Welcome to the Autumn Feast Bumper Edition featuring all entries and winners for the two-week-two-entry Autumn Feast Special round, for which we had 100 SBD in prizes to award to these wonderful creations. Many, many thanks to our wonderful sponsors @gringalicious and @sirwinchester for providing these great prizes and helping motivate amazing recipes into existence! It's been a really fun fortnight seeing all the recipes trickle in, and I have to say that judging these entries was one of the hardest tasks I've ever had. I applaud and celebrate all these dishes, I really do. The quality of the entries is so high that I changed my mind and changed the order of winners several times before making the winner's trophies! Congratulations to all winning participants, and those of you who didn't get a prize this time, I'm ever so sorry, your food was lovely but there just wasn't enough prizes for everyone! I did give a little bonus prize in additon to the other 8 prizes, so that's better than nowt!
I want to say a personal thank you for all the comments and compliments I receive from the community - honestly some of them are so complimentary I really don't know how to respond! But I always notice, and remember, and with each one I feel something very special has been added into my life.
The new theme has been posted earlier today, and you can find it here. It's another good 'un! I'd really appreciate upvotes and re-steems if you feel this contest deserves it, because though you know I love doing it, realistically I'm trying to support my family too. Many thanks.
To enter the Steemit Culinary Challenge...
...it's very easy! We have a different theme and guest judge each week, and all you have to do is prepare a dish appropriate for the theme, and also ensure you follow the general rules of the challenge (below). You don't have to be a master chef - just try to be creative with your recipes and take beautiful photos, since unfortunately we can't taste the entries so you must help us do this with our imaginations! Original recipes are encouraged, but you may use someone else's recipe as long as you credit the original source.
Please click on the links for recipes and photos of the step-by-step process... And try them out yourself - you'll want to! As promised I've reviewed all entries in the next section, and then winners are in the section below it. Scroll down for LOTS of deeeeeeelicious food!
@babettxx
"Aromatic, Autumnal Stew With Mushrooms, Pumpkin and Noodles"
Instantly I'm drawn to the assortment of colours... what a stunning stew! This is what 'autumn in a bowl' looks like then! Although we're unable to smell it, I can certainly appreciate its aromatic quality from looking at your choice of ingredients... boletus mushrooms, lovage, pimiento (a mild chili pepper with sweet taste and more aromatic than bell pepper), bay, allspice... just to name a few. What I love most about this stew is all the ingredients are 100% natural. You even made the stock from scratch, which to be honest I don't often see on Steemit. Many people still used stock cubes, granules, or canned soup which contain harmful artificial ingredients... but you never do, and I applaud that! This is a very lovingly-prepared dish, and you have taken beautiful photos that really make viewing it a pleasurable experience. Certainly I would want to sample this at an autumn feast!
"Autumnal Four Layers Cake With Some Nuts And Caramel"
Well, what can I say... This is truly one of the most stunning autumn desserts I've ever seen. Your stew was autumn in a bowl, and this is autumn on a plate! And again, I'm instantly dazzled by its appearance and thoughtful presentation. I've always enjoyed your enthusiasm for millet... it's such a versatile and healthy ingredient, and you successfully make ever so many millet-based recipes to prove it! The date caramel sounds absolutely irresistible, and I'm definitely going to try that myself. .. rich, sweet, sticky, yum. You use a wonderful selection of autumnal spices, and I'm happy to see the peanut butter is 100% rather than a variety with unnecessary sugar and oil and other rubbish in. Great step-by-step instructions and photos. This dessert is very carefully prepared, and dsigned with nutrition in mind as well as 'yumminess' and beauty.
Also I have a question – what is this FoodTrack you mention?
@creativewoman
"Chicken and Mozarella Quiche"
Such beautiful chicken and mozarella quiches - which we all now know are widely enjoyed in Morocco during the autumn season! Well, you certainly can't have a banquet without quiche, so these are a very welcome offering. We can clearly see that simple homemade crust isn't difficult, doesn't take long, and is a much better option than ready-made pastry with its questionable ingredients. That's a very useful tip about pressing fork-holes in the crust... it stops it rising up during baking, and allows the steam to escape thus preventing a soggy crust. I love that you use all-natural ingredients, including fresh mozarella. You have presented this entry beautifully, with clear step-by-step instructions and photos. I'm sure these quiches wouldn't last long at an autumn feast!
