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Time for fall harvest

Yes! It is time even if you are not ready to change from the nice warm days to the cool, rainy and foggy mornings. Like it or not, fall has finally arrived and if you drive around town, you will see all the beautiful colored mums and seasonal pumpkins of all various sizes.

We now will no longer hear all the complaints as to how hot the summer days are. In some areas, the trees have already started to change their colors and now also time to clean up your gardens.

A couple days ago, I picked what is probably the last of my own home grown tomatoes. I couldn’t wait for them to ripe after planting them, but I have had my fill even if this was not the best. It was still great to be able to go out in your own garden and pick your own tomatoes and also enough to give to people that do not plant their own tomatoes.

Besides gardening, I do hope that the weather will give us a break, especially with the hurricanes and rain that our country has been getting lately. The weather in general has changed and my prayers go out to all the people that were affected by the hurricane Florence which was definitely a monster of a storm and devastation.

It would be terrible to see your home and belongings being destroyed, not to mention the many deaths resulting from the storm. Here I am complaining about having a bad year with my tomatoes, which in not really a problem compared to what took place in the Carolinas and elsewhere.

Last Tuesday, while taking my grandchildren to school, we encountered a hard downpour where you could not see the road, which made me think that this was just a very small sample of what the people on the east coast had to face for several days. In many ways we are lucky to live in the area we do, where lately it seems that major storms and bad weather has managed to go around us, but think of all of us living here have friends and relatives that live in the areas that is affected.

I heard that the damage estimation amounted to 10 billion dollars, which is an unbelievable amount of destruction.

The entire world seems to be in what is considered a big mess and probably God is trying to tell us something? Just listen to the news for a week or even a day and it will probably depress you and you will understand why I feel the way I do.

So when you have a problem, just stop and think of that what ever the problem is, it could be worse, and learn to be thankful for what we do have.

A big thank you to the Salvation Army, Red Cross and other groups that help out the people when they are in need. Until next week!

***

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 10-ounce packages frozen creamed spinach, thawed

1 14-ounce can water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

baguette slices or pita chips for dipping

In a small skillet, cook onions in butter until tender; set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the onion mixture, spinach, artichokes, Monterey Jack and Swiss cheeses, Worchestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, thyme, hot pepper sauce and garlic. Transfer to a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly around edges. Top with Parmesan cheese. Broil 4-6 inches from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with baguette slices or pita chips. Refrigerate leftovers.

***

Mexi-Mocha Coffee

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 orange peel strips

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

3 cups hot strong brewed coffee

1/2 cup half-and-half cream, warmed

optional garnish: cinnamon sticks, orange peel and whipped cream

Place the first 5 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until chocolate is finely chopped. Add coffee; cover and process for 1-2 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Transfer to a small saucepan, heat through. Return mixture to blender; add cream. Cover and process until frothy. Strain, discarding all solids, serve in mugs. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, orange peel and whipped cream if desired.

***

Cherry-Brandy Baked Brie

1 8-ounce round Brie cheese

1/2 cup dried cherries

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup brandy or unsweetened apple juice

baguette, sliced and toasted or assorted crackers

Place cheese in a 9-inch pie plate. Combine the cherries, walnuts, brown sugar and brandy; spoon over cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is softened. Serve with baguette.

***

Marinated Mushrooms and Cheese

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil, juilienned

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cubed

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes and water. Let stand for 5 minutes, drain. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, vinegar, garlic and salt; add the tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese. Seal bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Drain and discard marinade.

***

Gingered Orange Beets

1 1/2 pounds whole fresh beets, about 4 medium, trimmed and cleaned

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate

1 1/4 teaspoons grated orange peel, divided

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot

1 medium navel orange, peeled, sectioned and chopped

1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted

Brush beets with 4 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap loosely in foil; place on baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 70-75 minutes or until fork-tender. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, orange juice concentrate, 1 teaspoon orange peel, ginger and remaining oil; set aside. Peel beets and cut into wedges; place in a serving bowl. Add the orange sections and pecans. Drizzle with orange sauce and toss to coat.

Sprinkle with remaining orange peel.

***

Kiki Angelos is a food columnist for the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

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