Deviled Eggs

 

12 eggs, hard boiled
6 Tab. Mayonnaise
1 Tab. Pickle juice or vinegar
1 Tab. Yellow mustard
1 tea. Pepper
2 tea. Salt
Paprika for garnish

Slice hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise.  Carefully scoop out yolks. Place whites on a plate and se aside. Mash yolks with a fork until no large lumps are left. Add rest of the ingredients, except Paprika and mix until blended. Spoon into the whites halves.  Sprinkle with Paprika.

Crockpot Candied Sweet Potatoes

6-7 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tea. Vanilla extract
1 tea. Cinnamon
1/2 tea. Nutmeg
1 tea. Salt
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups mini marshmallows

Chopped candied pecans, optional
Spray the inside of the slow cooker. Place sliced sweet potatoes in slow cooker. Wisk together the rest of the ingredients, except the marshmallows and optional pecans. Pour over sweet potatoes. Cook on low 4-6 hours or on high 2-3 hours. Mash sweet potatoes with a hand mixer until smooth right in the Crockpot. Start on low to avoid potatoes coming out of the crockpot. Sprinkle Marshmallows on top. If your crockpot has a removable crock that is oven safe, remove crock and move to an oven on low broil setting. Keeping a close eye on the oven, broil until marshmallows are golden brown and toasty. Move back to the Crockpot base set on warm to serve. Sprinkle with candied Pecan pieces,  if desired, before serving.

Source: modified from recipe at Six Sisters Stuff

Cream of Brussels Sprout Soup

  This recipe comes from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups.

2 Tab. Butter

1 pound Brussels Sprouts, sliced into quarters

1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced

2 leeks or onions, sliced

3 garlic cloves

8 cups of water

salt and pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

2 cups of milk or cream

Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the Brussels Sprouts, potatoes, onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the water and seasonings and cook slowly over low-medium heat for 40-45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf. Add milk and stir well. Blend the soup in a blender and serve hot.

If desired, cook separately some Brussels sprouts sliced into quarters to be used as a garnish on top of the soup.

Thanksgiving Pie

Source

Turkey: Turkey Pot Pie without Vegetables
Cranberry: Cranberry-Orange Relish Pie
Stuffing: Stuffing Pie
Mac and Cheese: Impossibly Easy Mac and Cheese Pie
Sweet Potato Casserole: in a pie shell
Green Bean Casserole: Green Bean Casserole Pie
Mashed Potatoes: Mashed Potato Pie

Dessert Pie: Any of your choice, pecan is pictured

Additional recipes can be found here: https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/11/my-all-pie-thanksgiving-fantasy.html

Turkey Pot Pie without Vegetables
Pastry
1  cup flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄3 cup shortening
1  tablespoon butter
1⁄4 cup  shredded cheddar cheese
2  tablespoons cold water
Filling
1  roasting chicken
1  celery rib
1  onion
9  tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
1⁄2 cup flour
12  ounces evaporated milk

 pepper

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, butter and cheese till crumbs form. Add water and toss with a fork just until dough just forms a ball.
Turn onto lightly floured board. Press large chunks away with heel of hand. Gather and repeat. Shape into thick circle. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes.

Cook onion and celery in 3 Tablespoons butter, until soft. Set aside.
Chop leftover turkey meat.
Melt remaining 6 Tablespoons butter. Add flour. Cook and stir until bubbly. Add broth and evaporated milk. Don't just dump all the liquids into the flour mixture--work in about 1/4 cup at a time until it is thinned out, and then you can increase how much liquid you can work in each time. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in turkey and celery and onion mixture. Put turkey filling in a round casserole dish.
Roll out dough, a little bigger than your dish so that you can have some dough to crimp. Place dough over turkey filling. Crimp edges.
Bake at 425 degrees for about 30-60 minutes or until crust is golden. If you check it and the edges of the pie are looking browned before the rest of it is ready, put foil over the edges -- just make like a long little tent and loosely attach over the edges.

Cranberry-Orange Relish Pie

Use whatever pie crust you prefer.

Filling:
1/3 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon grated orange rind 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine juice and cornstarch in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add remaining ingredients; stir well. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 35 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Stuffing Pie

1 recipe Pie Dough, made with no sugar

1 batch of Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing, cooled to room temperature

1 egg white

Coarse sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F and adjust the oven rack to the center position. Roll bottom pie crust out and fit inside a 9-inch pie plate. Add stuffing to pie and press down to make sure any air bubbles are gone.

