Fall means NFL -- just another reason for me to love the season. My favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys. I'm from Little Rock and they are the closest team we have, there's a UA connection and it is also big brother's favorite team. He's 12 years older than me, so I really didn't have much of a choice when it came to Sunday TV viewing when I was little. (It was pretty much football or nothing else.) I had the unique opportunity of being a Dallas Cowboy fan in Chicago last night.
In anticipation, I made my first batch of fall chili. I don't eat red meat or pork, so I substituted turkey for the beef. I top mine with cheese, onion, sour cream and cilantro. This means my Crock Pot is officially out of the cabinet for the season!
Homemade cornbread and sweet tea kept the meal Southern and simple. Let me pause for a moment and plug the Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker. Instant iced tea -- now that's pure genius. One of my favorite blends is a combo of regular tea and Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange. Serve it with an orange slice and cinnamon stick.
Back to the cornbread. If you aren't making yours in a screaming hot cast iron skillet, you're missing out. The crust that develops on the bottom provides an unbelievable flavor.
The cornbread batter should sizzle when it hits the skillet.
Dessert was unbelievably crème brulée. It's actually easier than making cookies from scratch and it's one of my friend's favorite desserts. It's funny because I'd invited the three football-loving women I know, but no one made it out. I understand because if I had to go somewhere, I wouldn't have made it either. Anyway, ... crème brulée and chili. Who knew?
Tools of the trade:
I love sweet potato pie. To be honest, I really love sweet potatoes. They make excellent fries and they are wonderful baked or roasted. It's like a vegetable dessert. To that end, I'm always happy when I have extra sweet potato pie filling. I have three great uses for it:
Mix your pie filling with cold heavy cream to thin it out. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Mix both cream mixtures together and then temper the eggs. Combine everything.
Strain. (You could stop here and make ice cream.)
Pour into ramekins. Yes the towel is necessary. It keeps the ramekins from clanking against each other in the water bath. Add water to the pan. Try not to splash it into the ramekins (easier said than done). 
Bake until only the center remains jiggly or until the custard reaches 170-175 degrees.
Cool, cover with plastic wrap and chill. Chill thoroughly. No cheating! Now for the fun part. Sprinkle with a scant teaspoon of sugar (try to get in an even layer) and break out your kitchen torch. Flame on!!! If you can stand it, put the custard back into the fridge for an additional chill. (Caramelizing the sugar warmed up the custard.)
You should now have a beautifully caramelized, crackly sugar crust covering an ice cold, creamy custard. Wow.
Tools of the trade:
