Hodge Podge Day

A few days ago I walked along the edge of the
lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle
of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics
of this season are different and all sounds, no
matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air.
~Eric Sloane


My newsletter readers always loved Hodge Podge Day where I would share their tips or things that they requested, so I had to have it on the blog as well. Today I have a few fall recipes to share. One is from Lor, one of my long time readers.

OLD FASHIONED POPCORN BALLS
Molasses Popcorn Balls
From Yoder Popcorn

Ingredients:
4 quart popped corn
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. butter
2 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Boil the molasses, sugar, butter, and salt, stirring occasionally
until mixture forms hard ball in cold water. Remove from heat,
add soda and mix well. Pour over popped corn, stirring so that
each kernel may be coated. Form into a ball with well buttered
hands QUICKLY!

FALL RECIPE FROM LOR
Chicken 'n Dumplins
This is a finger-lickin, rib-stickin, knee-slappin recipe!
It doesn't get much more Southern than this.

1 chicken, cut into quarters
You could use 2 chickens and a great BIG dutch oven!
1 tablespoon chicken(poultry) seasoning
*I like to add chunks of carrots, celery, potato and onion.
Oh, and don't forget the "garlic".

Dumplins:
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons lard or vegetable shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
*I add 1 Tablespoon of parsley flakes

Place chicken in a large Dutch oven. Add chicken seasoning
and enough water to cover chicken with at least 3-4 inches of
water. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and simmer,
covered, until meat can easily be removed from bones. Remove
chicken, leaving liquid in pot. Remove meat from chicken and
place meat back into pot. Bring back to a boil. Mix remaining
ingredients to form a dough and spoon into boiling chicken pot
liquid. Cover pot and simmer until dumplings are cooked, about
10 to 15 minutes I love this recipe and it's great for this time of
year! ~Lor

BUCKWHEAT HONEY?
Buckwheat honey is a thick, dark honey that has a
stronger taste than lighter colored honey. It was very
popular in the 1930's, 40's and 50's when buckwheat
was more of a major crop in the U.S. It is becoming
popular again because of it's antioxidant properties,
which have been found to be higher than other honey.
You can be substitute it for molasses, and it is great
for baking. I found the following recipe:

SHOO-FLY PIE
From Dutch Gold Honey

Liquid Mixture:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Dutch Gold Buckwheat Honey
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. Flour
2 cups boiling water
Crumbs:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 - 8" unbaked pie shells

Mix crumb mixture first and set aside. Combine liquid
mixture and pour into pie shells; spoon crumbs on top.
Immediately put into oven. Bake at 325°F for 40-50
minutes or until set.

Try these wonderful apple harvest recipes!
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/appleharvest.html