All Things Pumpkin

My friends and I needed some post-hurricane time to visit, to compare notes of our damage which ranged from "none" to "significant." So I invited everyone here for lunch. I promised it would be "all things pumpkin" since it's nearly Halloween. And I told them it would all be very simple. We just needed to be together.

Turns out it was a good thing simple was my original plan. I had two extra kitchen helpers yesterday while I was getting ready. These two plus their mom are here for the week. That's always fun.

And it's always interesting to see how they view the world. I told a friend yesterday if I were ever in need of an album cover for my music, this photo would be my choice. My own piano practice will resume next week.

And now here is my complete "all things pumpkin" menu. 

I think it's a good sign that we all had such a pleasant time that I never ever thought about making photos of any of the food. But I'll share the recipes. We enjoyed appetizers on the porch while everyone gathered. I had grand visions of making the pumpkin shaped brie I made last fall, or even a pumpkin dip. But then I needed something even easier.

Boar's Head makes a great pumpkin pie dessert hummus. I put it on a platter with cinnamon pita chips and pretzel squares. And on another platter I made my new favorite appetizer. It's also the quickest one I know to make.

EASY APPETIZER

Take Boursin or Alouette cheese (any flavor) and let it soften a bit. 

Then use the back of a spoon to spread it thin on a platter. 

Sprinkle with crushed pistachios (the roasted, salted kind)

Drizzle with honey. 

Serve with Wheat Thins or other sturdy crackers on the side.

ORANGE JUICE SPRITZER

1 (12-oz) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 cups cold water

Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)

2 (12-oz) cans cold Seven-Up (or other lemon lime soda)

orange and lime slices for garnish

Mix concentrate and cold water. Add lemon juice. Gently stir in soda just before serving. Serve over ice  in glasses. Garnish with slices of orange and lime.

Makes 12 half-cup servings

When I invited everyone it was chilly weather and chili sounded perfect. Yesterday turned out to be a warm but I stuck with my plan. This is quick to make, I made a double batch on the stovetop the morning of the lunch. I did measure my spices out the day before to simplify things. This chili was Mommy's standard slow cooker meal for after trick-or-treating with her children. I first posted it here in 2011 when Little Sister was a baby. She's a teenager now. And we are still using this recipe.

TURKEY, WHITE BEAN, PUMPKIN CHILI

2 lb. ground turkey 

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (I use the jar kind)

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder (more or less, to taste)

1 teaspoon oregano

2 bay leaves

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (not the pie filling kind)

2 (15-oz) can great northern beans, rinsed & drained

1 (4-1/2 oz) can chopped green chiles

2 cups chicken broth (sometimes I add a little more)

Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, minced cilantro, etc.

Heat large skillet over high heat. Add turkey and cook, breaking it apart, until done, about 5 minutes. Add to Crockpot. Add oil to skillet, then onions and garlic. Saute about 3-4 minutes. Add cumin and saute another minute. Add to Crockpot.

Add beans, pumpkin puree, green chiles, chili powder, oregano, salt and bay leaves. Stir to mix. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.  Remove bay leaves before serving.

If you want to skip the Crockpot, make it in a large pot on the stovetop. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about an hour or so, stirring occasionally.

And this dessert is a favorite that friends of mine made years ago when they hosted a bridal luncheon for my older daughter. We loved it and have been making it for nearly 20 years now. It's another "make the day before" recipe.

PUMPKIN CRUNCH

15-oz. can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
12-oz. can evaporated milk cup sugar

3/4
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 box yellow cake mix
1 and 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 to 1-1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, and cinnamon thoroughly and pour into a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Sprinkle dry cake mix (straight out of the box) over pumpkin mixture. Pour melted butter over cake mix. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake 1 hour at 350º. Let cool completely

Topping:
1 8-oz block cream cheese, softened
1 box powdered sugar
1 8-oz container Cool Whip

Using a hand mixer, blend cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar. Then mix in whipped topping. Spread over cooled pumpkin cake. Refrigerate. Cut into squares to serve. Can sprinkle lightly with cinnamon or chopped pecans to garnish. (I never do this part.) 