   Roll out top crust and seal pie. Whisk egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush top crust with egg white mixture and cut 3 to 5 holes for ventilation. Sprinkle sparingly with coarse sea salt. Place pie in oven and bake for 15 minutes until pale golden brown. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 45 minutes longer. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

Impossibly Easy Mac and Cheese Pie

2 Pie crusts, from scratch, refrigerated or frozen
4 cups Dried Macaroni
1 whole Egg Beaten
1/4 cup 1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
1 pound Cheese, Grated
1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Cook macaroni until very firm. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly.
Pour in milk and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt if needed.
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Pour into 2 pie crust, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.
Let cool 10-15 minutes

Sweet Potatoes Casserole Pie

5 cups cooked sweet potatoes mashed (about 5-6 medium sweet potatoes)
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons butter softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
For the Streusel Topping:
1 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
4 tablespoons butter softened

Pie shell

Preheat oven to 350º F. Scrub sweet potatoes and boil or bake in the oven until tender.
Cool, peel and mash the sweet potatoes. Stir in granulated sugar, butter, vanilla, milk and eggs, mix well. Pour mixture into a pie shell.

For the topping:
Mix brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter together and spread evenly over sweet potato mixture.
Cook for 30 minutes until topping has browned.

Green Bean Casserole Pie
1 (10 1/2ounce) can  cream of mushroom soup
1⁄2 cup  whole milk
 kosher  salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1⁄2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed, blanched, and dried
2  cups  French-fried onions, divided
1  store-bought  pie crusts
1  large egg, for egg wash
 flaky sea salt, for garnish, such as Maldon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together soup and milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in green beans and french fried onions.  Set aside.
Fit one pie crust into a 9” glass pie plate.  Pour green bean mixture into pie crust and press into an even layer.  Top with remaining french fried onions.

Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes longer.  Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Mashed Potato Pie

1 recipe Pie Dough, made with no sugar

1 batch Mashed Potatoes, cooled to room temperature

1 cup Poultry Gravy

1 egg white

Coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 450°F and adjust the oven rack to the center position. Roll bottom pie crust out and fit inside a 9-inch pie plate. Add potato to bottom and spread into a smooth, even layer. Using a large spoon, make 5 indentations in the potatoes radially. Fill each indentation with gravy.

Roll out top crust and seal pie. Whisk egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush top crust with egg white mixture and cut 3 to 5 holes for ventilation. Sprinkle sparingly with coarse sea salt. Place pie in oven and bake for 15 minutes until pale golden brown. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking until deep golden brown and mixture is starting to bubble through the vents, about 45 minutes longer. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Pie

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 (9-inch) unbaked pastry shell

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, nutmeg, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the potatoes, eggs, corn syrup, butter and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in milk. Pour into pastry shell.
Bake for 55-60 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Recipe Goldmine

A Taste of Fall: PUMPKIN CRANBERRY CORNBREAD

This recipe comes from The Motherload and is one of my all-time favorite recipes. People are always surprise at just how good it is. It is a must at Thanksgiving, but I usually can't wait that long to make some.

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk (I substituted with regular milk and a teaspoon of vinegar to sour)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, room
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8″ x 8″ baking pan or a 9-inch pie pan. In a bowl, toss together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In another mixing bowl, mix with a wooden spoon, the pumpkin puree, sour cream or buttermilk , butter, eggs and honey, until well combined. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture just until combined. Mix in the cranberries. Transfer to a prepared baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until edges just begin to color. Cool to room temperature.

November Recipes for Kids

Fruit Turkeys

I made these cute fruit turkeys as part of a breakfast (which also included Apple Cinnamon French Toast sticks) but it could also be used as an afternoon snack.

You will need: a pear, an apple, peanut butter, an almond sliver, two mini M & M's or similar candy, a Craisin.

First half a pear and center it on the plate.

Slice an apple into very thin slices and slip several behind the pear half, fanned out to look like the turkey's feathers. I only used a quarter of an apple for each turkey.

Attach two mini-M & M's with peanut butter for eyes. You could also use chocolate chips or some other similar candy.

Attach a almond sliver with peanut butter for the beak. Add a Craisin for the waddle in the same way.

You could also add pretzels or almond slivers for feet, although I left mine without and no one noticed.
This is an adaption of the 4 King's fruit Turkey.

