A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Going somewhere tomorrow and at a loss at what to bring? My company just had it’s fist annual Thanksgiving potluck dinner and man do we have some talented people! Here are some of the things that they brought, and I can say with certainty that every single one of these dishes was delicious!

Jill made Pumpkin Doughnuts with Sour Cream Icing

Pumpkin doughnuts:

1/2  cup  canola oil, plus more for the pans
1 3/4  cups  all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1  teaspoon  baking powder
1 1/2  teaspoons  pumpkin pie spice
3/4  teaspoon  fine salt
1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
1  cup  pure pumpkin puree
3/4  cup  granulated sugar
1/4  cup  packed light brown sugar
1  large egg
1  teaspoon  pure vanilla extract

Sour cream icing:

3/4  cup  confectioners’ sugar
2  tablespoons  sour cream
1/4  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
orange sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly oil two 6-compartment doughnut pans* (or use 1 pan and bake in batches). Whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not overmix).
3. Spoon ¼ cup batter into each compartment of the prepared pans. Bake until the doughnuts are golden brown and spring back lightly when touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over the doughnuts. Scatter on the sprinkles, if desired. Let set before serving.

This corn pudding was super tasty!

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped leeks (white & light green part only)
4 cups corn kernels
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 large eggs
2 cups half & half
8 oz shredded jack cheese, or jack cheddar blend

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 2 quart ovenproof dish. Heat some oil in heavy skillet and saute leeks until softened, about 2 minutes.  Then add corn and cook about 3 minutes more. Remove from head and add in salt, nutmeg, and cayenne. Set aside in a large bowl whisk eggs and half & half to blend, stir in corn mixture and cheese and transfer to baking dish. Bake until a knife inserted into middle comes out clean, and top is slightly browned, about 35-45 minutes.  let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm (can be prepared a day ahead of time, just cool, cover, and refrigerate.  Reheat in a 350 degree over for 25 minutes or longer.)

Melinda made a Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

1 package frozen petite broccoli florets (or regular florets chopped), cooked according to package instructions
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup mayo
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp pepper and salt
½ cup grated cheddar cheese (plus addtl for topping)
1 bag stuffing mix (I like using chicken-flavored Pepperidge Farm, but others work just fine)
1 stick butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the frozen broccoli according to package instructions, typically microwaved for 3-5 minutes. Combine the mayo, mushroom soup, red onion, beaten eggs, broccoli and cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper. Stir to combine and pour into a casserole dish (8×8 or similar). Sprinkle additional cheese on top to lightly cover. Melt the stick of butter and pour over the stuffing mix in a separate bowl. Depending on the size of your casserole dish, you’ll likely not need to use the whole bag (10-12 oz) of stuffing to cover the top in a thin layer. I typically use ¾ of the bag, so start with less and as you mix in the butter you’ll have to eyeball how much more you’ll want to add. Spread the stuffing mix over the top. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Enjoy!

This stuffing was delicious!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter plus more for baking dish
1 pound good-quality day-old white bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
2 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 1/2 cups 1/4-inch slices celery
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 large eggs

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 250°. Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish and set aside. Scatter bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, melt 3/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with bread; stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1 1/4 cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk 1 1/4 cups broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°, about 40 minutes.

DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Uncover; let cool. Cover; chill.

Bake dressing, uncovered, until set and top is browned and crisp, 40-45 minutes longer (if chilled, add 10-15 minutes).

Sarah made Soul Sweet Taters

Ingredients:

4 whole Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Pecans
1/2 cup Flour
3/4 sticks Butter

Preparation Instructions:

Wash 4 medium sweet potatoes and bake them in a 375-degree oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. When they are finished cooking slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of (regular granulated) sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of salt. With a potato masher, mash them up just enough—you don’t want to be perfectly smooth. Now, in a separate bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, chopped (that means measure a cup of pecans, then chop them), ½ cup flour, and ¾ stick of butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Check out this Pumpkin Dream Cake with Cinnamon Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
12 oz (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease 3, 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl/stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, pumpkin and vegetable oil. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk.

Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes. (This keeps the cake moist by immediately stopping the baking so the cake does not continue to bake when you remove it form the oven.)

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth.

Assemble the 3 layers with a thick layer of frosting in between each layer. Then apply a thin crumb coat on the top and sides. Pop back in the freezer to harden the crumb coat for about 10 minutes.

Apply one final thick and even layer around the outside of the cake. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Mike made cranberry nut bread

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cups Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices).

Victoria made a peanut butter pie

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts

Directions:

Beat together cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm.

And I made a pumpkin gingerbread trifle!

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 5.1-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups heavy cream
1 12-ounce box Ginger Snaps

Preparation:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin, spices, pudding mix and a good splash of water (about 1/4 cup). Using an electric mixer, beat everything together until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble, layer the cookies and pudding mixture in a serving dish (or several individual dishes) in whatever fashion you like. Cover the puddings with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 8 hours (you want the ginger snaps to soften up from sitting in the pudding mixture).

Top with some ground cinnamon or more whipped cream if you like, and serve cold.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving recipe?

Tags: holiday