And there you have it—an entire menu of pumpkin foods. Appetizer, entree and dessert. 🎃

Yesterday was a reminder for me that hospitality is about the time spent together. Even if you are stepping over toys on the floor and eating on paper plates. I had to keep it easy yesterday. I was making grilled cheese sandwiches for the little people while my friends were chatting on the porch. But it was all just as it should be. A relaxed time to get together. 

And one last pumpkin themed food. Jecca made these fun quesadillas for little people's dinner one night. It's too cute not to share.

Odds are I won't post next week, so it's time to say....

Great Pumpkin

Pumpkin Ring Cake

I have loved pumpkin since I was a small child. Pumpkin pie, mostly, because that's about all that people did with pumpkin back then. At least, the people I knew. But pumpkin turns up often now—pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin chili, pumpkin dip. All good.

Years ago, this was a recipe I used all the time when I needed a cake to take somewhere. Sometimes it was when a family had experienced great sadness. Sometimes it was to celebrate. I made it for church dinners and office parties. I could run home from work and mix this up quickly. Then I LOST the recipe. 

This was before Google searches and Pinterest boards. It was just gone. And after a few years, forgotten. But one day last summer when I was cleaning out the garage, I found it! It was in a bag of recipes--newspaper clippings, can labels, magazine pages, all safely stashed in a plastic bag. Why it never made it inside this house when we moved, I'll never know. But it was rescued at last. 

Now this recipe resides safely here on the blog and is listed in the recipe index—just in time for the holidays. A bundt cake always looks so festive. It is great cake for the newer baker. There is no sifting. No "alternately add wet and dry ingredients" and no "cream butter and sugar." Just dump all the ingredients in one bowl and mix. It's moist, dense, pumpkin-y and spicy. Good with a cup of coffee or hot tea. I know my cake baking skills have improved in the 35 years since I first baked this cake, but if you need an easy cake, this is still a good one.

Right this very minute I have this pumpkin cake in the oven. The house smells delicious. A Thanksgiving Hallmark movie is on TV. (Daddy-O left very early this morning to help cook hundreds of quarts of chicken stew at the fire department. I watch Hallmark movies when he isn't here.) The air is crisp outside. I'm starting to feel the first tinge of holiday spirit. This cake might be a good starting place for you, too.

PUMPKIN RING CAKE

3 cups Bisquick baking mix (Reduced Fat or Original)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

¼ cup butter, softened

¼ cup milk

2-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs

1 can (15-oz.) pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan.

Beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.  Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.  Pour batter into pan.

Bake about 50 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan.  Cool completely.  Drizzle with Glaze.

GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon water (or more as needed) 

½ teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients until smooth. (If you need more water, add it a teaspoonful at a time.) 

In The Kitchen

In my quest to add more plants to our menus, I bought (nearly) everything that looked good and fresh at our local grocery store the first part of the week. And then last night I realized we were almost to the end of the week and I still had some of those veggies untouched in the refrigerator.

We love the green drinks in the morning where I throw an assortment of fruits and vegetables in the blender. But I'm trying to get those veggies into our other meals, too. Last night I cooked fresh green beans with baby red potatoes and I roasted the rest of the brussel sprouts along with some fresh okra pods. That doesn't sound like much, does it?

But I ran up against one of the reasons busy moms (or dads) turn to more convenient ways to feed the family. It took quite some time to snap the beans, scrub the potatoes, cut the brussel sprouts and trim the okra. Then cooking time was just over 30 minutes. And there were all those pans and knives to clean afterward. An hour so to get supper ready—five minutes to eat it. That can be discouraging. But even one or two meals a week cooked at home is better than none at all. We just all do the best we can.

While the vegetables were cooking, I stirred up a quick treat. I made the recipe that was the very first one I posted here. Big Sister used to make these often when she was avoiding eggs and soy. (Thankfully, she's outgrown that problem.) We made them just because they taste good.

My butter wasn't cold enough last night so the topping didn't turn out as crumbly as usual. It looks a little blob-like. But they were good enough that Daddy-O—who is not a muffin OR a pumpkin lover—ate several before they had time to cool. Could be changing the cake mix flavor was a good thing.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

1 box butter pecan cake mix (or any flavor you like)
1 15-oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup water

Topping:
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Mix sugar and flour and cut butter into the flour mix until crumbly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pans, or use paper liners.
Mix all ingredients throughly (I used an electric hand mixer) and fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
Sprinkle with topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until done.

