Do the cold months of late fall and winter have you down? Lift your spirits with some home cooking! When the weather starts to change, so does our taste in food. We start to crave those special foods that seem perfect during cold temperatures. Apples, pumpkins, casseroles, turkey all sound so desirable. In this article, I’d like to share some of my favorite simple seasonal recipes for those cold days when you need to warm your house and your heart with something aromatic and tasty.

Pumpkin Fritters

Sounds like a great gift right? It is. These are warm, festive and scrumptious.

Will need:

1 1/2 cups grated pumpkin

2 cups buttermilk

3 eggs, whiskey

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons Baking powder

oil for frying

icing sugar to decorate

Addresses:

Beat the eggs, milk, pumpkin, salt, flour and baking powder.

Preheat the oil for frying to approx. 350F. Deep fryer is best, but if you don’t use one, be sure to fry all sides of the fritters evenly.

Drop large spoonfuls of batter into the oil.

Cook for no more than 5 minutes.

Remove from oil and reserve on paper towels to drain.

Plate and dust with icing sugar and serve while still hot.

Beef Stew

Nothing better than a tasty beef stew for those cold nights. This will make a simple dinner to feed a whole family.

Will need:

1 pound. beef of your choice, cubed

1 small onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

10 baby carrots, chopped or 2 carrots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon paprika

1 cube of beef ingots

1 bay leaf

2 potatoes, cubed

1/2 cup flour

3 cups of beef broth

2 cups of water

Addresses:

In a large pot, brown the beef, onion, salt, and garlic over medium heat about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the flour and stir until blended.

Add the liquids, bullion, spices, bay leaf, and potatoes.

Bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.

Add celery and carrots.

Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Ready to serve!

Oven Roasted Turkey

How to make a simple Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey!

Will need:

1 turkey (about 18 pounds)

1/2 cup butter (unsalted is best), melted

salt and pepper to taste

at least 1 1/2 quarts turkey broth

8 cups stuffing, prepared

Addresses:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Place the rack in the lowest position in the oven.

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey, rinse the turkey and pat dry.

Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. Stuff the turkey with stuffing without overcrowding it.

Brush the melted butter all over the skin, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Loosely cover turkey with aluminum foil.

Place the turkey in the oven and place 2 cups of the turkey broth in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Baste the turkey every 20 minutes or so with the liquids from the pan (this is important to make sure the turkey comes out moist).

Add more broth when the basting liquid runs out.

Remove foil after 2 1/2 hours.

Grill until a meat thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh reads 180F (about 4 hours later).

Transfer turkey to a serving platter and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.