By Sylvia Arnold
Want to celebrate the coming of fall? What better way than to have a summer-to-fall feast with some of your friends?
A delectable feast can be made anywhere with very little ingredients and money. Whether you live in a dorm, co-op, apartment or house, you can make these dishes with a little ingenuity. When I lived in the dorms, I found myself foraging for items that I only needed small amounts of – fruit, oatmeal, salt and pepper packets I would horde from the cafeteria, sugar packets and pats of butter I’d pick up at various coffee shops. This saved me money on bulk items at the grocery store I had neither the need nor the space for.
One way to cut both cost and time is to have everyone bring their own cups, plates, utensils and napkins. This will save you about $15 on serving wear, not to mention cut down on your garbage and dish-washing. Another way is to have everyone chip in on the food bill. These recipes feed a crowd of six people for about $35 to $45; that breaks down to $5.80 to $7.50 per person. I usually shop at discount stores for groceries, which cuts down on cost quite a bit. When you go to these stores, be sure to bring your own bags to pack your groceries; one of the ways they reduce their prices is by not providing bags.
All these recipes can easily be converted to vegan; just substitute non-dairy products for milk or butter when necessary. If you’re of the meat-eating persuasion, these recipes could accompany your fare. Make sure to read all of the recipes ahead of time if you’re going to make them all in the same day; there are a few notes here and there of some items you can cook at the same time and preparation steps.
Wine Cooler
1 bottle white wine
1 small bottle apple juice
1 bottle lemon-lime seltzer
1 lemon, in slices
1 lime, in slices
Mix everything except the seltzer in a container. I use a recycled milk or juice jug for easy pouring. Chill both the seltzer and the mix separately. Before serving, mix in the chilled seltzer to prevent it from losing carbonation. Sit back and drink up.
If you’re underage, on antibiotics, pregnant or not drinking for some other reason, this is a similar yet nonalcoholic cooler.
Line-Cook Cooler
1/2 gallon apple juice
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cups water
Mix everything in a jug and refrigerate. Serve over ice.
The next two recipes can be cooked at the same time; one will just take a little longer than the other.
Stuffed Mushrooms
1 pint small, whole mushrooms
1/2 cup bread crumbs or leftover sandwich bread torn into little pieces
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove all the stems from the mushrooms and place in a bowl. Then mix all the other ingredients, except two teaspoons of oil, in another bowl. Then stuff the mushrooms with this mixture. Pour the remaining oil on a baking sheet/pan and place the mushrooms on it, stuffed sides up. Place in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve and watch them disappear.
In the assorted veggie mixture below, avoid overly watery vegetables like celery or cucumbers as they don’t roast very well. Often they turn out like sad water blobs on your pan. There is the option of using Brussels sprouts, which might make you think, “Yuck.” But when roasted, they take on a popcorn taste as opposed to the cabbage taste when boiled.
Roasted Veggie Succotash
6 cups assorted veggies, cut into bite-sized pieces (carrots, peppers, corn, onions, parsnips or Brussels sprouts)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the veggies, oil, salt and pepper in a pan. Roast the mixture in the oven for 15 minutes. Then toss in the garlic and stir. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Pumpkin Biscuits
1/3 canned pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup milk, buttermilk or plain yogurt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then mix in the shortening with your hands until the dough looks like crumbs. Add the pumpkin and milk and stir until just combined. Scoop dough onto the counter, dust with more flour and pat into a circle. If the dough is mixed too much, the biscuits will be flat and tough instead of light and fluffy. Take a knife and cut a tic-tac-toe board into the dough. This should give you nine biscuits. Move each one onto a baking sheet or pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. These are wonderful any time of day, especially breakfast.
This fruit crisp is a delicious way to end any meal, especially with a little ice cream on top. It’s very basic, and you can combine any kind of fruit you want. Many of the items can be procured from your cafeteria if you live in the dorms and have a meal plan.
All Season Fruit Crisp
3 cups assorted fruits, chopped with the core removed (I like apples, pears and cranberries in the fall)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a baking dish, mix the fruits, orange juice and cinnamon if you’re using it. In a small bowl, mix all of the other ingredients until crumbly. Pour on top of the fruit and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden and bubbly. Enjoy!
