I was at an MRA meeting a couple of weeks ago and they were talking about the pumpkin shortage. It was news to me, but, sure enough, there’s a pumpkin shortage. That’s reflected in the decorative whole pumpkins as well as the pie filling on the grocery shelf.

Due to excessive rain in some parts of the country and excessive hot weather in others, the yield this year is 20 to 60 percent less than last year, meaning the shortage is moderate to severe. Canned pumpkin is virtually non-existent in some stores. This may cause a run on pecans or apples for holiday pies.

My friend Lou Gutheil shared some plantain info with me after I so disliked the fried pieces I fixed last week. He explained that the most accepted preparation is sautéing in butter and he steered me in the direction of www.gicco.com for some recipes. I bought one more plantain, did the sautéing in butter thing and actually found the taste quite enjoyable. Thank you, Lou, for making me see the light and doing a turnaround on my opinion of plantains.

Here we are smack dab in the middle of the Carthage Maple Leaf Festival. There is so much more left to do through Saturday. The weather is always the only thing I worry about and am frustrated I have no control over it. I get to be the emcee for the Three Minutes of Fame Lip Sync contest tomorrow night and always look forward to some great entertainment. I hope to see everyone at the parade on Saturday and all the other events during the rest of the week.

Good luck to all the fantastic cooks who have entered The Joplin Globe 2009 Holiday Cook-Off. It’s always a fun evening with great food and great friends. I always think everyone’s a winner.

The cool, rainy weather last week was perfect for soup. And I had the perfect recipe sent to me by Noreen Barnes, of Neosho. Because it takes a little time, I fixed it one evening, intending to have it for dinner the following day. It smelled so good cooking that I couldn’t wait for it to be done and had a bowl as soon as it was ready. I can honestly say I have never eaten a turnip before. I just assumed I didn’t like them, but I put one in this dish anyway. I found myself digging out the turnips, making sure I had plenty in my bowl. I picked up boneless ribs and can’t say if they made a big difference but I know the soup was delicious so they certainly didn’t hurt. Noreen serves the soup with whole wheat tortillas heated in a damp paper towel in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. We had corn muffins with ours. I love this soup!

For an easy side dish, try the creamy corn and broccoli from the “Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes.” This makes a large quantity and is perfect for a potluck dinner. Today we have a super duper cookie recipe that comes from Linda Arner, and you know I like these. You will find yourself popping these into your mouth one right after the other.

Caldo de puerco (pork sparerib soup)

2 pounds pork spareribs, cut in half crosswise

8 cups water

3 carrots, sliced

1 turnip, peeled and cubed

1 cup onion, chopped

2 teaspoons chili powder