Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole

This decadent side dish has won a spot in the heart of my entire family. Whenever I make it for a crowd I am always asked for the recipe. It is simply sweet potato bliss. If you like the marshmallow version of candied yams then these are not for you but I promise that they are far superior to any other sweet potato I have ever tried… probably due to all the sugar and butter but hey, arnt the holidays for splurging anyway.

Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole  

3 sweet potatoes, baked

1 C sugar

1 stick of butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1 cup chopped pecans

1/3 C butter

1/3 C flour

1 C brown sugar

Skin the sweet potatoes and mix first five ingredients together. Pour into a baking dish and set aside. In a separate bowl mix the topping together and sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato mixture and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. DEVINE!

Thanksgiving Table

I know its a week late but I figured I would share the tale of our first Thanksgiving, in our new house that is. I must admit that I was super nervous to host, I wanted everything to be perfect and I must say that it was pretty darn close.  We spent the morning cooking and eating. My parents brought up Bodo's from Charlottesville so we had bagels which was a good thing because that Pinterest crock pot breakfast casserole I made was flipping AWFUL! I did a lot of the preparation ahead of time which meant that I actually got to enjoy myself, eating, drinking and chatting with my family and neighbors throughout the beautiful day.

I didn't do a lot of decorating but I was really happy with the way our table turned out especially considering spent less than $30 on the entire thing.


3 yards of burlap, cut in half length wise used as a runner
Pressed leaves (one per guest)
Black sharpie
1 bag of cranberries
1 bag of mixed nuts
4 tangerines
3 glass containers
1 wooden tray

Little B and I take at least one walk a day together every day, rain or shine. Lately he has been turning them into nature walks, picking up sticks, rocks and leaves along the way. It was from this type of walk that I got the idea to have him help decorate the table with some of his favorite finds. Each of the leaves we set out was carefully (or not so carefully) selected along our route. I showed B how to press them between paper and books to help them dry. He picked a leaf for each of our guests on which I wrote their names to be used as place cards.





I decided to do an edible centerpiece this year because I liked the idea of being able to re-purpose all of our Thanksgiving decor. I set the table with a simple cranberry table cloth and made a custom length runner (our table is an odd size so nothing ever fits it right) by purchasing 3.5 feet of burlap and then cutting it down to size. The centerpiece was made by filling 3 old glass vases with cranberries and tangerines, topping them with white candles. I set the vases on one of our wood serving dishes and covered it with mixed nuts, scattering a few extra nuts and leaves across the table. I really liked that all of the items I purchase can be used or eaten again. I had fun stringing some of the cranberries for our tree and over the weekend we cracked the nuts and ate them by the fire (a family tradition) as we decorated our Christmas tree.

As the holiday season continues I have to say how thankful I am for all the blessings in my life. I am, as one of my friends labeled me, a chronic overachiever. Because of this I find I can loose focus on the most important things in life. I am so happy that so far this holiday season I have been able to balance my little bit of crazy with a whole lot of love in my family.

A is for Amazeballs Apricot Stuffing

I am sure you are scratching your head at this title of this post but seriously, this is my all time favorite stuffing ever. My mom has made it for years and while she has tried to deviate from time to time she has always gone back to making it this same way (probably because I throw a royal two-tear-old style fit). I absolutely LOVE this stuffing to pieces. When I made it last year I froze the extras in so I could defrost it for use later. The stuffed pork loin I made a few months later was absolutely AWESOME and as you know (from Mondays post) it is also great for stuffed acorn squash as well.

What seriously gets me about this stuffing is the complex mix of sweet and savory.  It is a timeless classic brought to you by Silver Palate, one of those 90s era cook books that was a staple in my mom’s kitchen.  That cook book is to date one of my most favorite ever. While I don’t own a copy myself, I love perusing through my mom’s whenever I am at home.

