Approximately 1 cup

Fall is definitely the reason people live in Ohio. It is my favorite time of the year. The leaves change from green to an array of beautiful colors. Every once in a while, a big wind will come along and blow enough leaves off the trees to fill up the sky. You know fall is here because you can smell it in the air.

I remember when I was a kid visiting my cousins on the farm. My cousins Remo and Geraldine had a huge garden and canned everything. I remember too that they had a bunch of apple trees; one tree had five different kinds of apples. They also would let all the kids help make the best apple cider ever. We had to pick the apples and wash them before crushing them with an actual cider press that you had to work by walking around the press holding a pole. The pole was connected to a big screw that was attached to a thick wooden plate that would go up and down on the inside of the press mashing the apples. The press was not solid so the juice could run down the sides into a trough that was funneled into containers. I cannot really remember what we did after that. The cider was then probably strained and bottled. I will tell you one thing I do remember: It was so good that we would always drink too much and get stomachaches.

The recipe below is a perfect accompaniment for those fall apples — great flavors for great memories. Serve it at an outdoor party during a hayride or when the kids are bobbing for apples.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
4 ounces soft cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Procedure
While stirring continually, simmer the first five ingredients together for one minute.
Remove from the heat and cover for five minutes; chill.
In a mixer on high, whisk the last four ingredients together, scraping the sides as needed to keep an even texture.
Add the chilled mix to the cream-cheese mix.
Mix on high for one minute, scraping the sides as needed to blend the ingredients evenly.
Chill until served.
Stir.

Enjoy!

Six servings

It’s getting down to the wire this season with some of the best drag racing competition ever. You don’t even want to get up from in front of the TV. I understand! But you have to eat! Stay home and call your friends over to watch race day. Here is a recipe with quite a zap that your friends will be sure to remember.

Ingredients
6 large, fresh jalapeño peppers
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1.5 ounces grated cheese (your favorite; I used Gruyère)
To taste, salt
To taste, freshly ground black pepper
1 quart peanut oil

Procedure
Boil the whole jalapeños in lightly salted water for 10 minutes.

Drain the jalapeños and shock them in ice water until chilled.

Remove the jalapeños from the ice water and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Make a slit in the jalapeños from the stem to the bottom; remove the seeds.

Tightly pack the cheese into every pepper.

Mix the flour and water together until smooth; season with salt and pepper.

Roll the stuffed peppers in the batter and deep-fry in 350-degree peanut oil until done. Note: I put a little extra batter on the slit of the peppers so that they do not split open and let the cheese come out while cooking.

Get a glass of water!

Enjoy!
 

Eight servings

Everyone’s grandmother cooked a little differently, especially potato salad. I have had potato salad with celery seed, horseradish, seafood, and a number of other variations. I particularly love a lot of pickles in my potato salad. Sometimes I pour the pickle juice in the potato salad for even more pickle flavor.

Jeg’s buddy Jim brought me a jar of McClure’s Pickles to the track. Wow — they are pretty awesome! I love the flavor and the texture. I like the tough outer part much more than I like the soft inside with the seeds. That is why I took the seeds out of this recipe. This recipe brings a new look to a picnic. Who ever thought of eating potato salad with your fingers?

Ingredients
1.5 cups peeled, small-dice potato
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup peeled, finely diced celery
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon brown mustard
2 hard-boiled, chopped eggs
8 halves pickle
2 slices cooked bacon (cut each slice into eight pieces)
To taste, salt
To taste, white pepper
To taste, paprika
As needed for garnish, parsley sprigs
As needed for garnish, chive tops

Procedure
In lightly salted water, cook the diced potato until tender; strain and chill.

Add the following to the potatoes and stir until well mixed: mayonnaise, celery, red onion, chopped parsley, brown mustard, salt, and white pepper.

Scoop out the inside of each pickle half. I used the back side of a vegetable peeler.

Put the potato mix into each pickle shell.

Sprinkle with paprika.

Stick two pieces of bacon in each. Sprinkle on chopped egg.

Garnish with parsley springs and chives.

Enjoy!
 

Three servings

It is getting down to the end of the season. We have 20 more rounds before the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world champions are crowned. It has been a very exciting year so far. I know that the pressure is on. So if you need to save your brainpower for the track and you don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen cooking, this is your recipe. This recipe is awesome. You are going to love the flavors, and it is simple.

Ingredients
1/2 pound fresh, cleaned, trimmed asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 teaspoons fresh, minced garlic
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1.5 tablespoons fresh, thinly sliced parsley
To taste, salt
To taste, freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar

Procedure
Toss the asparagus with the oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
Lay the asparagus on a nonstick baking pan.
Bake at 450 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. (Be sure to turn them a couple times while they are cooking for even browning.) Also, the cooking time will depend on the size of the asparagus. The ones used in this recipe were a medium size.
Put the butter, breadcrumbs, and parsley in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; season with salt and pepper.
Cook the breadcrumbs until they are golden brown.
Arrange the asparagus on a plate and top with the browned breadcrumbs.
Drizzle the vinegar over the asparagus.

Enjoy!