"Peanuts and Chocolate Marble"
Absolutely stunning dessert! I love the striking black-and-white marble chocolate wrapped around the sweet and crunchy peanut centre, which my eye is drawn to and which my mouth desires! This is such a simple recipe, with literally only FOUR ingredients, which is both surprising and impressive. Presuming the chocolate is high-quality and high-cocoa content, this is also a nutritious treat that you don't have to feel guilty about eating. Perfect! Again, your recipe is easy to follow, and your photos are beautiful. As you point out you can use any kind of nuts (and maybe seeds and dried fruit too if you like) making this a very versatile recipe to suit all kinds of individual tastes. Fabulous offering for the autumn feast!
@progressivechef
"Roasted Pumpkin and Onion Salad with Cinnamon Sugar"
Welcome, host of Steemit Iron Chef! What a beautifully arranged autumn salad with wonderful seasonal colours and flavours. I had to stop and admire it before even looking at the ingredients! I love warm salads, and the idea of sweet-cinnamon pumpkin and cashew combination... it makes me really want to taste it! The selection of salad vegetables seems to be about not just flavour but texture too, as you have lovely crunchy radish, watercress, green apple and onion. I can just imagine the refreshing watery crunch of these ingredients alongside the warm, soft, sweet pumpkin. This is not a criticism but I wonder would honey work in place of icing sugar (for anyone who prefers natural sweetners)? I would be wanting a sample of this salad at an autumn feast for sure... delicious!
"Duo of Apple Tart with Pumpkin-Cinnamon-Chocolate Cream"
A beautiful pumpkin sweet to compliment the pumpkin savoury, and I have to say that's one tempting tart! I love the presentation – delicate yet striking, and a lovely soft yellow colour. This is a very seasonal tart with its ingredients... pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, orange, sunflower seeds... and arranged with careful thought and an artist's eye. I'm sure this would be gobbled up very quickly if brought to a banquet!
@jaymorebeet
"Butternut Squash Pappardelle With Harvest Vegetables And Honeyed Walnuts"
Oh my goodness, your delicious descriptions had me drooling right away... 'nutmeg-spiced pappardelle'... 'creamy butternut squash'... 'crunchy honey-nutmeg walnuts'... 'roasted autumn veggies'... come on – who isn't drooling at the thought of all that?
I was very impressed to see you made your pasta from scratch, and even happier to see it didn't require a pasta-machine (because I don't have one!). Hopefully many others have seen this and will be trying it themselves too, as nothing beats homemade pasta... both in eating and sense of accomplishment in making. Beautiful looking dough. Fantastic step-by-step directions and photos, surely it'd be hard to go wrong with such detail for us. I love your selection of seasonal vegetables, and funnily enough your choice of seasoning is exactly the same as mine for roasted veg – stacks of fresh garlic, rosemary, thyme, and olive oil! Simple, and seems to encourage the flavours of the veggies to pop... delicious! And the addition of honeyed nuts to add an extra characterful layer of taste and texture... awesome. Yep, I'd definitely be after a taste of this dish at the feast!
"Spiced Butternut And 'Goatcheesecake' With Gingersnap Crust And Apple Topping"
Again and again you get me with the tempting descriptions!... 'spiced butternut'... 'gingersnap crust'... 'apple cider caramel'... 'stewed apples'... This is a dessert made of seasonal scrumptiousness is what!!! The stunning photographs really show this in all its glory... seeing the spices and stickiness up close makes it hard not to lick my laptop screen haha. I've never tried 'goatcheesecake' before, honestly it just never occurred to me as I always just used cottage cheese, but I do enjoy goats milk so will be trying this out for sure. I love the thought of creamy goat cheese blended with pumpkin puree, vanilla and seasonal spices... a heavenly combination. There is quite a few steps in making this desset, but you guide us through the process very well, and I for one would make the effort to prepare this for an autumn gathering of good friends!
@thekitchenfairy
"Hearty, Meaty, Protein Packed Vegetarian Chili (In Pumpkin Bowl)"
Hooray – a pumpkin bowl! I was wondering if anyone would bring their seasonal offering in a pumpkin bowl, and so I was delighted to see that you did! And you even give us directions on how to make one for ourselves – fantastic. It definitely has the looks, but does it have the taste? Let's see... vegetarian chili with a predominant mushroom flavour, quinoa, an assortment of frozen and dehydrated vegetables, TVP (textured vegeatable protein), beans, pumpkin, seasoning and spices. Sounds good to me! Thick, hearty, slightly spicy, warming, and I can even smell it now I'm thinking about it! Great autumn recipe, and anyone wanting to try this out can easily follow your instructions. Beautiful offering for the feast!
"Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheezecake with Caramel Sauce"
Love the presentation here – very autumnal with the pumpkin bowls again, and more in the background. This is the first time I've seen a recipe for vegan cream cheese, and am really curious to try this myself sometime. I find it easy to imagine the taste of the creamy cheesecake topping with the pumpkin puree, vanilla and autumn spices, and also love that its baked inside the hollowed-out pumpkin. That photo of the finished dessert sliced in half is wonderful... it looks so attractive and inviting. A beautiful seasonal dessert that would get more than its fair share of admiration upon the autumnal banquet table!
@corsica
"Pasticettu du risu (Rice cake)"
We have a new face at our table here, with a traditional Corsican dish! Fabulous! I love your choice of ingredients, all natural, and even a homemade tomato sauce. It's a great tip to prepare sauce in bulk and store it in jars... this is what I do myself and is wonderfully convenient, and much more nutritional than jars of sauce from a supermarket. The rice cakes look quite easy to prepare, and you have given clear directions for anyone to follow if they want to try this recipe. I can imagine the texture... crisp rice cakes dipped in a rich and very flavoursome meat-bolognese. This recipe could easily be adapted for vegetarians too. Wonderful seasonal entry!
Wow, these panzarotti look fantastic! I am intrigued by what they taste like with the flavours of lemon, orange blossom and brandy. Fruity, warming, and perfect for a chilly autumn day. This recipe looks like it requires quite a lot of care and attention to detail, but anyone could easily follow your excellent instructions and photos that show what it looks like at different stages of preparation. The sugar-coating makes them very appealing, which is funny considering I don't even eat sugar myself! Your presentation is lovely on the long plate and with hot black coffee too... yes please! A beautiful dessert for the autumn feast, and I'm sure they would be eaten very quickly!
@blackberryskunk
Another new face at the SCC banquet table... welcome to the feast! How wonderful to see this beautiful plated dish outdoors in the sunshine. And that's a real heavenly description 'with milk and honey'! I love the freshness of this dish – greens and creams framing the roasted chicken in the center. The ingredients make this dish rich yet healthy, with healthy fats from whole yoghurt and coconut milk & butter... For anyone wondering about the difference between coconut oil and coconut butter... there's not much difference! Coconut butter is just coconut oil blended until the texture is like butter. And you've included my most favourite vegetable in the world – broccoli! If it's possible to be a broccoli geek then I'm one :-) Those creamy mashed potatoes look absolutely delicious, especially with that gorgeous creamy sauce. If I ate meat I would certainly enjoy the chicken, and I have no doubt you have many Steemians salivating now after seeing it!
Ah, pancakes, an oldie and a goodie. Made seasonal by the selection of ingredients, in this case we have flavours of pumpkin, banana, orange, cinnamon, oats, and my most favourite - the deliciously characterful spelt flour. They sound really yummy, and look lovely presented with a decoration of blueberries. It's a very straight-forward recipe to follow... chopping, blending, pouring the batter into a pan and hey presto! Great instructions that would make replicating this recipe a breeze. And if we weren't drooling enough at those ingredients, you go and mention melted dark chocolate, almond butter, crushed nuts and berries... boy oh boy, I'd be tucking into these if I saw them upon a banquet table!
@lenasveganliving
Another delightful vegan dish from the host of "Fruits and Veggies Monday" contest! Wow... what an impressive photo that jumps right out of the screen (and, I wish, right into my mouth). I'm stunned by the presentation right away, with the bright green and red against the dark acorn squash, and quickly see too that it's a very nutritious plant-based dish full of hearty flavours, textures, and aromas. The thing I love most about squashes and pumpkins is their savoury/sweet quality and that their sweetness is often enhanced for savoury dishes. I do this myself using cinnamon, orange, etc, and see you have done it with syrup, spices, pecans, pear... I imagine these combinations to really add depth to the subtle flavour of the quinoa, and to bring together the whole dish to create a satisfying seasonal experience! Clearly prepared with great care and a great love for beautiful plants!
"Autumn Delight - Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding with Pecans"
This dessert is just the kind of dessert I enjoy. A perfect balance of texture and taste, using nuts, seeds, dates and coconut oil for the crust, and a wonderfully creamy spicy pumpkin topping... heavenly! As always your recipes are made with all natural ingredients, making this dessert guilt-free and nutritious. Not difficult to prepare, especially with your clear step-by-step instructions and photos. I'm sure many Steemians will be scribbling this recipe down now! Desserts like this are perfect for when you fancy something sweet but don't want anything that sits heavy in your stomach. I love the delicate touch of pear slices, which seem to have an angelic glow a little in your last photo! Beautiful!