The Silver Palate’s Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing

1 C  dried apricot

1 ½ C Grand Marnier

1 C butter

2 C chopped celery

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb bulk sausage

1 lb herb stuffing mix

1 c slivered almonds

2 C rich chicken broth

½ tsp dried thyme

S&P

Place apricots in 1 C of the Grand Marnier in a sauce pan, bring to a boil and then remove from heat and set aside. Melt ½ C of butter in a skillet and sauté celery and onion for 10 min. Remove veggies from pan and allow to cool in a large bowl. Use the same pan to cook the sausage making sure to crumble it and cook until there is no longer any pink left. When fully cooked, add to the veggies in the bowl. Add the stuffing mix, apricots with liquid and almonds making sure to stir to combine. Heat the remainder of the butter and stock until the butter is melted. Pour over the stuffing mixture and add the remaining ½ cup of GM. Stir to moisten and season with thyme, salt and pepper.

Thanksgiving Stuffed Winter Squash

I love thanksgiving leftovers as is for a couple of meals but anything past that starts feeling a bit monotonous. The thing is, we always have TONS of leftovers so I am always looking for new ways to re-purpose them to make the meal at least a little different than the night before. These stuffed squash are a great way to use leftover stuffing and get rid of your fall décor at the same time freeing your fridge and mantle up to decorate and cook for the next set of holidays that are right around the corner.

I often decorate with winter squash throughout the fall because they are both beautiful and tasty. I like to rotate them every 2-3 weeks to keep them fresh but if you don’t plan to eat them you can often keep these squash on display throughout the entire fall entertaining season.  

For this recipe I will use 3 large acorn squash, one white, one orange and one green (I like to clump multi colored squash together in groups to achieve a slightly uniform look) and my favorite sausage stuffing leftovers from Thanksgiving (recipe to come.) These also make a great vegetarian Thanksgiving entree if you fill them with a vegetarian stuffing.

2-3 Acorn squash

2-3 TBS butter

S&P
Leftover Stuffing

Cut each squash in half and remove seeds from the center. Sprinkle with S&P and then add a ½ tbs pat of butter to the center of each squash. Roast on a baking sheet at 400 for 30 min. Remove from the oven, scoop the flesh out of the skins being careful not to pierce the skins. Mix the flesh stuffing together and refill each skin. Cover with foil and return to the oven for 30 more minutes. Serve immediately or reheat when ready to eat.

Cranberry Citrus Relish

There is ONE day until Thanksgiving! ONE. Good thing I have started my cooking ahead of time this year. I have been doing prep work all week and have several little gems (like this one) completed in hope that the actual day of will be almost stress free. Really, is there ever such a think as a stress free holiday?
This holiday staple has been on our family menu since I can remember. I love how deliciously tart the berries and citrus combination is. The hint of cinnamon and nutmeg is the perfect balance for this palate cleanser and the color is absolutely spectacular.  Seriously- doesn’t this look way better than that can of rings that we usually serve?

1 bag of cranberries, rinsed and picked through (remove all the ones with soft spots)

1 orange

1 lemon

1 C sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

Shred or chop berries and citrus in a food processor or blender. Mix in cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar and allow marinating for at least an hour. I made mine yesterday to give the flavors plenty of time to meld.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe was passed to me by one of our readers who told me it is one of her families go-to week night meals for two simple reasons: it is healthy and easy to make. The Mr. is a sucker for anything with a Mexican twist so I asked her for the recipe to see if I could add it to my arsenal. I have been sitting on it for a while and finally decided to give it a try last week. Tuesdays are always crazy around here. I have physical therapy in the morning followed by preschool for B and I close out the evening volunteering with Langley Residential Support Services. Which means on days that I am co-oping at B's school I have zero time or energy to get dinner on the table before I head out of the house again. Every Tuesday I find myself in need of a time saver meal to get by. Some weeks its a packaged deal, others its leftovers and sometimes, if they are really lucky I leave something in the crock pot for my boys.
I am so glad I finally tried this soup, it is perfect for crazy days like these and the recipe can be altered to make as much or as little as you need. Meals like this make me feel accomplished for still managing to put a healthy meal on the table even if I have to dash out the door before it is served. I also love that it uses frozen chicken which means I never have to remember to defrost the night before.

