Thanksgiving Recipes 2017

Thanksgiving is always my favorite holiday of the year of course since it is centered around food and family. My in-laws came in town for a week, so we had plenty of meals together including the main event on Thursday. 

Leading up to that week, my work had a potluck and I brought this cute veggie tray! So happy with how it turned out. We decided he looked more like an Angry Bird though haha!

My friend Amanda also hosted a Friendsgiving the weekend before and I made a baked brie. I’ve done this recipe several times before, but I tried a new version this time with toasted pecans and Trader Joe’s apple jam. You can use whatever type of nut and jam combination you like (here’s the recipe from awhile back on my blog…)

Tuesday night before Thanksgiving we had both sets of parents over and tried out a recipe I’d never made before – Baked Four Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni. I’ve recently become obsessed with the food blog Half Baked Harvest. Everything I’ve tried from that website is incredible (actually 2 of my recipes this year were from her!) Since I was cooking this after work and didn’t have much time, I used Trader Joe’s canned butternut squash puree rather than cooking a squash and scooping out the insides myself.

Thanksgiving dinner was at my Grandma Pat & Grandpa Craig’s house this year. They just moved into a new place which has a huge kitchen so it’s perfect for entertaining. We ended up with 19 people this year and more food than I think we’ve ever had any other Thanksgiving yet. My contributions were Maple Roasted Carrots in Hummus Sauce with Pomegranates and Pistachios as well as a Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Nuts.  

Then on Friday, we had some friends and their parents over. I made my go-to easy Pesto Crockpot Chicken, but then tried another Half Baked Harvest recipe – Brown Sugar and Pineapple Acorn Squash with Spiced Brown Butter. I think this is now my favorite way to make squash – it’s almost like dessert.

I’d say all the new recipes this week were a success and I’ll definitely use them again!  What were your favorite dishes this Thanksgiving? Send recipes you love my way because I’m always looking for new ones!

Baked Four Cheese Butternut Squash Rigatoni (adapted from Half Baked Harvest)

Ingredients:

• 1 can butternut squash puree (found at Trader Joe’s)
• 1 head garlic, outer skins removed
• 2 T olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 t dried oregano
• 2 t dried thyme
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• ½ cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded asiago cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• Turkey pepperoni (recipe called for 8-10 but we used way more!)  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Chop the top 1/3 of the garlic off to reveal the cloves. Place in a muffin tin and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake 20-30 minutes or until the garlic is soft enough to squeeze out of the skin. Turn the oven to 450 degrees.

3. Boil pasta in a large pot until al dente. Reserve 1-1/2 cups of the water before draining.

4. Add the butternut squash, roasted garlic, and reserved pasta water, milk, oregano, and thyme to a blender. Season with salt & pepper and pulse until smooth. Add the ricotta and pulse until just combined.

5. Pour the butternut squash over the pasta and set the pot over medium heat. Add the spinach, sundried tomatoes, and ¼ cup of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Toss to combine. Cook until the spinach is wilted and the sauce is hot, about 5 minutes.

6. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan and asiago cheeses. Spread the pasta in an even layer in a 9x13 baking dish and top with mozzarella and pepperoni. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and gooey.

Maple Roasted Carrots with Hummus Drizzle, Pomegranates & Pistachios (adapted from Closet Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled (I used Trader Joe’s multicolored kind)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T maple syrup
• 2 T garlic hummus (or regular hummus and add grated garlic)
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T parsley (I used the Gourmet Garden parsley paste that comes in a tube - it keeps way longer and tastes fresher than dried parsley) 
• 2 T pomegranate arils (click here if you need instructions on how to remove the arils yourself)
• 2 T pistachios, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Toss the carrots in a mixture of 1 T olive oil and 1 T maple syrup. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Rub each carrot with a bit of parsley, then roast until tender, about 20-30 minutes, turning once in the middle.

3. Mix together the hummus, 1 T olive oil, and lemon juice until it creates a thin drizzle.

4. Serve the carrots topped with the hummus, pomegranates & pistachios.

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Nuts (adapted from The View from Great Island)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wild rice (we used Trader Joe’s Basmati & Wild Rice Medley which already has some seasonings)
• ¼ cup pecans
• ¼ cup cashews
• ¼ cup pistachios
• ¼ small red onion
• Sevral small inner stalks of celery with leaves
• 3 green onions
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 T balsamic
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 t whole grain mustard
• 1 t honey
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the rice according to the package.

2. While the rice is cooking, chop the pecans and cashews into pieces and put them on a baking sheet in a 375 degree oven until just toasted (keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!)

3. When the rice is finished, add the nuts, red onion, celery, green onion, and cranberries.

4. Combine the olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a jar with a lid. Shake vigorously. Toss the salad with half the dressing and refrigerate until chilled.

5. When ready to serve, toss with the remaining dressing.

Brown Sugar and Pineapple Roasted Acorn Squash with Spiced Brown Butter (adapted from Half Baked Harvest)

Ingredients:

• 2 large or 3 small acorn squash, cut into wedges, seeds removed and reserved
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 – 8.5 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
• 6 T butter plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 T olive oil
• 1-1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 t chili powder
• ½ t pepper
• Dash of red pepper
• Arils from 1 pomegranate

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan with softened butter.

2. Line squash wedges on a prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle them with brown sugar, salt and pepper. Spoon the crushed pineapple over the wedges.

3. Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it melts, foams, froths, and begins to brown along the bottom. Remove from the heat and whisk the browned bits of butter off the bottom of the pan, adding in cinnamon, chili powder, and pepper.

4. Pour the butter over the squash, then cover with foil and place in the oven.

5. Roast for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and roast for another 30 minutes until the squash is tender and caramelized.

6. While the squash roasts, clean and dry the seeds. Season them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper and toss to coat. Toast the seeds in the oven until golden brown.

7. Sprinkle your squash with pomegranate arils and squash seeds.

Mother's Day Brunch Recipes

Hope you all had a happy Mother’s Day!  I tried two new recipes this past weekend for our brunch. It was at my parents’ place, but I didn’t want my mom to have to make anything.  My dad made our traditional “John Wayne” casserole along with bacon and cinnamon rolls. I made a sweet potato crusted quiche and a fruit tart.  And my Grandma Anne brought some beautiful tulips.

The quiche was a huge success – it was healthy and a lot simpler than I expected.  I’ll definitely make that again. 

The fruit tart looked beautiful, but unfortunately it was a way more complicated recipe than I had planned for. I should have read ahead of time that it requires several hours or up to a day of preparation, so it didn’t set properly. The pastry cream was more of a yogurt consistency and after putting it in the freezer to try to get it to firm up, the crust was so hard we couldn’t cut through it.  So we ended up serving it more like a parfait instead. 

I’ll also post the recipe for the “John Wayne” casserole. This is one of my dad’s all-time favorite dishes to make. My Grandma Anne came across this recipe in a magazine years ago and it’s been in our family ever since. If you’re looking for a healthy egg dish, this is not your thing. It is loaded with two pounds of cheese and has evaporated milk to give it a creamy consistency.  The green chiles give it just the right amount of spiciness. 

Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

·        2 medium sweet potatoes

·        1 teaspoon canola oil

·        1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach

·        1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

·        1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

·        1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·        1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

·        4 large eggs

·        2 large egg whites

·        1.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°, then peel and slice sweet potatoes into rounds.

2. Coat a pie dish with cooking spray, then fill the bottom of the dish with a layer of sweet potato slices. Cut the sweet potato rounds in half and fill around the edges of the pie dish; round side facing up.

3. Once the entire dish is filled, coat one more time with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn heat up to 375°.

4. For the filling, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add spinach; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool.

5. Combine milk and next 5 ingredients in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Arrange spinach mixture in crust; pour egg mixture over spinach. Sprinkle with feta. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes.

Fruit Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream (adapted from Erica’s Sweet Tooth)

Ingredients:

Crust:

·        1 large egg yolk

·        1 tbsp heavy cream

·        1/2 tsp vanilla extract

·        1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

·        2/3 cup confectioners' sugar

·        1/4 tsp salt

·        8 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2" cubes

Pastry cream:

·        2 cups whole milk

·        1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp

·        4 tbsp cornstarch

·        2 egg yolks

·        1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

·        3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Topping:

·        Whatever fruit you’d like! I used strawberries, kiwis, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, but use whatever is in season

Directions:

Crust:

1. Whisk together the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter pieces over the flour mixture and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs - about 15 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture until the dough just comes together (about 15 seconds).

3. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6" disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

4. When the dough is ready, unwrap and roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 13" round. Transfer the dough to a 9" tart pan and mold the dough to the sides of the pan. Freeze the pan for 30 minutes.4

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and press foil over the frozen shell and fill with pie weights. (I didn’t use the pie weights…perhaps this would have helped)

6. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven, remove the foil and weights, and then bake another 5-8 minutes longer until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Pastry Cream:

1. Combine the milk and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until simmering.

2. Meanwhile in another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 2 tbsp of sugar for about 15 seconds. Then add the cornstarch and mix until pale yellow and thick.

3. When the milk has reached a simmer, slowly add the milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you combine. Return the mixture to the saucepan and return to medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture just starts to boil and the mixture is thickened.

4. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Strain pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.

5. Cover pastry cream with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the top of the cream so that a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

Topping:

1. Spread pastry cream evenly in tart shell and top with desired fruit.

John Wayne Casserole (family recipe)

Ingredients:

·        2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies

·        1 lb Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

·        1 lb cheddar cheese, grated

·        2/3 cup evaporated milk

·        2 tomatoes, sliced

·        1 T flour

·        ½ t salt

·        4 egg whites

·        4 egg yolks

·        1/8 t pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°.

2. Drain and dice green chiles. Combine the grated cheeses and chiles in buttered shallow casserole dish (12x8x2).

3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, combine egg yolks, milk, flour, salt & pepper. Mix until well blended.

4. Gently fold beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the mixture over the cheese in the casserole dish using a fork to ooze it through the cheese.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and arrange the sliced tomatoes on the casserole. Bake for another 30 minutes or until the cheese in the center is firm. (If you do not use the tomatoes, bake for the full hour, but check periodically and once the top begins to brown, cover with tin foil).

Enjoy! 

Pine Cone Cheese Ball & Christmas Strawberries

We had our 4^th annual Secret Santa Christmas party with our friends last night.  It was potluck style and we actually had a really awesome variety of food this year (it seems like lots of our potlucks end up being only desserts).  I made almond-coated cheese balls that looked like pinecones and dipped strawberries in white chocolate with festive sprinkles.  Both these recipes were really easy – so if you’re looking for something to bring to Christmas dinner, try one (or both!) of these out!

Pine Cone Cheese Ball (adapted from Chicabug)

Ingredients:

• 1 8-oz package cream cheese
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (the original recipe called for mayonnaise, which I always substitute for yogurt in recipes)
• 6 strips bacon
• ¼ cup white cheddar cheese
• 1 T chopped green onion
• 1 t chopped dill weed
• ½ t pepper
• 1-1/4 cup whole almonds, toasted

Directions:

1. Cook your bacon until crispy. 

2.  Combine the cream cheese and yogurt (you can use a food processor or blender, but I used my KitchenAid mixer…) Stir in the cooked bacon, cheddar cheese, green onion, dill, and pepper.  Cover and chill overnight. 

3. Shape the cheese into two pinecone shapes on a serving platter.  Starting at the narrow end, place toasted almonds into the cheese at a slight angle, forming rows.  Garnish with rosemary and serve with crackers.

Christmas Strawberries

Ingredients:

• Strawberries
• White chocolate chips
• Sprinkles

Directions:

1. Wash strawberries and allow to dry completely.   

2.  I used a makeshift double boiler to melt the white chocolate chips evenly without burning.  Boil water in a small saucepan with a glass bowl fitted on top.  Add the chocolate to the bowl and stir until completely melted. 

3. Dip the strawberries into the white chocolate, then into sprinkles.  Let cool on a parchment paper lined sheet. 

You may want to make extra of these strawberries.  These were eaten almost immediately when we got to the party!