Sourdough & Mushroom Stuffing

Here is one more side idea for your holiday meals. I have been craving stuffing for a month but am trying to hold out. When I was growing up the stuffing we had usually used ground sausage so that is also an option you could add here, especially for those that may want to omit or substitute the mushrooms. This recipe can be found on Food Network and also a version at Kneaders Bakery. Just make sure you use a good quality sourdough!

What You Need:
1-pound loaf sourdough bread
8 tablespoons butter
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/2-inch thick in both directions
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 to 4 stalks celery with leaves, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
About 10 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stems
10 to 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside. Cut or tear the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread it evenly on 2 baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven until completely dry and beginning to crisp and brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and a few pinches of salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, 2 tablespoons butter, and thyme. Once the butter has melted, cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add sage and remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the bread cubes and toss to combine until the bread cubes absorb the liquid. Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake in the center of the oven until heated through and the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove the stuffing from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole

 A few years ago at a company holiday party, we had this dish at a Ruth's Chris steakhouse and loved it so much a few of us set out to find the recipe. Have you ever had it there? Wow, it is to die for. A friend of ours was able to find it and sent it to me, and I have made it every year since. I've passed this recipe onto others who are also addicted. This might be my favorite Thanksgiving dish and I am looking very forward to having it again this year! {Although I'm looking forward to pretty much all of them!} This is an updated replacement to the yams with marshmallows dish that many people use on the holiday.

What You Need: {Crust}
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick butter, melted

{Filling}
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick butter, melted

Directions:
Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set about 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Pudding

If you don't have the Fix it and Forget It Cookbook for the slow cooker, you really should. This book is probably my most used for many years now. The recipe I am sharing today comes from there and has also been a favorite at our house for a long time. In fact, I think I need to make it tonight since I haven't for awhile. Not only is it incredibly good, it will make your house smell yummy and you might just have all the ingredients on hand. I love desserts in the slow cooker! The end result is warm and pumpkin spicy and is perfect topped with whipped cream or even ice cream. You will keep this one forever once you try it!

What You Need:
15 oz can solid pack pumpkin
12 oz can evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk baking mix
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla
whipped cream or ice cream to top

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients except whipped or ice cream. Pour into greased slow cooker. {I make mine in a 6 quart size but you can use whatever size so long as it fits and you'll need to make time adjustments}. Cover and cook on low about 4 hours or until thermometer reads 160 degrees. Serve topped with cream and enjoy!

Butternut Squash with Walnuts & Vanilla

This is one of those recipes that I feel like could be tinkered with to get it just right and then it would be perfect for my taste. While I could do that before posting it, I think its still a great, simple fall side dish that  would be a great hit at your Thanksgiving dinner so I don't want to miss sharing it. I think you need to try it and let me know what changes you think would make it better. Next time, I'd like to try adding some carmelized onions and some more fall spices like cinnamon. Either way I am a huge fan of butternut squash. I have always had a difficult time in recipes that call for it to be cubed but recently found a website that provided a super easy way. You can find that here. It tastes as good as it looks!

Recipe and photo courtesy Simply Recipes.
What You Need:
1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds, peeled, seeds removed, flesh cut into 1-inch cubes (see how to cut and peel a butternut squash)
Salt
1 heaping cup of walnuts
2-3 Tbsp butter
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
 Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat the cubed squash with a little oil and spread out onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and roast until the cubes begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and toast the walnuts. Stir frequently or they will burn. Once they they start to brown, and you can smell the aroma of toasted walnuts, remove from heat. Melt the butter in the pan with the walnuts over medium-high heat. Toss the walnuts to coat with butter, then add the squash. Toss them to coat with butter.  Add the grated ginger, vanilla extract, black pepper, a little salt and dried thyme and toss once more. Turn off the heat and squeeze some lemon juice over everything. Taste for salt and lemon and add more to taste. If you want this to be a bit more luxurious, mix in another tablespoon of butter or two  before serving. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Quick & Delicious Pot Pie

I found this recipe in my recent issue of Simple & Delicious and am so glad I did. I loved this and thought it was the best comfort food for cold weather. I adapted it just slightly with my own preferences and you can do the same.  What a great weeknight meal. You can throw this together in less than ten minutes and everyone will love it. With Thanksgiving approaching, this would be a perfect use for leftover turkey. Now this does use processed things like canned cream soup, but it isn't always reasonable to make everything from scratch, right? Try it...you won't be sorry! Warm, rich, hearty, easy and tasty!

