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!