With cooler weather coming, it is the perfect time to enjoy dinner outside and celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. Equinox is the time that occurs twice each year when the sun crosses the equator; it is when day and night are of approximately equal length, and it happens in September and March. The autumnal equinox marks the first day of autumn and occurs on September 22, 2026.
Celebrate the autumnal equinox, the beginning of fall, in an outdoor setting among fall mums and golden lanterns with flickering candles. The dinner is served on a harvest table covered with green and cream woven Italian linens centered with mums and fall florals in golden leaf-shaped containers among glowing lamps, small pumpkins, pomegranates, branches, moss balls, and smilax.
Each place setting features a leaf garland charger mat topped with a Williams Sonoma plate edged with an array of golden fall leaves. Small acorn trinket boxes (purchased from the Dollar Tree) serve as soup bowls, resting on gold-edged, leaf-shaped plates, accompanied by gold stainless flatware from Rogers, and leaf-etched goblets. Keeping with the harvest- and gold-leaf theme, an antique leaf-shaped dish presents small almond acorns with dipped chocolate and sprinkles for crowns. A golden William Yeoward leaf dish serves small cheese and dill loaves, and a small pumpkin is accompanied by a gold walnut-shaped spoon, offering barbecue sauce.
The menu is a delightful blend of fall flavors, featuring Creamy Pumpkin Soup, Apple and Cranberry Salad, Barbecue Brisket, Creamy Potato Casserole, Asparagus with Pine Nuts, and Cheese and Dill Bread. Dessert is the essence of fall: Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream.
What a wonderful way to begin fall and share the Autumnal Equinox with good friends, good food, and good fellowship!
Menu
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Harvest Salad
Barbeque Brisket
Potato Casserole
Asparagus with Pine Nuts
Cheese and Dill Bread
Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons onion, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
For garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh thyme leaves
In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Sauté onions. Stir in thyme. Stir in pumpkin purée, salt, black pepper, cumin, ginger, and cayenne pepper until smooth and creamy. Stir in vegetable broth, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in maple syrup and cream. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and thyme leaves.
Yield: 8 servings
Harvest Salad
Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper to taste
Salad:
6 cups spring mix greens
½ cup toasted almonds
¼ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1 pink lady apple, thinly sliced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
For dressing, whisk together olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper until combined; set aside. For salad, place greens on plate. Top with almonds, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with dressing. Top with a few apple slices, feta cheese, and fresh thyme leaves.
Yield: 8 servings
Barbecue Brisket
1 (5 to 6 pound) beef brisket, flat cut and trimmed
3 ounces liquid smoke
Celery salt, onion salt, and garlic salt to taste
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
6 ounces barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup water
Place brisket in an oblong baking dish; sprinkle with liquid smoke and celery, garlic, and onion salts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Cover with foil. Bake at 275 degrees for 5 hours. Uncover, and pour barbecue sauce over meat. Cook without foil for another hour. Remove to platter, and let cool before slicing. Remove fat from sauce remaining in dish. Add flour and water to sauce, and stir. Cook until sauce thickens. Serve sauce hot with meat.
Yield: 10 servings
Southern Sideboards, Junior League of Jackson
Potato Casserole
Casserole:
½ onion, finely chopped
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons salted butter, divided
2 pounds potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled, and drained
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
¼ cup chopped chives
Salt and black pepper to taste
Topping:
½ pint heavy whipping cream, whipped
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 (3-ounce) package real bacon bits
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, sauté onions in 2 tablespoons butter; set aside. In a bowl, mash cooked potatoes. Stir in remaining 1 stick of melted butter, cream cheese, sour cream, chives, salt, and pepper. Spread potato mixture into a 9 x 13-inch greased baking dish. Spread potatoes with whipped cream, and sprinkle with cheese and bacon bits. Bake for 20 minutes covered with greased foil. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes.
Yield: 10-12 servings
Asparagus with Pine Nuts
2 tablespoon pine nuts
1½ pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
In a skillet, toast pine nuts, stirring constantly, until golden; set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange asparagus on a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking dish greased with olive oil. Sprinkle with zest and salt. Bake for 15 minutes, turning once. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with pepper and pine nuts.
Yield: 8 servings
Gayla Stone, Ridgeland
Cheese and Dill Bread
3 cups biscuit baking mix
1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dill weed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
For garnish: fresh dill
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, stir together baking mix, cheese, and sugar. In a separate bowl,whisk together milk, egg, oil, dill, dry mustard, and salt. Beat wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Pour mixture into small, greased loaf pans or a greased 5 x 9-inch loaf pan, and bake small loaves for 20 to 25 minutes and larger loaf for 45 to 50 minutes.
Yield: 1 large loaf or 8 small loaves
Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream
Apples:
6 to 8 tart apples, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping:
1 stick salted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
For garnish: caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For apples, in a bowl, place apples; drizzle with lemon juice. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Place in a 2-quart greased baking dish. In another bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and flour. Crumble over apples. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm with caramel sauce and scoop of ice cream.
Yield: 10-12 servings