What You Need:

Filling:
4 cups cubed cooked chicken {Use canned chicken or rotisserie to make it even easier}
1 12 oz. package frozen broccoli in cheese sauce {I used Birdseye that included carrots and cauliflower}
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 medium potatoes, cubed {I did NOT use}
3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 tsp. pepper

Topping:
1 1/2 cups biscuit/baking mix {Bisquick works fine}
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
In a large pot or dutch oven, combine all of the filling ingredients and bring to a boil. Transfer to a greased 13 by 9 baking dish. In a separate small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Spoon over the top of the filling. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Blondies

Ah, people...if you choose to make just one thing that I ever post, choose this. This has been my number one favorite fall recipe for two years running. I am proud to say that this is my very own adaptation and I also know for sure you will love them. The one snag is that this recipe calls for cinnamon chips and I worry some of you may have a hard time finding those. If your grocery store sells them, they will be right in with the chocolate chips. The brand I have is Hershey's. If your grocery store does not carry them, ask them to order them. Seriously! I could suggest substitutions like white chocolate chips but really I think the cinnamon chips kind of make the whole thing. So...look hard! Love, love these. That's all.

*Printable Version*

What You Need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree {If you are having a hard time finding pumpkin right now, Costco has it!}
1 cup cinnamon chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. With a mixer, cream together both sugars and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Add the pumpkin puree. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture gradually until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in chocolate and cinnamon chips. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. The sides will pull away from the pan. Test the center for doneness. Cool completely in pan. Enjoy!

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

I don't know about you, but fall is in full swing at our house. It is already jacket weather, I've broken out my stash of canned pumpkin {it gets hard to find in the upcoming months!} and I've been wanting comfort foods more often. I am so excited to start sharing soup recipes, everything pumpkin, butternut squash and casseroles. I have a recipe for sweet potato casserole that is going to blow your mind, seriously. But I think I'll hang onto that one for a bit because it is perfect for Thanksgiving.

For now, though,  I actually came across this recipe by accident and had forgotten all about it. It comes from an issue of Real Simple magazine. I found a new love in sweet potatoes. Last year I replaced them with white in a beef stew and it added this amazing creamy, rich, slightly sweet flavor that was awesome paired with the beef. This dish is the same way. You'll find the sweet potatoes add a depth of flavor and texture that is sort of addicting. This side would be great with really anything!

What You Need:
2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound peeled)
2 medium russet potatoes (1 pound peeled)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
2 ½ cups heavy cream
Butter for the foil

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice potatoes either by hand or in a food processor fitted with the thinnest (2 millimeter) slicing disk.

In a shallow 1 ½ quart baking dish, toss the potatoes, garlic, thyme, ¾ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Add the cream and press gently to submerge the potatoes.

Cover the dish with buttered foil, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden, 25 to 30 minutes more. Enjoy!

Penne with Butternut Squash

So here is a recipe that can be served warm or cold, so it is a great take-along for a picnic, party or food delivery to someone. The original recipe calls for goat cheese, reason being is that it is a very soft cheese that will melt when the hot penne is added, creating a creamy sauce. I personally love the flavor of goat cheese but realize it may be too strong for others. Good substitutions in this case would be Brie, cream cheese, or Ricotta, which are all much more mild in taste. If you can think of another extremely soft cheese, try it! Either way, adding butternut squash to pasta is one of my all time favorite things.

What You Need:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Olive oil, for drizzling
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese (or other) cubed
 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see note)
1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves (optional
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan


Directions
Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.
Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

 Note:
To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.