Awesome Autumn, plus a recipe

I love autumn. It's my favorite time of year - the changing colors, the chill in the air, the pumpkins and corn stalks and gourds, and visits to the apple orchard, and collecting acorns and taking nature walks and watching our animal friends prepare for winter, and the first killing frost that temporarily frees us from pesky mosquitoes and yellowjackets.

But most of all, I love fall because of the food.

I love to prepare and enjoy really hearty foods, but they just don't taste good in the summer, when our appetites lean toward lighter fare. And making these dishes heats up the house so much that even if we wanted to eat them, it's just not worth the sky-high electric bill that accompanies the air conditioning.

But fall is finally here, and I can cook my family's amazing recipes to my heart's content!

Here's what we're having for dinner tonight - a delicious autumn stew that makes the house smell fantastic as it simmers on the back of the stove. This is one of the best recipes I have, and I bet your family will love it too. Makes a huge pot of stew - you can probably feed 10 people or more - but is easily halved for smaller families.

Hearty Golden Meatball Stew

2 pounds lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
1/4 c. finely minced onion
2 Tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tsp. salt
1 Tsp. pepper
Cooking spray

Mix all the above ingredients. Shape into meatballs - we like very small ones. Spray your largest pot with cooking spray and brown the meatballs. Drain off any fat, and add

2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup
2 cans beef broth
6 waxy potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
1 onion, roughly chopped

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. The condensed soup will look a mess at first - don't worry about mixing it all together right away. As it cooks, your gentle occasional stirring will help it all combine into a thick, hearty stew.

You can substitute any root vegetable for the carrot and potato, and low fat, low sodium soup and broth can be used as well.

Hope you get a chacne to try this - you will love it, I'm sure.