Kari Cornell have kept the recipes just as they were first printed in the early 1900s. You will find time-tested recipes for everything from cakes and cookies to hearty meals like chicken pot pie. In this excerpt, make this Lamb Curry Recipe for a twist on a traditional Indian dish.

April 1926 The Farmer’s Wife made curry with a very small amount of the mixed spice, boosting its sauce with a generous dollop of milk. It is not a combination we think much of these days, but for a time it was a very popular Americanization of Indian so-called curries of vegetables or meat

V B

By Editors of Fox Chapel Publishing Turn your fresh game meat into a deliciously slow-cooked BBQ with this recipe. Moist-heat cooking is a great way to tenderize tougher cuts of venison, such as shoulder roasts and stew meat.

Yields 6 servings.

1 medium onion 4 cloves garlic 3 pounds cubed venison 1 cup red wine vinegar 1 ⁄2 cup Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons tenderizing salt 2 teaspoons seasoned salt 1 pound bacon strips 2 cups ketchup 1 ⁄2 cup molasses 1 ⁄2 cup brown sugar 1 Dice onion and mince garlic.

2 In 5- or 6-quart slow cooker, place onion, garlic, venison, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tenderizing salt, and seasoned salt. Cover and cook on High for 1 to 2 hours.

3 Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon strips until tender but not crispy. Remove bacon from skillet and chop into 1⁄2-inch pieces. After 1 or 2 hours, add bacon, ketchup, molasses, and brown sugar to slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for an additional 8 to 9 hours.

4 To serve, stir ingredients in slow cooker and transfer to serving plates.

Serve with rice, potatoes, or toast.

Reprinted with permission from Cooking Fish & Game: Delicious Recipes from Shore Lunches to Gourmet Dinners, by the Editors of Fox Chapel Publishing.

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Meals for the Slow Cooker Make mealtime simpler with these 20 delicious dishes.

Breakfast

When you’re in the mood for breakfast, but you just don’t have time to fix it on a busy weekday morning, turn to your slow cooker. You can’t go wrong serving breakfast for supper. Or, if you’d rather have breakfast for your morning meal, put everything in the slow cooker the evening before, and let it cook overnight.

F T C

By Traci Smith Recipes from MOTHER EARTH NEWS archives

Yields 6 servings.

P

reparing meals in a slow cooker is a great way to save time. Simply place your ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, cover it, and let it cook all day. When you get home that evening, supper is ready — and as an added bonus, using a slow cooker also makes cleanup a breeze.

Soups and meats are among the most popular meals prepared in the slow cooker. Tougher cuts of meat are often used, because the process of slow cooking makes them tender. Soups, on the other hand, don’t necessarily need to be slow cooked for the purpose of tenderizing, but more as a way to allow the flavors of the meat, vegetables, spices, and herbs to meld.

Anytime is a great time to use the slow cooker, but this time of year is perfect for a couple of reasons. First, as the weather turns cooler, soups and stews just sound good, more than likely because they warm the body and soul, making them a goto comfort food in fall and winter. And secondly, with all the hustle and bustle as you prepare for the upcoming holidays, the ease and simplicity of making meals in the slow cooker just might make life a little less stressful.

With those things in mind, we’ve gathered some recipes from our archives that were designed for the slow cooker. Enjoy!

12 slices bread, torn into chunks 6 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 cans (5 ounces each) evaporated milk 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 ⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg Maple syrup 1 Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle in the bread chunks.

2 In a small bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, evaporated milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix well.

Pour over bread in slow cooker.

3 Cover and cook on Low for 7 hours, without lifting the lid. Remove lid and continue cooking for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

4 Serve hot with maple syrup.

S S

(2)/STEPHANIE FREY, EXCLUSIVE-DESIGN

Yields 6 servings.

LEFT TO RIGHT: FOTOLIA

French Toast Casserole

Hungarian Goulash

12 eggs 6 tablespoons milk Salt and pepper, to taste Cheese, herbs, spices, cooked meat, and fresh vegetables of choice 1 Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Add cheese, herbs, spices, meats, and vegetables, and blend thoroughly with a fork. Pour into slow cooker.

3 Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, or until eggs are cooked through and veggies are tender. Stir every hour to help eggs cook evenly so they come out light and fluffy.

B  G

For this recipe, you’ll want to make the gravy the day before you plan to serve the meal, and you’ll want to fix it on a day you’ll be around the house, because it requires a shorter cooking time. Yields 8 servings.

2 pounds pork sausage 4 tablespoons butter 1 ⁄2 cup all-purpose flour 4 cups milk Salt and pepper, to taste Prepared biscuit dough 1 Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through, breaking it up into small crumbles with a fork as it cooks. Remove sausage from skillet, and set aside.

2 Add the butter to drippings in the skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low.

Allow butter to melt, and then stir in the flour, a little at a time, blending until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Once all the flour has been added, cook and stir for 2 minutes.

3 Slowly start adding the milk, a little bit at a time, stirring constantly

until the gravy begins to thicken some.