Pilgrim Hats and "Tea"Time

I saw these cuties on Craftily Ever After and knew at once that they were easy enough for even my youngest to do and simple enough not to be too much for an already busy week.

For each hat, you will need:

1 chocolate coated cookie (Such as Entenman's Raspberry Cookies or Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer or Fudge Striped Cookies)

1 small Reese's peanut butter cup

tube of yellow or orange frosting with piping tips

Place cookies on work surface; squeeze a dime-size dot of frosting in center of each. Unwrap and invert peanut butter cups on frosting, pressing down gently. Using the round piping tip, pipe a hat-band with frosting around peanut butter cup and a square buckle. Let frosting set before storing. Can be made up to 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

I had wanted to show you pictures of the steps, but for some reason they all were blurry. I do have a few photos of our "tea" time to show you, though.

I made a pot of hot chocolate with snowmen marshmallows...

and homemade whipped cream.

We talked about all that we are thankful for...

and all our plans for the week.
A joyous time.

Turkey Treats

There are many instructions out there for these type treats, but here is mine made from what we had on hand. The interesting thing about these is that November is the only time you could make them because the candy corn is still around from Halloween and the Bell-shaped chocolates are just coming in the store, ready for Christmas.

You will need:
2 Oreos (I used regular but Double Stuff might work even better)
1 Bell-shaped chocolate
Candy corn
M&M minis
Frosting (I used white because that is what we had on hand, but chocolate would look better)

Take one Oreo and lay it flat on your work surface. Put a dab of icing on the bottom of the unwrapped bell-shaped chocolate and place it at the near edge of the Oreo. Take another Oreo and put a dab of icing on one edge and place that edge, icing side down, behind the bell chocolate. Take a few candy corns and put a small amount of icing on the thinner end and then gently place it in the grove of the Oreo. This is where the Double-stuff might come in easier- more room to fit the candy corn into. I put an additional row of candy corn on the flat side of the Oreo by putting the icing on the back side of the candy corn instead of the tip, but my husband preferred them with this row left off. Use your own judgement on this one. The eyes and waddle are made from the mini M&M's, using the icing as a glue on the back side. You can let your kids get creative and vary them as they wish. For example, one was made by cutting off just the yellow portion of a candy corn and using this for the feet, icing them on the front of the cookie. These are fun and versatile and fun to eat. You might just have to watch to make sure that not too many of the ingredients get eaten before they get made into turkeys!

Thanksgiving Cornucopia Favors

I saw this idea on Scribbit, and just fell in love with the idea of having these little cornucopia treats at each place setting for Thanksgiving dinner!

You might even have the materials on hand to make these already. All you need is some sugar ice cream cones and some small candies. 

To make the little cornucopias, heat water in teakettle and put pointed end of a sugar cone into spout. Let steam until softened (about 1 minute.) Gently curve end 1/2 inch from tip and hold for about 15 seconds.

Now they are ready to be filled.

Runts work particularly well because of their fruit shapes.

A little plastic wrap and ribbon holds them until they are ready to be eaten.

Turkey Bread

Directions for this turkey bread comes from Almost Unschoolers.

Start with one loaf's worth of bread dough, made the traditional way or thawed from the store.

Divide it in half, and pat one half down on a greased cookie sheet, into a slightly, flat circle.
Divide the other half, into ten equal pieces.
Shape eight of the pieces into tear drop shapes, three to four inches long, and cut them with kitchen shears, or a sharp knife (shears work better), up the sides, to give them a feathery look.
Fan them out, pointy ends up, under the top edge of the circle, for tail feathers.
Combine the two remaining pieces of dough, and pull off three small bits, to turn into a beak, and feet. Flatten what's left of the dough into a bowling pin shape, and place it on top of the circle, to form the turkey's neck, and head.
Pinch one small piece of dough into a beak, and pinch it down into the middle of the head.
Cut small slits in the dough, to the right, and left of the beak.
Insert raisin eyes.
Form the last two scraps of dough into small circles, and snip them two, or three times on the bottom edge, to form feet. Then, place them under the bottom edge of the turkey.
Cover the turkey with a clean towel, and let it rise for about 45 minutes.
Bake for 25 minutes, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rub it with butter, as soon as you remove it from the oven.
Serve.