Makes 18 muffins. (For a healthier version, you can leave the topping off.)


We have made this recipe with yellow cake mix, chocolate cake mix and spice cake mix. They are all good, but the spice mix was our favorite. Until last night. The butter pecan flavor works really well here. Daddy-O liked them better than the other times I've made them. Or, it could be that they really WERE a treat after eating brussel sprouts and okra!

I have my ticket to go visit the grandchildren in a couple of weeks! Sister pictures coming soon.

Friday morning view

The Great Pumpkin

My pumpkin obsession goes way back. When I was about eight or ten years old, I remember a night one fall when my Aunt Bibby rang our doorbell. When we opened the door, she was standing there with a freshly baked pumpkin pie and she handed it to me. She said she had made the pumpkin pie for me because she knew it was my favorite.

I carried the pie back to the kitchen. While the grown-ups visited for a while, I ate the pie. Yep. The whole pie. When Aunt Bibby left, Mother and Daddy came back to the kitchen for dessert, but I had eaten it. They were not happy parents. I remember saying, "But she SAID she brought it to me!" I thought she meant it literally.

I still love pumpkin. Today I tried another pumpkin recipe. Daddy-O said, "This is a keeper!" I'll admit he was not a fan of the pumpkin soup. I liked it. There is one more pumpkin soup recipe I was to try, so maybe there's hope for him.

But I'm happy that he did like the chili I made for supper. He said he couldn't taste the pumpkin. (I didn't tell him it was in there until after he ate.) But it is such a healthy addition. Cheese toast made with sandwich thins were just right to serve along side the chili. 

 PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

1 onion, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin
2 (15-oz) cans black beans, rinsed & drained
1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken

Put everything in the slow cooker. (I used a 5-1/2 qt. Crockpot.)  Cook on LOW for 5-7 hours.
--Recipe from Eat At Home.

I had cooked chicken in the freezer so the chili was super easy. Now I have two quarts of chili ready to put in the freezer for supper on crazy nights. We have those every now and then. Don't you?

One reason I wanted to get cooking out of the way early was so that I could spend extra time this afternoon knitting. I am famous for gifting things out of season--like the knitted hood I gave at Easter. My intentions are good but my timing is off. I just knit and finish when I finish. Jessica finally got to wear the shawl I made for her in May. At least there is no expiration date on handknits!

I am three-fourths of the way through a new shawl. It would be remarkable to get to wear it soon after it's done. I will see how much more knitting time I can squeeze in the next few days. If I would just finish this blog and pick up the needles.....

I Love Fall

I love fall. After yesterday's trip back from the mountains and seeing the leaves turning colors, I am more than ready to welcome a new season. So when this morning turned out to be cool and damp, I wanted to do fall things. 

Here is in the deep South, we don't have lots of cold weather, so I took this chance to wear a shawl. I love to make them, but I don't always have that many opportunities to actually wear them. This was the Stripe Study Shawl that I just finished a couple of weeks ago. Just enough warmth on a cool morning.

While we were in the mountains, Jessica also got to wear the cowl that her good friend Maggie made for her. Jessica is an artist and is surrounded by artist friends who are all so creative. This cowl surely has that "artist's touch." And I am delighted to know that these young women are knitters! It's not just a pasttime for us grandmamas.

Now that brings me to this morning's activity in the kitchen. We have been so busy for the last few weeks that our cupboard is pretty bare. But I did have some random things that needed to be used up--several cans of pumpkin puree and half-and-half left from the bridal shower being at the top of the list. So I found a recipe for pumpkin soup. The original recipe came from the Mayo Clinic, but I changed it to use whole cans (don't want dabs leftover) and to use up the half-and-half and I had chicken broth on the shelf, not vegetable broth. Here is how I did it...

PUMPKIN SOUP

1/2 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree
1 (15-oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups milk or half-and-half
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the water over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Don't let the onion dry out.

Add the pumpkin, broth, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to mix, using a whisk if necessary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and cook until hot. DO NOT BOIL. Serve immediately. (You could garnish with chopped green onion, ground black pepper, or a drizzle of cream.)


