recipes for fall

no cute pictures here guys, just two recipes that you absolutely must make in the fall. (thanks mel! and your welcome steph!)

Grandma Gold's Bran Muffins
(as my mom so famously says, these have "go power") hehehehe

Ingredients:
4 cups All Bran
2 cups Nabisco 100% Bran
(Total 6 cups. Sometimes I just use 6 cups of whichever of the bran cereals I can find.)
2 cups boiling water
1 cup buttermilk (1 Cup of milk + 1 T vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes.)

2 and 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
4 eggs, beaten
5 cups flour (i used fresh ground whole wheat and it added a beautiful nutty flavor)
4 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Mix sour milk if needed. 
Combine 6 cups of bran cereal, water, and milk in a separate bowl. Put aside.
Cream shortening, sugar and eggs in a different bowl.
Stir in baking soda and salt.
Slowly add bran mixture to creamed mixture.
Slowly add flour to mix.
Do not over beat.
Putin cupcake liners in muffin tins, fill 2/3 full.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Can leave dough in fridge for up to two weeks.
***post edit**** when an old recipe calls for sugar, i just subsitute 1:1 ratio of sucanat, that is sold at our local health food store. shortening i usually substitute with coconut oil, but didn't this time : (.

Mexicali Elk Chili
if you just went, "ew, elk!" you have to try this chili. you would never know the difference, and you can easily subsititute ground turkey.

Ingredients:
4 tsp olive oil
1 large, seeded and diced green pepper (i omit this cuz i never have one on hand)
1/3 c onion, diced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 tsp chili powder (or to taste, i usually half it)
12 oz ground elk or lean ground turkey
1 1/2 cups tomato chunks in liquid
1 can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans (or canned and drained)
1 tsp granulated fructose or sugar
1/2 tsp salt 
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (i usually half this too for the kidlets)
2 oz shredded monterrey jack cheese 
1 1/2 oz tortilla chips

Heat olive oil in skillet on moderate heat, saute peppers, onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder. Add ground elk (turkey) and cook, stirrying frequently till browned. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a slow boil. Add up to 3/4 cup of water to thin sauce. Add tomato sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes. 

Add chips and cheese in individual servings. Enjoy!

I triple or quadruple this for large family gatherings or camping trips. It's easy peasy lemon squeezy and fills you up.