It may only be Southern Fall, but I am in the mood for SOUP!

I was reading one of my favorite magazines the other day (Southern Living) and they had this huge spread all about what they were calling "Southern Fall." That got me thinking how different our "fall" is from other regions of the country. Despite our lack of cool weather (the high is 85 today and there is 100% humidity people!), Southerners know how to get into the holidays. We still carve pumpkins, shop for sweaters, and get cravings for cool weather food. This soup may be better in cooler climates, but I say, if you are in the South, just turn the AC down and enjoy!

Mexican Taco Stew
Adapted from Whole Foods recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef (could substitute ground turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups chicken broth
1 large zucchini or summer squash, cut into small cubes
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup medium salsa

Method:
Brown meat in a large pot over medium high heat. Drain, remove and set aside. In the same pot, sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add meat back to pot and sprinkle mixture with taco seasoning to blend. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

Notes:
Serves 4. This recipe is a good one to double. I served it with round corn chips and topped with sour cream.

Grilled Mini Meatloaves

This is one of my sister-in-law's recipes. Her husband loves meatloaf, I would even go so far as to say he's a meatloaf connoisseur. Anyways, I have not yet had a chance to try this recipe, but they say it's awesome and one of their favorites. So, try it and let me know what you think...oh yeah, and did I mention it is stuffed with mozzarella!?! Anything stuffed with cheese has a pretty good chance of being delicious...

Grilled Mini Meatloaves

INGREDIENTS

Two 1/3-inch-thick slices of firm white bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped basil

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing

1 pound ground beef chuck

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Four 1 1/2-inch cubes of fresh mozzarella

INSTRUCTIONS

In a food processor, pulse the bread, scallions, basil and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until the bread is coarsely chopped.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ground chuck, grated cheese, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and blend well. Shape the meat into four thick, 5-inch-long ovals. Make an indentation in the center of each meat loaf and tuck in a piece of mozzarella, then cover the cheese with the meat mixture to enclose it. Reshape the meat into ovals with slightly tapered ends.

Light a grill. Rub the meat loaves with olive oil and grill over high heat, turning, until well browned all over and firm to the touch, about 8 minutes total; the loaves should still be slightly pink in the center. Serve immediately.

I would suggest serving with roasted red potatoes and a green salad.

Is it pizza or is it meatloaf?

Here's a new recipe I tried about a week ago that makes a great weeknight supper. It's meat pie. I first saw this recipe featured on the Today Show and had to try it. I will admit, however, I did not include the pancetta, simply because I could not find it at the store, but I think I will try to track this ingredient down next time...that's right, I may actually make this one again (if you know anything about my cooking, you know it's hard for me to make the same thing twice). Anyways, other than the name (meat pie? Seriously, this needs a more appetizing name...no pun intended), this dish is de-lish! And, I don't have any children who feed off more than breastmilk, but I bet it would be a winner even for those little picky eaters in your family. Give it a try, and remember to leave a comment and tell me what you think or how you adapted it. Good luck!

Pizza di carne (meat pie, "pizza" style)
"Every Night Italian" by Giuliano Hazan

Serves 6 to 8 people Preparation time: 15 minutes Total time from start to finish: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices white bread
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces pancetta, thinly sliced
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Butter (for greasing the baking dish)
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
• 3/4 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes drained of their juice, coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.

2. Cut the crust away from the slices of bread and discard it. Put the bread and the milk in a small bowl and mash it with your hands until you get a smooth pasty mixture. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl and add the beef, the grated pecorino, the bread crumbs and the eggs.

3. Chop the sliced pancetta and add it to the bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then mix everything together thoroughly with your hands.

4. Grease the bottom and sides of a round pie dish approximately 10 inches in diameter. Put in the ground beef mixture and push it down with your hands until it is evenly spread out. Cover with the tomatoes. Cut the mozzarella into strips and arrange them over the tomatoes (I like creating the spokes of a wheel with them.) Sprinkle the dried oregano on top and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Let the "pizza" settle for about 5 minutes after you take it out of the oven, then transfer it with two spatulas to a serving plate. Serve it hot or lukewarm.

What did I serve it with? A simple salad with tomatoes and Basil Green Goddess Dressing from the kitchen of Barefoot Contessa.