Recipes for November

Thanksgiving Muffins

from King Arthur Flour

1 cup pumpkin puree (about half of a 15 1/2-ounce can)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, light or dark
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice or  pumpkin pie spice; (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon extract
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup Flour
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Optional: 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon coarse white sparkling sugar or Swedish pearl sugar, for topping

Grease 12 wells of a standard muffin pan; or line with papers, and grease the papers.
In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, molasses, salt, spices, milk, and cinnamon extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together. Stir in the dried cranberries. Add all at once to the wet ingredients and mix until all ingredients are well combined.
Cover the bowl, and let the batter rest for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 400°F.
Deposit the batter by the generous 1/4-cupful (a slightly heaped muffin scoop works well here) into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about 1/2 teaspoon coarse sparkling sugar or Swedish pearl sugar, if desired.
Bake the muffins for 20 to 21 minutes, till a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle of a center muffin comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven, and tilt them in their individual wells to cool; this prevents their bottoms from steaming and becoming tough. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Yield: 12 muffin
Source: Adapted from King Arthur Flour

A Taste of Fall : Pumpkin Cranberry Cornbread

This recipe comes from The Motherload and is one of my all-time favorite recipes. People are always surprise at just how good it is. It is a must at Thanksgiving, but I usually can't wait that long to make some.

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk (I substituted with regular milk and a teaspoon of vinegar to sour)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, room
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8″ x 8″ baking pan or a 9-inch pie pan. In a bowl, toss together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In another mixing bowl, mix with a wooden spoon, the pumpkin puree, sour cream or buttermilk , butter, eggs and honey, until well combined. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture just until combined. Mix in the cranberries. Transfer to a prepared baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until edges just begin to color. Cool to room temperature.

Fall Harvest Pork Chops

photo and original recipe from Budget Bytes

4 thick cut pork chops
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
a sprinkle salt and pepper
1 med onion 
2 med apples
1/3 cup craisins
2 Tbsp butter 
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp chicken or vegetable bouillon 

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating, open the pork chops and season one side with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook chops on both sides until thoroughly cooked. While the chops are cooking, thinly slice the onion. Wash, core and slice the apples into thin wedges. Once the chops have cooked on both sides, remove them from the pan and add the apples, onion, craisins and butter. Stir and cook for about five minutes or until the apples and onions begin to soften.
Add the bouillon, water, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the skillet with the apples and onions. Stir until everything is mixed together then return the chops to the pan. Nestle the chops down in the mixture, making sure some onions and apples are on top of the chops. Simmer the chops in the apple/onion mixture until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir occasionally, moving the apples and onions around so they all have a chance to simmer and soften.
Serve each chop with apples, onions and sauce spooned over top.

Fall Butternut Squash Casserole

20 oz container, peeled and cubed butternut squash or 1-1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup Craisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss squash, onion and olive oil together in a large roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes or until browned and tender. Whisk together red wine vinegar and maple syrup. Pour over squash. Roast another 5-10 minutes. Remove squash from oven. Toss with apples, walnuts and cranberries.

Thanksgiving Dinner in a Crockpot

photo from Smashed Peas and Carrots

This recipe is from Smashed Peas and Carrots and is simply delicious.

I have made a few adjustments to suit our family's tastes.

1/2 turkey breast  (add a turkey leg, if some like dark meat)or 4 chicken breasts, (can be frozen)
1-10 oz package of frozen vegetables
1 can of turkey gravy (or cream of chicken soup, if you prefer)
1-6 0z box stuffing (and water and butter to make your stuffing...see your package directions!)
salt and pepper to taste

First, pour in the bag of frozen veggies into the bottom of your crockpot. Then go ahead and place your turkey or chicken meat on top of your veggies. Now, crack open up that can of gravy (or soup) and pour on top of your chicken breasts. Next, mix up your stuffing by the package directions and then place the stuffing on the top of everything, Turn your crockpot on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. The stuffing will be nice and brown and the chicken juices should run clear when done!

Nuts Over Cranberries Tart 

1/3 cup white sugar

6 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Lightly salted pistachio nuts (optional)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 medium pear, cored and chopped

1/3 cup lightly salted pistachio nuts

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons currant jelly, melted

Lightly salted pistachio nuts (optional)

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and cinnamon until well blended . Press mixture into 8 small ramekins, reserving some for the topping. Mix some pistachio nuts in the remaining crust mixture and set aside until ready for topping.

