Fall Inspiration (Part 2)

I'll just say it, the street I live on is awesome!!  Any end-of-the-day with nice enough weather, the families on my street come out into the yards and road and play and hang out until dark.  There are several kids nearby, so my kids are in heaven!  I'm so thankful to have formed meaningful relationships with the parents too.  Tonight, we decided to turn it into a pre-Halloween celebration.

Kids from the Avenue!

I wanted to cook some treats for my neighbor friends.  So I decided on Caramel Pears, Conecuh Sausage, and Moroccan Beef Dumplings.  

Caramel Pears

Ingredients:

a bag of beautiful pears

1 bag of Caramel Cubes

2 tablespoons water

a bit of butter

Instructions:

1. Wash and dry the pears.

2. In a saucepan, slowly melt the caramels into the water and butter over medium-low heat.  Stir constantly until melted.

3.  Dip the pears into the melted caramel and swirl around until it is pretty.

4.  Just before serving to friends, cut into fourths and have a lot of paper towels handy.  These are tasty, but sticky!

Moroccan Beef Dumplings

Yes, the pears keep trying to hog the spotlight.  However, these dumplings were a hit!

Ingredients:

2 thawed pie crusts (the kind that come rolled up in a box, not in the pie tin)-thawed

a little over a lb. Ground Beef

1/2 Red Onion (chopped)

1 Clove Garlic (minced)

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Ground Ginger

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 can Tomato Paste

a splash of water

salt and pepper

1/2 cup Golden Raisins

1 Egg

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2.  While you are thawing the pie crusts, cook the beef (that is salt and peppered), onion and garlic until beef is browned.  Drain the grease off the meat and return to the pan.

3. Add the tomato paste, splash of water, ginger, cumin and cinnamon.  Cook and stir until mixed well.

4.  Stir in the raisins and set mixture to the side.

5.  Lay out the pie crust dough and flatten further with a rolling pin.

6. Find something with a large round edge to cut out the dumpling dough.

7.  Once you've cut round pieces of dough, add the beef mixture to the center and fold over.  Press edges together and make fork marks.

8. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush over the dough for browning.

9. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

10. Serve warm.

*Note: You will have meat mixture left over.  Just freeze it and make these again soon.

Neighbors and kids hanging out in the street. Love it!

Classic and Yoga Jack-o-Lanterns. 

What feelings does this holiday bring to you?  Is there a classic movie you watch (The Great Pumpkin)?  Is Candy Corn your guilty pleasure? S'mores are mine! How about that feeling in the Fall breeze?  For me, so much joy is rustled up along with the brown leaves on the ground. Whatever it is, I hope I've inspired you to try something new for your Halloween party.  Happy Halloween, lovely ghouls!!