Thanksgiving

If you are not done with you recipe shopping for our upcoming holidays, here is a few yummy recipes:

Twice Baked Sweet potatoes:

6 sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola)

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

salt

pepper

1/2 cup chopped cashews

Heat oven to 350 F.

Rub sweet potatoes with oil and wrap in tin foil. Bake in oven for an hour or until tender. While potatoes are cooking, combine all other ingredients and mix well. After the potatoes have finished cooking, scoop out the centers and add it to the other ingredients. Mix well again and scoop back into the potato skins. Back for another 7-8 minutes until nice and hot.

This recipe is from Make it and love it blog

Sweet potato bake:
2 cans Yams
1/2 brown sugar (packed)
1/4 C Butter or Margarine
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Marshmallows

oat mixture:
1 C Old fashioned oats
a sprinkle of cinnamon
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter (melted)

In a large bowl mix Yams, brown sugar, margarine, cinnamon, and vanilla together, and blend on medium speed with a hand mixer.
When smooth, put into a 11x7 casserole dish. Top with marshmallows.
In a small bowl mix together, Oats, cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar. When mixed well, add melted butter slowly, while stirring. Mix until crumbly.
Crumble over the top of marshmallows.
Bake in oven until marshmallows are browned and puffy.

Herb Stuffing:

1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (regular, Natural Goodness™ or Certified Organic)Generous dash ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
4 cups Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing

Heat broth, black pepper, celery, and onion in a 2 quart saucepan over high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add stuffing and stir lightly to coat.

Rosemary Roasted Turkey:

3/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

salt to taste

1 (12 pound) whole turkey

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, basil, Italian seasoning, black pepper and salt. Set aside.
3. Wash the turkey inside and out; pat dry. Remove any large fat deposits. Loosen the skin from the breast. This is done by slowly working your fingers between the breast and the skin. Work it loose to the end of the drumstick, being careful not to tear the skin.
4. Using your hand, spread a generous amount of the rosemary mixture under the breast skin and down the thigh and leg. Rub the remainder of the rosemary mixture over the outside of the breast. Use toothpicks to seal skin over any exposed breast meat.
5. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Add about 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the pan. Roast in the preheated oven 3 to 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the bird reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).

Roast Chicken and Vegetables with Almond Pilaf

We have made this recipe from Rachel Ray twice because we love it! It is very simple to make. This last time I added zucchini. Yummy! (Click the title of this post for the recipe.)

Pumpkin

I made my first completely homemade pie a week ago and of course it was pumpkin, but afterwards we decided that we just aren't pumpkin people so now that it is November I will post some of the recipes that we have been trying. But first here is the pie I made. It was the best pumpkin pie I have ever had, but I still don't love pumpkin.

October Pumpkin Dessert Recipes: Pumpkin Blondies

Pumpkin Blondies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into squares.

Tips: I used unsalted butter for the first batch because I had brought it. However, I only had salted butter for the second batch. I reduced the salt to about 1/4 tsp and we all agreed that there was no difference between the two.

Recipe from “whats for dinner” blog

October Pumpkin Dessert Recipes: Pumpkin Pie Bars

Pumpkin Pie Bars

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Mix in flour. Fold in oats. Press into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes, until set.
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs with white sugar. Beat in pumpkin and evaporated milk. Mix in salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Pour over baked crust.
5. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, until set. Let cool before cutting into squares.

October Pumpkin Dessert Recipes- Spiced Pumpkin Fudge

SPICED PUMPKIN FUDGE

This classic holiday recipe delivers on the taste of the season -- a wonderful gift for your family and friends.
Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Premier White Morsels
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
LINE 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil.
COMBINE sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter and spice in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes.
QUICKLY STIR in morsels, marshmallow crème, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until morsels are melted. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Let pan stand on wire rack for 2 hours or until completely cooled. Refrigerate tightly covered. To cut, lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Makes about 3 pounds.
FOR BUTTERSCOTCH FUDGE: SUBSTITUTE 1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) Butterscotch Flavored Morsels for Premier White Morsels.
Estimated Times: Preparation - 10 minutes; Cooking - 20 minutes; Cooling Time - 2 hours cooling.
Yields 48 servings (2 pieces per serving).

October Pumpkin Dessert Recipes- Pumpkin Brownies

This recipe is totally yummy, and can be made with food storage items!

Harvest Pumpkin Brownies
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
4 eggs (1/4 C. dry egg powder + 1/2 C. water)
3/4 C. vegetable oil (or 3/4 C. white bean puree)
2 t. vanilla
2 C. whole wheat flour
2 C. sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Mix wet ingredients (including the water needed for your powdered eggs but not the dry egg powder…remember you DON’T need to mix these before adding to your recipes) Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Pour into 9×13 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool and frost with cream cheese frosting or dollup cinnamon whipped topping.

Recipe from “Everyday Food Storage” blog

Pumpkin Brownies

These are a chocolate and pumpkin! YUMMY! Sorry no pictures!

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan. Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
2. In another bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract; beat in the eggs one at a time with a spoon. Gradually add the flour mixture, and stir the batter until it's evenly moistened. Divide the batter in half in two separate bowls.
3. Into one bowl of batter, blend the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. In the second bowl of batter, stir in the pumpkin puree, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
4. Spread 1/2 of the chocolate batter into the bottom of the prepared baking pan, and follow with 1/2 of the pumpkin batter. Repeat the layers, ending with a pumpkin layer, and drag a kitchen knife or small spatula gently through the layers in a swirling motion, to create a marbled appearance.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan, cut into squares, and serve.