Bake at 375 degrees F  for 5-7 minutes. Cool. (Optionally,instead of baking the crust, you can just chill for about 1 hour.

In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until combined. Add cranberries and pear; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the 1/3 cup pistachio nuts, the almonds, and vanilla. Spoon filling into ramekins, spreading evenly. Place ramekins on baking sheet.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until filling is bubbly around edges. Carefully brush tops of tarts with melted jelly. Cool in ramekins on wire rack. If desired, sprinkle with the reserved topping.

Artichoke Stuffing for the Vegetarian

source: Budget Bytes

Bread cubes (enough to equal soft French Bread loaf, or you can make your own by cutting a loaf of French bread into one inch cubes, spreading them out onto a baking sheet, and baking for 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until dry and crispy.)

2 Tab. Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 large Onion, chopped

4 stalks Celery, chopped

1-14 oz. container of marinated artichoke hearts

1 Tab. Italian herbs, or oregano

1 tea. sage (optional)

1/4 tea. salt

1/4 tea. black  pepper

2 ounces Feta crumbles

1/4 bunch cilantro (or parsley), chopped

2 large eggs

a little less than 2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth

Cook onion, garlic and celery in a large pot over a medium flame with olive oil until softened (about five minutes). Turn off the heat. Drain the container of artichoke hearts and save the marinade liquid for later. Roughly chop the artichoke hearts into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped artichoke hearts to the pot along with the Italian seasoning, (sage), salt, and pepper. Stir until combined. Add Feta and the Cilantro to the pot along with the dried bread cubes.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl, add the broth and whisk again. Drizzle this mixture over the contents in the pot. Stir until the bread cubes are moistened and everything is evenly mixed. Pour the contents of the pot into a casserole dish coated with non-stick spray. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake at for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes to allow the top to get crispy. If you're using the smaller dish (8x8), add about 15 minutes to the covered baking time (40 minutes covered, 25 minutes uncovered).

Cranberry-Orange Relish

This is an oldie but goodie originally on the back of a bag of Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries.

1 (12-ounce) package Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, rinsed and drained

1 unpeeled orange, cut into eighths and seeded

3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar

Place half the cranberries and half the orange slices in food processor container. Process until mixture is evenly chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining cranberries and orange slices. Stir in sugar. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Makes about 3 cups.

Turkey Sandwich Bentos for Thanksgiving

These were made up and put in the refrigerator so that they could be eaten any time the kids became hungry. No stopping to fix lunch while cooking on Thanksgiving Day.

Source: Cute Food for Kids

Taste of Fall Pumpkin Cranberry Cornbread

This recipe comes from The Motherload and is one of my all-time favorite recipes. People are always surprise at just how good it is. It is a must at Thanksgiving, but I usually can't wait that long to make some.

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup buttermilk (I substituted with regular milk and a teaspoon of vinegar to sour)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, room
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8″ x 8″ baking pan or a 9-inch pie pan. In a bowl, toss together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In another mixing bowl, mix with a wooden spoon, the pumpkin puree, sour cream or buttermilk , butter, eggs and honey, until well combined. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture just until combined. Mix in the cranberries. Transfer to a prepared baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until edges just begin to color. Cool to room temperature.

Capt. Berk's Oyster Stew

I know this is not the season for oysters, but in honor of Father's Day, I wanted to post a recipe that was handed down to me from my father. My father was a waterman and tonged oysters from the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay each winter. He was even once featured in Diner's Club magazine. Here is his simple but wonderfully delicious Oyster Stew recipe.

1 pint oysters

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 can of Evaporated Milk

2 Tab. butter

In a heavy bottomed saucepan saute celery in the butter until the celery starts to become clear. Add oysters, with their liquor, and simmer until the edges of the oysters begin to curl. Add milk and simmer 15 minutes. Serve hot with crackers.

November 13: A Recipe for National Indian Pudding Day

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 Tbs. cinnamon
2/3 cup raisins
4 eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
2 Tbs. butter


Stir the cornmeal into the milk. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir again. Microwave for an additional 2 minutes. Stir again. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. You can also do this on the stovetop; it will take 10-12 minutes over low heat. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Add the sugar, molasses, cinnamon and salt. Stir until smooth. Add eggs and stir until smooth. Add the raisins. Pour into a greased pie pan or 8 x 8 casserole dish. Bake 325 for 50 minutes. Eat while it's warm!