This was ready in about 15 minutes and was good. It just tastes like fall. The Mayo Clinic version would be the healthier way to make it, but I needed to use what I had on hand. And if you wanted to, I think it could be made even richer if you used some heavy cream. The flavor was just right. I used my immersion blender to make the onion pieces a little smaller, but I didn't make it into a smooth soup. But do it however you like it. This is a soup recipe, not rocket science!

I let Daddy-O taste it and he declared it "not bad." That's good enough for me since he is not a soup lover. This would taste so good with some mini-corn muffins. Now, lunch is ready. And I'm going to spend some time this afternoon working on another shawl. Who knows, I might get to wear another one this year.

Edited to add:  If you are reheating the soup, do so gently over low heat--not in the microwave. If you get it too hot, the milk will "break down." Still edible, but not as good. Ask me how I know.
I talked myself into making corn muffins to go with the soup. Yep, hot buttered corn muffins drizzled with a little honey were just the right accompaniment for the soup. 

Pie Spectacular

I've still not spent any time in the kitchen since I've had all the sinus-y problems  (I am beginning to feel better, thankfully) so I'm sharing this recipe from Mommy. She sent the photo and the recipe last night. She made this last year and her family declared it wonderful. I will say it must be a labor of love. Most of my recipes are pretty quick and easy, but there are times when you just need to do a little more. 

Yesterday I posted about "knitted love." I think this must be "kitchen love." If you don't knit and you don't cook, just say the words "I love you" to someone who needs to hear them today. 

Here is the email I got from Mommy last night:  

(Looks like her someone special got into the pie before she got the topping ready.)

...........................................................................................................................

Make this for someone you love.  (Or maybe make it for someone you'd like to love YOU!)

PUMPKIN PIE SPECTACULAR from Southern Living November 2009

MAKES 8 Servings

HANDS-ON TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 3 hours, 25 minutes (including streusel and topping)

1/2 (15-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts

2 cups crushed gingersnaps (about 40 gingersnaps)

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin

1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Pecan Streusel

7 ginger thin cookies, halved  (i.e., Anna's Ginger Thins)

Ginger-Spice Topping, ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fit piecrust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under, and crimp.

2. Stir together crushed gingersnaps and next 3 ingredients.  Press mixture on bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of piecrust.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes.)

4. Stir together pumpkin and next 6 ingredients until well blended.  Pour into prepared crust.  Place pie on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle Pecan Streusel around the edge of crust.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until set, shielding edges with aluminum foil during last 25 to 30 minutes of baking, if necessary.  Insert ginger cookies around edge of crust.  Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour.)  Dollop with Ginger-Spice Topping; dust with cinnamon.

PECAN STREUSEL

MAKES About 1 cup

HANDS-ON TIME: 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes

Stir together 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar; 2 Tbsp. melted butter; and 3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped.

GINGER-SPICE TOPPING

MAKES 3 cups

HANDS-ON TIME: 5 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes

Stir together 1 (8-oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed; 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon; and 1/4 tsp. ground ginger.

Boo!

We went to Baby Sister's house last night to take part in the Halloween fun. I even went with them to a neighborhood party with lots of wizards, zombies and space travelers. Baby Pumpkin (aka Baby Sister) loved watching all the big kids running around. She took it all in. Then Baby Pumpkin went next door for her very first "trick or treat" (her only house to visit this year.) After that we went home to hand out candy. And Mommy surprised us by having this chili ready for our supper.

This recipe is one Mommy found on a blog she enjoys reading. So glad she tried it. (As usual, it's been tweaked a bit to suit us.) It was perfect for a cold night and the pumpkin in it made a good seasonal choice. Pumpkin??? Did I really say pumpkin? Yes. Yes, I did. 

Don't freak out at the pumpkin in the recipe. Most people's first pumpkin thought is pumpkin pie with all the good sweet spices. But pumpkin by itself is not sweet or spicy. Here you won't really taste it, but it helps thicken the chili, adds some extra nutrients, and gives it a nice color. You'll just have to trust us. It works perfectly. If you've ever had White Chicken Chili and liked it, this is better. The ingredient list looks long, but it's basically just a "throw it all in the pot" kind of recipe. One that is so, so good!