@shady
"Autumn Vegetables with Chicken Liver and Mushrooms"
Even though I'm vegetarian I'm actually quite pleased to see a recipe containing liver, for the simple reason that it's a more affordable option than meat, and is highly nutritious. Your recipe is wonderfully autumnal, uses all natural ingredients, and can be easily adapted for vegetarians and vegans too. In fact, I regularly make a similar dish of roasted vegetables for my dinner, but use diced feta cheese instead of liver. The sauce sounds fantastic... I can imagine the sweet, tangy flavour which brings all the flavours of the vegetables together in a very delicious and sumptuous way. I love your use of sesame seeds scattered on top to finish, which is another thing I do myself... sesame is a flavour that goes beautifully with this kind of dish, and even compliments the accompanying bread! A delightful offering for the autumn feast!
"Dessert with Zucchini, Pears and Chocolate"
I'm very impressed by this gorgeous looking dessert, arranged so beautifully with chocolate sauce, pears and flowers too... gives it a really fresh 'outdoors' feel. Lovely! I'm sure many people have been surprised that you can use zucchini in baking, but anyone with doubt can easily see that yes, you can, and with great success! Zucchini is not a strong flavour, and adds moisture too, making it an excellent choice for a dessert like this. It looks like quite an easy dessert to make, and your photos guide us very nicely through the process. This dessert is also very nutritious if using high-quality organic ingredients, and it would be possible I'm sure to replace the sugar with a natural alternative. If these were brought to an autumn feast they wouldn't last long I'm certain!
@mermaid
Well, this certainly looks and sounds like a very healthy soup! Spinach is fabulously nutritious, and if you ever watched 'Popeye' as a child you'll know it gives you strong muscles ;-) Many people who aren't used to eating or cooking with fungus can be a bit dubious about it, I guess because 'fungus' doesn't sound so appealing... But actually white fungus, also called snow fungus, is popular in Asian cuisine and is well known for its medicinal benefits... nourishing, healing, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor. It's also a very subtle flavour, making it a great option for soups, stews, anything you want to pack a little extra goodness into. The extra flavours of the cumin, pepper and coriander I imagine gives this soup a warming kick. What a wonderful addition to our autumn feast!
"Yokan with Chestnuts and Chocolate"
I had never heard of or eaten yokan before, so I was intrigued with this entry! Now I know is is a jellied dessert, with the main ingredients being red bean paste, agar (jelly-like substance from algae), and sugar. Agar is very nutritional and medicinal, popular in Japan and hopefully it will catch on here in Ireland one day! This traditional recipe here has added chocoalte and chestnuts to make it a lovely seasonal dessert for the autumn feast. It's possible of course to buy red bean paste, but I'm happy to see this recipe makes the paste from scratch, by soaking the adzuki beans overnight to soften them, and then cooking them at high heat with sugar... and that's the paste! The rest of the process is super easy, making this dessert a straight-forward and attractive offering for any seasonal gathering.
@jorgegp
"Chestnut-Pumpkin Lentils Stew"
Oooh, what a deliciously hearty vegetarian stew! Perfect for the autumn season! I love the chunky look of it – with huge man-size pieces of pumpkin, and made wonderfully thick and textured with masses of lentils... just the way I like it! I'm loving your choice of ingredients – all natural... just vegetables, chestnuts and seasoning. I've never used chestnuts in stew before, but I love the idea and will try this for myself sometime. And as the lentils cook they absorb all those beautiful juices and flavours.... beautiful. Your presentation is very autumnal, with the stew in that lovely handled-bowl, a chunk of bread, squash and chestnuts to decorate. Love it!
This is a wonderful example of a how a popular dessert can adjusted very simply to create something unique... in this case using chestnut flour and chestnut chips for unusual and delicious autumn pancakes! I feel like I don't even need to taste them to know I love them :-) These beautiful looking pancakes which would be a welcome addition at an autumn feast! Just a scattering of blueberries and a drizzle of honey gives them a seasonal look... not to mention making them even more delectable!
@ikaputri3
"Spicy Pumpkin Fries with Avocado Tahini Dip"
An autumn feast would definitely require bowlfuls of these spicy pumpkin fries dotted all along the banquet table! Veggie fries are perfect for munching on whilst you have a leisurely browse through all the feast food... or for nibbling if you haven't a huge appetite... or if you've already eaten too much but can't resist a little bit more ;-) It's fine they didn't take long to make... a bonus for busy people who don't have time for day-long creations, yet still want to bring something homemade to share at an autumn gathering. And they're a healtheir option than most bags of crisps/chips which are usually cooked in not-so-good-for-you sunflower oil, and contain MSGs and other artificial rubbish. The dip too is all natural (I'm assuming the tahini is just blended sesame and oil) with cumin to give a kick and garlic to ward off autunm sniffles! I think this savoury offering is a fabulous additon to the feast!
"Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies (Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free)"
These look lovely with the splash of gold amongst the brown... very autumnal looking! I can see straight away how moist these are, which totally makes me want to try one. I imagine them to be quite rich, yet since you used coconut sugar instead of refined and also a high-content dark chocolate, I wouldn't expect them to be sickly or make you feel bloated after. Your choice of ingredients are great... I can't think how you could make a brownie recipe much healthier than this. A nutritious sweet treat that you dont have to pay for later... hooray! Very tasty with sweet pumpkin flavours and cinnamon and nutmeg to compliment the chocolate nicely... yum. I love the swirly 'before and after' photos, they make it look so exciting to make! And if brought to a feast, well, it's pretty much guaranteed they'd be gobbled up within the first 5 minutes, so it's really no wonder you ended up eating some for your breakfast!
"Vegan Pumpkin Mac'n'Cheese" by @alinalisa
Unfortunately this is only half an entry so not eligible for prizes, but it looks so tasty there, and with that lovely autumn sunshine falling across the dish I felt I couldn't not share it! This is a very straight-forward recipe, and a great vegan option for any seasonal gathering. There's never enough vegan dishes at parties usually, so a big bowl of pumpkin macaroni would be just the job! Thanks very much for sharing the recipe with us!
Bonus prize -For the awesome pumpkin bowls that are ESSENTIAL at any autumn feast!- 2 SBD sponsored by @woman-onthe-wing - Recipes by @thekitchenfairy
8th Prize 4 SBD sponsored by @sirwinchester - Recipes by @progressivechef
7th Prize 6 SBD sponsored by @sirwinchester - Recipes by @ikaputri3
6th Prize 8 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious - Recipes by @blackberryskunk
5th Prize 10 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious - Recipes by @shady
4th Prize 12 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious - Recipes by @lenasveganliving
3rd Prize 15 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious - Recipes by @jaymorebeet
2nd Prize 20 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious - Recipes by @creativewoman
1st Prize 25 SBD sponsored by @gringalicious - Recipes by @babettxx
I'd like to share my sincere THANKS to @gringalicious and @sirwinchester for their continuous sponsorship of this challenge, the Steemians who regularly or occasionally submit entries, and to everyone who upvotes and supports the entries. I'm well aware there would be no challenge without you all!!!
PREVIOUS WINNERS of the Steemit Culinary Challenge:
#44 - Chocolate Crazy Dessert Divine
#43 - Autumn Feast Special
#42 - Beautiful Bread
#41 - Monochrome
#40 - Mexican Food Showdown
#39 - Baby Food
#38 - Vegan Dishes From Around The World
#37 - Healthy Yet Tempting Food for Children
#36 - Food Fit For A German
#35 - Ice-Cream
#34 - A Smoothie for @smooth
#33 - Brilliant Berries
#32 - Picnic Alfresco
#31 - Vegan Main
#30 - Tempting Tarts
#29 - Take Me To Brunch... In Your Country
#28 - Cupcakes
#27 - Be A Michelin Star Chef For One Night
#26 - Sugar-Free Raw Vegan Desserts
#25 - Your Favourite Dish
#24 - Mouthgasms
#23 - Otsumami
#22 - Mediterranean Night
#21 - Coffee a la Barista's
#20 - Pancake Paradise
#19 - Sweet and Savory Crepes
#18 - Tasty, Wholesome Meals for Weight Loss
#17 - Shepherd's Pie
#16 - Tacos for a Tech Savvy
#15 - Roast It
#14 - DIVINE LEMONed DESSERT
#13 - The Finest Fish Dish
#12 - Purely Paleo
#11 - Cheeseless Burger
#10 - Anglo–Sino Chicken
#8 - La Pasta Perfetta
#7 - Battle of Noodles
#6 - HOT Off the Grill
#4 - Super Salads
#3 - Smoothie Showdown
#2 - Out of the Box Sandwiches
#1 - Sniffle Remedy Soup
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me, either by posting your queries on the comment thread below, or you can find me on Steemit.chat under the same name. I will respond as soon as I can.
For the announcement of winners and new themes, follow me :-)
Image kindly created for me by @sashagenji