Continue adding the remaining milk, stirring constantly, and cook until mixture thickens to desired consistency. Season with the salt and pepper, and stir in the sausage.

4 Transfer the gravy to a bowl, and let it cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

5 The next day, spoon the gravy into a slow cooker.

6 Roll out biscuit dough, and cut into rounds. Place dough rounds over gravy in slow cooker, with the sides touching slightly, but not crowded.

Cover the dough rounds with 2 or 3 paper towels to absorb some of the moisture, so the biscuits will cook through and won’t be doughy.

7 Cover and cook on Low for 31⁄2 to 1 4 ⁄2 hours, or until biscuits are cooked through and golden brown. Check biscuits for doneness after 31⁄2 hours.

If not done, continue checking every 15 minutes until they are.

Casseroles Casseroles have been a supper staple for many years because they’re so versatile and simple to prepare. They’re even easier when you make them in a slow cooker, and by serving a side salad or vegetable and a roll or a slice of bread, you have a complete meal in no time.

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foil. Place the pan in the refrigerator until hard, then remove and pull the fudge out by tugging gently on the aluminum foil. Invert the fudge on a wooden cutting board or the counter and gently peel off the aluminum foil.

4 Using a 10-inch chef ’s knife with the blade heated under hot running water, cut the fudge into squares. (You may wish to rinse the knife under hot running water several times.)

Chocolate-Banana Cheesecake

S C A

By Monica Sharrock I recently made this slow cooker applesauce in my second-grade classroom, and, oh, how the children loved it. It made our entire classroom smell cinnamon-y sweet. I love making festive autumn treats during this time of year. Fall has long been my favorite season, and I relish any opportunity to make comforting harvest dishes. Try this simple, yet decadent applesauce as a side, or even a dessert at your dinner table this autumn.

Chocolate-Peppermint Fudge

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C-P F

By Lynn Alley Peppermint is the only mint with

enough oomph to stand up to chocolate.

Use fresh-chopped peppermint leaves or, in a pinch, substitute store-bought peppermint extract. Making this in a small-capacity slow cooker is a foolproof way to melt the chocolate.

Yields 4 to 6 servings.

⁄2 cup apple juice, plus 1⁄4 cup, divided* 10 apples, cored and sliced (with or without peels)* 1 ⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup brown sugar* 1 tablespoon cinnamon* 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt *homegrown/organic ingredients recommended 1

3 cups chocolate chips 1 ⁄2 cup butter (1⁄2 stick) 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 1 ⁄2 cup fresh peppermint leaves, chopped 1 In the crock of a small slow cooker, melt the chocolate, butter, and condensed milk on Low setting. Check and stir from time to time until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.

2 Gently stir in the walnuts and peppermint leaves. (The peppermint must be completely dry when you drop it into the chocolate.)

3 Pour the mix into a 9-by-9-inch baking pan lined with aluminum

KUNKEL; JOE COCA; FOTOLIA (2)/LLDI, FORTYFORKS

the sides of the jars.

7 Using tongs, carefully transfer the jars (they will be very hot) to a wire rack. Cool completely. Screw on the lids and place the cheesecakes in fridge until well chilled, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

8 Just before serving, top each jar of cake with additional sliced bananas, a dollop of whipped cream, and shaved chocolate. Serve the cakes in the jars, providing spoons to eat the cakes directly from jars.

NOTE: To crush the chocolate wafers, pulse in a food processor or add to a resealable plastic bag and crush with the back of a large spoon.

Reprinted with permission from The Southern Slow Cooker by Kendra Bailey Morris, copyright © 2013.

Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: ERIN

until fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, while still beating mixture. Pour in the condensed milk and vanilla and continue to beat.

3 Fill each jar with about 11⁄2 to 2 inches of the cream cheese mixture.

Add an even layer of the banana slices along with some of the reserved chocolate crust. Finally fill each jar with more cheesecake mixture, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.

4 Lay a kitchen towel on the bottom of the slow cooker to protect the ceramic surface and place the uncovered jars in the slow cooker insert, making sure they do not touch each other or the sides of the cooker.

5 Fill a tea kettle with water and heat to just boiling. Pour just enough water into the slow cooker to come halfway up the glass jars.

6 Cover the top of the slow cooker with several thick sheets of paper towels to absorb additional moisture. Cover the slow cooker and cook on High for 1 to 2 hours, until the cheesecakes begin to pull away from

Slow Cooker Applesauce

Greek Yogurt

1 Pour a 1⁄2 cup of apple juice into the base of a slow cooker. Add the apple slices.

2 In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; sprinkle the mixture over the apple slices. Pour the remaining apple juice over the apples to help dissolve the dry ingredients.

3 Set the slow cooker on High, and allow the apples to cook down over a period of 4 to 5 hours. Stir occasionally. Mashing may be required and can be done with a fork or potato masher.

4 Students in my class enjoy this applesauce with crushed pecans stirred in. If you are not making this recipe for a large group, any excess can easily WWW.MOTHEREARTHNEWS.COM

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