2 boneless chicken breasts (frozen if you like)

2 cans of black beans, undrained

2 cans of diced tomatoes (I used one Mexican one and one fire roasted)

1 C salsa (I used my favorite pineapple salsa from Trader Joes which brings a bit of sweetness to the dish)

2 C frozen corn (I love the Trader Joes Fire Roasted Corn)

1 C chopped carrots

1 C chopped roasted red peppers

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

S&P

Additional Items: Corn tortillas, 2 per person, avocado, Greek yogurt, shredded cheese

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and spices. Combine all ingredients in Crock Pot. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Remove chicken, shred. Return chicken to pot, put on low, stir, and cover until ready to serve.  Slice tortillas into bite sized strips and sprinkle on the bottom of each bowl before adding the soup. An alternative to the fresh tortillas is serving with a side of chips

I served mine (as recommended by Suzanne) with avocado, Greek yogurt (as sour cream), shredded cheese, on a bed of fresh sliced corn tortillas.  

This recipe made enough to serve 4 adults and 2 toddlers. I have been told that it also freezes well which means it would be a great recipe to double when making.

Pumpkin Mushroom Soup- Dairy Free Version

I posted about this pumpkin mushroom soup last fall after I tried to recreate one I had at my friend Shannon’s house. I have had it on my mind since the flavor just screams Thanksgiving play date but since we have a couple of mamas who are dairy-free I needed to make some adaptations to the cream based original. This new dairy free version super tasty and 100% dairy free! It is easy to make and can be doubled or tripled if you are feeding a crowd. If you are still mulling over your Thanksgiving menu why not give this one a shot as a warm welcome to your meal.

Pumpkin Mushroom Soup

½ c Chopped celery
½ c Chopped onion
½ c Chopped carrot
8 tbs EVOO (doubled the amount of butter used in the original)
2 tbs Flour
1 tbs Cumin
3 c Homemade chicken stock
16 oz of fresh pumpkin (baked and strained) or 1 can Pumpkin (not pie filling)
2 tbs honey
Dash of nutmeg
½ lb Sliced mushrooms (I used crimini)
1 c Coconut Milk (replaced heavy cream)
Salt and Pepper

In a stock pot, sauté celery, onion and carrot in EVOO until soft. Season with salt and pepper, add flour and stir until incorporated. Add ½ the stock and blend until liquefied. Pour liquid back into the stock pot and add cumin, the remainder of the stock, pumpkin, honey and nutmeg. Sauté mushrooms in the 2 tbs of EVOO until they are soft and stir them into the soup with coconut milk. Simmer and flavor with salt and pepper.  

* If you want to thin the soup further you can add additional stock or milk by the ladle full until it reaches your desired thickness.

Fall Stuffed Peppers

I am not exactly sure why I have never stuffed peppers before but for some reason they just seemed so large and intimidating to me. I love eating, but a bell pepper is HUGE so the idea of eating one stuffed full to the brim always seemed like a challenge to me. Lucky for me, a friend recently had one last bumper crop of peppers remaining in his fall garden so he unloaded a bunch off on us. These tiny peppers were not much bigger than my fist so they seemed a lot more manageable to my stuffing abilities.

After eating these delicious peppers I am wondering what took me so long to get on the stuffing bandwagon. They were awesome. Full of flavor and totally the perfect hearty for a fall or winter feast.  I know the traditional pepper is stuffed with a red sauce but I went a sweeter route stuffing mine with chicken apple sausage, veggies and a sauce made from a mix of acorn squash and apples.

1 lb chicken apple sausage, casing removed

1 C cooked brown rice

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

1 carrot, chopped fine

½ onion, chopped fine

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 inch piece of ginger, chopped fine

1 apple, cored chunked and baked

1 acorn squash, baked

1 c of greens (I used chopped spinach)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tbs butter

EVOO

S&P

Shredded cheese

Blend the baked apple and acorn squash together with a spoon adding cinnamon, nutmeg, S&P and set aside. Cook celery, carrot, onion, ginger and garlic in EVOO over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften. Add greens and stir until completely cooked (about 3-4 minutes), add rice and Parmesan stirring to incorporate all the ingredients. Slowly add spoonful’s of the squash mixture into the pan until you have reached a good ratio. I ended up using a little more than ½ of my squash mixture to bind the ingredients together.

