Autumn is here and that means it's time to start making soup. This Zucchini Soup is the perfect one to help you to kick off fall and use up the last of the zucchini from your garden. Easy to make and yummy! Serves 8
Ingredients:
3 medium sized zucchini, cut into cubes (don't peel)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
6.5 ounce tub of spreadable cheese (I use Alouette garlic and herbs)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Grind onion, garlic and zucchini in your blender or food processor along with some of the broth. Add the rest of the broth and the cheese and mix well. Season and pour into pot. If it's thicker than you prefer add a little more broth. Cook over medium heat until done. It won't take long!
Enjoy with French bread

These oatmeal cookies with chocolate covered Heath toffee bits were a huge hit at our beach party. Thought you might enjoy them!
OATMEAL COOKIES
Ingredients:
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp soda
2 cups oatmeal
1 package (8 oz) milk chocolate Heath toffee bits
Directions:
Mix together sugars and oil and add egg. Combine dry ingredients and sift into mixing bowl with oil, sugars and egg. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. (The size of your cookie will depend on the size of the spoon you use - I use a soup spoon.) Bake at 350 for ten minutes or until lightly browned.
Makes 2 dozen.

CONGRATULATIONS TO KAREN LeMORE, WHO WON THE SET OF RACHAEL RAY POTS AND PANS IN OUR STARTING OVER ON BLACKBERRY LANE CONTEST. HERE'S KAREN'S RECIPE FOR EASY HASH BROWN QUICHE. I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO TRY IT. I'M SURE YOU'LL WANT TO, ALSO!
HASH BROWN QUICHE
Submitted by Karen LeMore from Jacksonville, Florida
Ingredients
3 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 TBSP cooking oil
Optional: Diced ham or crumbled bacon
Directions
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté onions and potatoes in oil. Pat evenly into a quiche dish or pie plate. Bake for 20 minutes. * Reduce oven to 375 degrees. Whisk eggs, milk, and salt in bowl. Spread ham and cheese over potatoes. Pour egg mixture on top. * Bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
Great dish for breakfast or for dinner!

We have a new recipe to post in honor of STARTING OVER ON BLACKBERRY LANE. These blackberry scones are bound to be a hit next time you have your girlfriends over for brunch!
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup (1 cube) butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, depending on your taste
2/3 cup milk
Directions:
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and soda into a large bowl, then mix in butter as for pie crust using a fork. Add sugar, then add milk and mix until it forms a dough. Form the dough into two balls and knead on a floured surface. Shape into two flat rounds and cut into quarters. Bake on an un-greased cookie sheet 12 - 15 minutes at 400. Cool on wire rack. Serve with jam and Devonshire cream.

Now that Punxsutawney Phil has predicted more winter for us, I thought you might enjoy this hearty lentil-barley soup. Good on a winter's day and good for you.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
6 cups water
3/4 cup lentils
1 can tomatoes, pureed
3/4 cup barley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin (I actually use a little more because I love the taste of cumin.)
1/2 tsp garlic
1 medium sized carrot, finely diced
1 cooked chicken breast, cut into small pieces (optional)
Directions:
Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add water and lentils and cook for 20 minutes. Add tomatoes, barley, carrots, and seasoning and simmer for 45 minutes. The last ten minutes of that, add your chicken breast.
Serve with French bread.

As many of you know, I usually come up with a fun recipe to accompany whatever new book I have out. This one for Crispy Gumdrop Cookies is bound to be a hit with your family. And Santa will thank you if you leave out a plate of them for him!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup gumdrops, cut up
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
Directions:
Cream butter and sugars; add egg and vanilla and cream until fluffy. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into creamed mixture. Stir i cereal, coconut and cut up gum drops. Shape into 3/4 inch balls (Mine wind up more about an inch and I prss them down a little so they'll be flat when they come out). Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 or until lightly browned. Cool slightly, then remove from the sheet. Makes about 5 dozen (unless you make the balls bigger or you eat a bunch of the dough- both of which I do!)

This is one of my all-time favorite fall soups! Hope you'll enjoy it.
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 cans chicken broth (I actually make my own  broth, collecting it each time I bake chicken. Once I have a large yogurt container full I know I'll have enough broth for soup.)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp thyme
salt to taste
Directions:
Peel squash and cut into pieces. Simmer them in the broth in a large pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onion. Once that's sauteed you can add it to the pot. Simmer until squash is tender, then set it aside to cool slightly. Put it in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth. (I use a blender, doing the soup in small batches and then putting it into a large bowl. After that I transfer it back to the pot. Someday, I'll get a real food processor and save myself some steps!)
That's it. Easy and delicious. Freezes well, too, so you can put some aside to have on hand for a blustery day.

Here's a salad I concocted while dieting. Yummy and easy to make. Serves 4 - 6.
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 batch of asparagus from your local grocery store's produce department
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup chopped onions
a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
mustard to taste
Directions:
Bake the chicken, cool and then slice into cubes. Steam the asparagus but don't overcook - leave a little crunch in it. Drain and cool and cut into bite sized pieces, then add to the chicken along with mayo, chopped onions, tomatoes, and mustard. Store in fridge.
That's it.  Perfect for summer.

THIS IS A YUMMY LUNCH TO SERVE TO EITHER FAMILY OR COMPANY
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 package containing 4 croissants
1 12 oz package of frozen extra small (cooked) shrimp
1/4 cup mayo
1 large celery stalk
1/4 cup chopped onion
dill to taste
Lettuce
Directions:
Thaw shrimp and blot dry. Finely chop onion and celery and mix together with shrimp and mayo. Sprinkle on dill and mix again. Cut croissants in half and load on the shrimp salad. Add lettuce leaves and serve.

Usually, I like to post apple recipes in the fall. Somehow, I associate this tasty fruit with the season of nippy air and fires in the wood stove. But apples are available all year round and always good in a recipe. And, in honor of my new book, HOME ON APPLE BLOSSOM ROAD, it seemed only right to post a recipe using apples. So, here you go!
Applesauce Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup thick sweetened applesauce
1 large egg, well beaten
1 cup raisins
Directions:
Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and mix. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with applesauce. Add vanilla and raisins. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool and frost with buttercream icing.