The cooler weather brought by the fall season brings fond memories of camp outs, bonfires, black pots, apple and pumpkin pies, and hearty chili soup to warm the soul. Raised in the Midwest, we experienced the colors and weather of all four seasons, including the final harvest of the season, the jovial hayrides behind a farm tractor or hay truck, vast pumpkin patches, and the growing excitement of the approaching holiday season.

When I think of pumpkins, the aroma and flavors of the seeds of a pumpkin we had just harvested toasting in the oven come to mind. Lea is held in high regard for her outstanding pie crust and her scrumptious apple and pumpkin pies. These are favorites, and often requested, at our church.

Chili soup brings back memories of my dad’s continuing development of his chili recipe, and how he was always experimenting with it. In particular, I remember him trying to include lettuce in it (Don’t try this at home, kids), and his one attempt at using chocolate candy bars as an ingredient (not successful! Candy makers will tell you that paraffin wax is a common ingredient in chocolate.) Nevertheless, over the years he developed a recipe that was popular with the local National Guard unit he served in. His recipe is named Gene Vaughn’s 2-Alarm Chili.

I, on the other hand, have a couple versions of chili soup that are really popular with our church family, Chipotle Chili Soup (Medium Heat), and the Campfire Chili I have made since back when I was a boy on overnight camp outs. If you don’t have a lot of time to spend nurturing a chili to perfection, you can always fall back on our 30-Minute Chili Sauce that works just as well in a bowl as it does seasoned up over spaghetti, or spread on a chili cheese hot dog.

Do you have a favorite fall recipe? Drop us a line, or a link, and let us know. We would be happy to share it here on our cookbook. We are really looking forward to some great fall and winter time dishes!