Turkey, White Bean & Pumpkin Chili

PAM cooking spray

2 lb. ground turkey breast

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (from a jar)

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder (more or less, to taste)

1 teaspoon oregano

2 bay leaves

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (not the pie filling kind)

2 (15-oz) can great northern beans, rinsed & drained

1 (4-1/2 oz) can chopped green chiles

2 cups chicken broth

Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, minced cilantro, etc.

Heat large skillet over high heat and spray with PAM. Add turkey and cook, breaking it apart, until done, about 5 minutes. Add to Crockpot. Add oil to skillet, then onions and garlic. Saute about 3-4 minutes. Add cumin and saute another minute. Add to Crockpot.

Add beans, pumpkin puree, green chiles, chili powder, oregano, salt and bay leaves. Stir to mix. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.  Remove bay leaves before serving.

If you want to skip the Crockpot, make it in a large pot on the stovetop. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about an hour or so, stirring occasionally. 


If there hadn't been so much going on last night, Mommy said she would have made cornbread to go with this. That must mean there's going to be a next time!

The Frost Is (Almost) On The Pumpkin

It's that time of year. Pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks. Look for pumpkin ice cream at Trader Joe's. It's time to make pumpkin pies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin anything. I like it all.

I made these two loaves last night to take to church this morning for the before-Sunday School coffee time. Both daughters have made this recipe many times. When Mommy taught kindergarten, she took it for snack time when they were talking about "fall things" and all the five-year-olds loved it.

If you make it in 8-inch foil pans, you can get three loaves from one recipe--one for you and two for giving. And it freezes well.

Pumpkin Bread

3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 large eggs
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin

Stir together flour and remaining ingredients in a large blow until smooth. Divide batter evenly between 2 greased and floured 9-inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted into center of each loaf comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

OR you can divide between three 8-inch foil loaf pans and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until done.


And because I like autumn and pumpkins so much, I'll share another favorite recipe. No photo of this one, because I haven't made it yet this year. But trust me, it is a wonderful dessert. We had it first when a friend served it at a bridal luncheon for Mommy. Even people who say they don't like pumpkin, like this one. Just don't tell them what it is until they have tasted it!

Pumpkin Crunch

(15-oz) can pumpkin
(12-oz) can evaporated milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Lightly grease the bottom of a 9x13-inch dish. Mix the above ingredients and pour into dish.
Sprinkle 1 box Duncan Hines Yellow cake mix (dry, right out of box) over pumpkin mixture.
Melt 1-1/2 sticks butter and pour over cake mix.
Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups chopped nuts over the butter.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Let cool completely.

Topping:
1 box powdered sugar
8-oz. cream cheese, softened
8-oz. Cool Whip
Mix cream cheese and sugar. Then fold in Cool Whip and spread over top of dessert. Refrigerate until serving time. Cut into squares to serve. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon or chopped nuts to garnish.


Take this to your next church dinner and let people try to figure out what it is. Besides good! And how could I talk about fall and pumpkins and not think about this poem. Remember this?

When The Frost is On The Punkin  by James Whitcomb Riley, 1853-1916 When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock, And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin’ turkey-cock, And the clackin’ of the guineys, and the cluckin’ of the hens, And the rooster’s hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence; O, it’s then’s the times a feller is a-feelin’ at his best, With the risin’ sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest, As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock, When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock. They’s something kindo’ harty-like about the atmusfere When the heat of summer’s over and the coolin’ fall is here— Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees, And the mumble of the hummin’-birds and buzzin’ of the bees; But the air’s so appetizin’; and the landscape through the haze Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days Is a pictur’ that no painter has the colorin’ to mock— When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock. The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn, And the raspin’ of the tangled leaves, as golden as the morn; The stubble in the furries—kindo’ lonesome-like, but still A-preachin’ sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill; The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed; The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover over-head!— O, it sets my hart a-clickin’ like the tickin’ of a clock, When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock! Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps Is poured around the celler-floor in red and yeller heaps; And your cider-makin’ ’s over, and your wimmern-folks is through With their mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and saussage, too! ... I don’t know how to tell it—but ef sich a thing could be As the Angels wantin’ boardin’, and they’d call around on me— I’d want to ’commodate ’em—all the whole-indurin’ flock— When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock!