Recipes that bring out all of the flavors and aromas of fall

The feeling of fall is certainly in the air at every store you walk into. The stores are full of pumpkins, apples and other flavors of fall. The warm, rich aromas of fall are so welcoming as you enter a store or home where something is baking with those fall scents: cinnamon, cloves, apples, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.

I thought I would pass along a few recipes that certainly include those wonderful flavors and aromas.

Louise Wallace of Cape Girardeau shares the first two recipes with us today. She made the pumpkin bar recipe and brought it to the senior center. It was very good. She could not find cardamom so substituted equal portions of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to equal the same amount of cardamom.

Pumpkin cream cheese bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup cold butter, cubed

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened, cubed

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserve 1 cup for topping.

* Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

* In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, spices and remaining sugar until smooth. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Add eggs, beat on low speed just until blended.

* Pour over warm crust; sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and filling is set.

* Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or refrigerate covered, within 2 hours of baking.

Autumn pumpkin chili

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 small sweet yellow pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound ground turkey

1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

4 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

* Sauté onion, green and yellow peppers in oil in a large skillet until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Crumble turkey into skillet. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

* Transfer to a 3-quart slow cooker. Stir in the pumpkin, tomatoes, chili powder, pepper and salt. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.

* Serve with toppings of your choice, such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or sliced green onions.

Apple cinnamon loaf

1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 apple, peeled and chopped

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.

* Beat white sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated; add vanilla extract.

* Combine flour and baking powder together in another bowl; stir into creamed butter mixture. Mix milk into batter until smooth. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

* Next add half the apples and half the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter. Pour the remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and add more brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

* Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a finger or spoon. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

Apple praline bread

1 cup sour cream

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely chopped

1 cup nuts (walnut or pecan or a combo), divided

For the praline sauce:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

* Using an electric mixer, beat together the sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed for a couple of minutes until well blended.

* Stop the mixer and then add in the flour, leavening agents and salt. Continue to beat on low until well combined.

* Fold in the apples and half the nuts into the batter. Transfer the batter into the greased loaf pan.

* Sprinkle the rest of the nuts on top and then press them lightly into the batter. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

* Cool in the loaf pan for about 20 to 30 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the praline sauce:

* In a small sauce pan, place the butter and brown sugar. Using medium heat, bring to a boil.

* Lower the heat and then simmer lightly for about one minute, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and then drizzle over the bread. Cool completely.

Roasted sweet potatoes

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground ginger

Sea salt, to taste

* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into bite-size cubes and place in the baking dish.

* Melt butter in the microwave and pour over the potatoes along with the olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Add more sugar or cinnamon if desired. Toss to coat evenly.

* Bake in the oven for 60 minutes

Harvest apple dessert

5 to 7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced

1 (9 ounce) package Jiffy yellow cake mix

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 stick real butter

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut apple slices crosswise in half. Place in pan; sprinkle with dry cake mix.

* In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over cake mix. Drizzle with butter.

* Bake 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

Have a wonderful week, and until next time, happy fall cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.