There are many undeniable indications that fall is upon us. The autumnal equinox is one big clue. The explosion of color as the leaves change (and, of course, the piles of raked leaves lining the boulevards around town) is another. The nights are cooler, and the air has a distinct smell and feel to it that I, at least, don’t associate with any other season. And there is one other thing. It seems like a biggie, but it escapes me for the moment — oh, right! Oktoberfest!! It wraps up today, so I hope you have had a chance to share in some of the festivities.

Along with all of the other signs of fall comes the urge to cook hearty foods, the kind that warm you from the inside out. And we are off to a good start with responses to Joey
La Sarge’s request for freezable cabbage rolls. Anna Esser May of Houston County shared a recipe for scrambled cabbage that she describes as “all the flavor of cabbage rolls without all the work.”

A anonymous reader from La Crosse says her recipe “came down from my grandmother’s side of the family to my mother,” and notes that it “has been in my family well over 100 years.” In that recipe the rolls are pressure-cooked but also can be slow-cooked. If you plan to try the pressure cooker method, please pay close attention to the instructions included with your pressure cooker or check with someone familiar with pressure cooking. I also have included the recipe I have used for many years (the cookbook was a bridal shower gift, if that gives you any indication of how many years!).

We’re still looking for a pumpkin nut muffin like

St. Francis Bakery makes for Betty Barstad of Westby. She describes it as moist and rich, with cloves and cinnamon. Betty wonders whether the moistness and color might be helped along by a little prune puree.

Bonnie Meinzer writes, “Dear Alice: A couple months ago I splurged and bought a bottle of Grand Marnier because I had an excellent recipe for a cake by that name. I lost the recipe!!” Now she hopes someone out there will have a Grand Marnier cake recipe to share with us. And it appears we are not finished with New Villa recipes just yet — Bob Kious of Lansing, Iowa, craves “the great codfish that was their Friday night special.”

Taste of Home Magazine’s Home Cooking School featuring “Fresh Ideas for Fall” will be here in 11 days. If you have attended in the past, you know how much fun this quick-paced evening is, and if you haven’t been to one of these shows, you are in for a treat.

The doors open at 5 p.m. for the vendors’ fair, and the show starts precisely at 7 p.m. With 11 recipes to prepare, there won’t be any dilly-dallying onstage, or backstage. Tickets are $12 and are available at the La Crosse Center box office.

Send requests to Alice P. Clark at: Reader Exchange, c/o La Crosse Tribune, 401 N. Third St., La Crosse, WI 54601 or e-mail exchange@lacrossetribune.com.

Scrambled Cabbage

2 tablespoons bacon drippings

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 cups finely shredded cabbage

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat bacon drippings and oil in large skillet. Stir in cabbage, celery, onion, green pepper and tomatoes. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. Stir during cooking (Tip from Anna: Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning in during the cooking process for extra zip). Makes 4 servings.

(From “Cooking in Minnesota”; shared by Anna Esser May, Houston County)

Cabbage Rolls (Pigs in Blankets)

1 head cabbage

1 pound hamburger

1/2 pound ground pork, turkey or chicken

1/2 cup rice

1 large onion, chopped

2 cans tomato soup

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste, optional

Garlic powder to taste (instead of salt), optional

Peel outer leaves from cabbage and discard. Peel as many remaining leaves from cabbage as needed; place in a large pan. Cover with boiling water to wilt; leave leaves in water while preparing filling. Combine hamburger, other ground meat, rice, onion, 1 can tomato soup and egg. Drain cabbage leaves; fill with a good spoonful or two of meat mixture and roll up. Place in 6-quart pressure cooker and cover with remaining can of tomato soup and a half a soup-can’s worth of water. Pressure on 10 for 30 minutes. Or, place in a slow cooker on medium for 10 to 12 hours. These freeze well.

(Shared by a La Crosse reader)

Savory Cabbage Rolls

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 pound lean ground pork

1 cup cooked long-grain rice

1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped onion

Garlic powder (to taste, optional)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (to taste)

Dash pepper

10 cabbage leaves

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

Combine beef, pork, rice, 3/4 cup of the tomatoes, onion and seasonings; mix well. Immerse cabbage leaves in boiling water for about 3 minutes, or just until limp; drain. Spoon meat mixture onto leaves; roll leaf around meat, turning ends under. Place in large saucepan or Dutch oven; pour remaining tomatoes over rolls. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove rolls to warm platter; cover. Combine cornstarch and cold water; add to tomatoes and liquid in pan. Cool and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and bubbles. Serve over cabbage rolls [Note from Alice: I like to add a little Italian seasoning and or garlic powder to the tomato sauce].

(Adapted from “Better Homes and Gardens Meat Cook Book,” 1968)

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