I hallowed out the peppers and quickly steamed them in about a ½ inch of water in a covered pot. Once they were cool enough to handle I stuffed each with the rice and veggie mixture and then topped each pepper with some shredded mozzarella cheese. I baked them in the oven for 20 minutes until the centers were warm and the cheese was melted.

Pumpkin Sage Pasta

November is the month of pumpkin bliss and I am continuing mine with this creamy pumpkin pasta that is ridiculously easy to make. Remember that that butternut squash pasta sauce I posted about a few weeks ago?? Think even easier and just as tasty! I have made this a couple of times for friends and it has gone over really well so I am thinking this might just be my go to party dish for the fall! Its tasty, cheap and super easy… what’s not to love.

This recipe is an adaptation of a Martha Stewart original.

1 can pumpkin

½ C milk

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 package of sage

4 tbs EVOO

2 tbs cider vinegar

½ C parmesan, grated

½ tsp smoked paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Salt and Pepper

Heat oil in a pot. Drop sage in the hot oil and fry until the leaves change color and become crispy. Quickly remove and set aside for later use. Add garlic and reduce heat so that the garlic does not burn. Add pumpkin puree, milk, vinegar, cheese and spices. Cook on low for 5 minutes and then toss with pasta. Sprinkle with fried sage and additional Parmesan cheese and serve.

Thankful Giving - Arlington Food Assistance Center

Katie here!  So now that we've gotten through Halloween and the Elections you might be looking for a quick way to give back to your community and we have the perfect one for you!  Dori recently asked our playgroup to participate in a food drive for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) and we all jumped on it.  The current drive is to collect food for Thanksgiving baskets.  They are asking for three simple items to round out the baskets for those in need:

• 1 lb Potato Mix
• 6 oz Stuffing Mix
• Canned Gravy (no glass containers)

Donations will need to be dropped off by Nov 8th.  Delivery to the members of the community will be made the week of Nov 12th.  Please help this organization bring alittle bit of holiday joy to those in need this Thanksgiving. Please also consider donating other non-perishable items to your local food bank. 

Cranberry Apple Turkey Salad

Gobble Gobble! Turkey day is right around the corner and I am already getting excited. This isn’t really a Thanksgiving recipe but more of a pre turkey day party recipe or of course a great one for leftovers. If you don’t have turkey on hand it also works well as a chicken salad for any other time of the year.

The real reason this turkey salad is so amazing is that it uses a mixture of mayo and liquid (water, chicken stock, apple juice) as the dressing. This may sound strange but it thins out the mayo allowing it to bind the ingredients without overpowering them which is the total hotness!

1 lb cooked turkey meat

1 tart apple (I used a pink lady)

2 celery stalks (diced

½ C raisins

½ C walnuts (optional)

Dressing:

½ C mayo

4-8 tbs liquid of choice (water, chicken stock or apple cider- I used a mix of stock and apple cider)

Salt and pepper

Mix the dressing together in the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated. Serve or refrigerate immediately. The salad will last up to five days in an air tight container in the fridge which makes it perfect for lunch all week.

Naomi’s Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

These cookies are often referred to as the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. The reason being they are super soft and moist and delicious every time. My dear friend Naomi has been making these bad boys for years and they are always requested at every event she attends. While she was gracious enough to share the recipe with me I have never been able to get mine quite the same texture as hers but they are still a show stopper.

1 Box cake mix (I use Betty Crocker butter yellow)

½ C vegetable oil

1-2 Tbs water

2 large eggs (mixed separately before adding)

2 C chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

I mix the entire thing in my stand mixer for 3-4 minutes and then bake for 9-10 minutes at 375. This recipe should yield about 24 larger cookies (tablespoon of dough) or 36 smaller ones.