Yams {the BEST}

Here is another of our !Must Haves! for Thanksgiving. This is another one from my sister-in-law. This is really more like dessert than a side dish but I still claim it as part of dinner so I can stuff my face with dessert later and not feel guilty!

Yams

5 cups cooked and mashed yams (about 4 large)
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
4 T flour
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup brown sugar
5-6 T butter

Whip together yams, 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar and 4 eggs. Put into a greased 9x13 pan. Melt 5-6 T butter and add flour, walnuts, and brown sugar. Sprinkle on top of yams. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cranberry - Orange Sauce

A friend of mine requested this recipe. This is a must at Thanksgiving for us. But I didn't want to wait because I thought some might want to take a stab at this for their holiday. I got this recipe from my sister in law and would not do Thanksgiving without it (or left-overs for that matter)!

Cranberry - Orange Sauce

1 pkg fresh cranberries
1 orange (peel and all)
1 apple, cored
2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Combine cranberries, orange and peel, and apple in a food processor or blender. Blend until no more chunks. Add sugar and nuts and stir until all mixed together.

Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars

I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie, but I do love pumpkin. So, when I saw these over at Our Best Bites, I couldn't resist. And they totally did not disappoint. I loved them, especially right out of the oven! So whether you love pumpkin pie or don't, these are sure to please. Try something new for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars

1 box yellow or white cake mix
1-2 sticks butter (see notes in instructions)
1 16 oz can pumpkin*
2 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t ginger
1/8 t cloves
1/8 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1/3 C chopped pecans
1/2 t additional cinnamon for topping*

Preheat oven to 350.Place 2 C of the cake mix in a bowl. Cut in 3 T chilled butter. Just use your fingers to crumble the butter until it's in small crumbly pieces. Place mixture in a 9x13 baking dish and press flat with your fingers.

Mix pumpkin, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and spices until smooth. Pour on top of the cake mixture in the pan.

Now take the rest of the dry cake mix and mix in 1/2 t cinnamon. Sprinkle it all over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Use a measuring cup so you have a rough measurement of how much you're putting on.

Here's why:
Next sprinkle on the chopped pecans. You'll have 3 distinct layers now: For every 1 C of cake mix you sprinkled on top, you'll need 3 T of melted butter. Drizzle it right on top. That butter is going to combine with the cake mix and make magic in the oven. Pop it in your 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or so. A knife should come out without globs of pumpkin on it and the topping should be nice and golden.

Apple Cider Muffins

Muffins are one of my favorite breakfast foods and snacks. I wanted to do an apple muffin without chunks, I am not a fan. So, I found this recipe that has apple cider in it instead. These are so yummy, with a hint of apple flavor. I didn't have apple butter, so I just doubled the apple cider and it worked just fine.

Apple Cider Muffins
(adapted from Black Cat Kitchen)

Streusel:
2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
4 tsp. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

Muffins:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (I used dark)
1/2 cup apple butter (I didn't have this, so I doubled the cider)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 400. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray. (I actually got about 16 muffins)
Prepare streusel: Mix brown sugar, whole wheat flour, and cinnamon in small bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Prepare muffins: Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl.Whisk together egg and brown sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in apple butter, syrup, cider, yogurt and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just combined. Scoop batter into muffin cups and sprinkle with streusel.
Bake until golden brown and tops spring back when touched lightly, 15-25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then cool on wire rack before serving.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

These have been a Fall favorite for years now. My husband will ask for these in all seasons though, he loves them! They make a big pan so I always try and make them when we have friends to share them with.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground cloves
4 eggs, beaten
1-15 oz can pumpkin
1 cup oil

In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients. Stir in eggs, pumpkin and oil until combined. Spread batter into an UNGREASED 15x10 in pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 t vanilla
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together first 3 ingredients. Add two cups of powdered sugar, mix well. Add additional sugar, mix until creamy. (The frosting is thick, be careful when spreading it can pull off the top of the bars)

Apple Pie Bars

I found this recipe at recipegirl.com and have been wanting to try it for a couple of weeks. Well I finally got around to it, and boy am I glad I did! These are GOOD! I thought they were the best when they were still warm with a big ol' scoop of vanilla ice cream but they are really good the next day too. Heck, they are good the third day, they are just good! I just made half of this recipe in a 9x13 and it worked great! I know that it looks like a lot of work but it was worth it for me. Besides every once in a while it is nice to have a little longer project than a boxed brownie mix.

Apple Pie Bars

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (I just used salted and omitted the salt)
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

FILLING:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (again I used salted)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
12 Granny Smith apples (about 6 pounds)—peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup water, as necessary

TOPPING:
3 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar (I used dark0
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled (again, salted)

1. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 15-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. With an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. At low speed, beat in the flour, spices and salt until a soft dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan and 1/2 inch up the side in an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and set. Let cool on a rack.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a very large, deep skillet melt the butter with the brown sugar. (If you don’t have a large skillet, divide between 2 skillets). Add the apples to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until the apples are caramelized and very tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes longer; scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet and add up to 1/2 cup of water to the pan to prevent scorching. Let cool.

3. Prepare the topping: In a large bowl, mix the oats with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using fingers (wash your hands and take off your rings first!), squeeze the butter into the oats & sugar and crumble together until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture into clumps.

4. Assemble the bars: Spread the apple filling over the crust. Scatter the crumbs on top, pressing them lightly into an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the topping is golden; rotate the pan halfway through baking, and keep an eye on it to make sure the top isn’t getting too browned. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting into 2-inch bars.
Makes 4 dozen bars

Turkey Meatballs

I have never made meatballs before and for some reason had a burning desire to venture into meatball land. So I did a little research and finally found a recipe that I thought sounded good and that was fairly strait forward. It is a recipe from Giada De Laurentis off of Food Network, love her. Anyway here is the recipe for meatballs and her sauce. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

1 small onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano (I didn't have this so I just doubled the Parmesan)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground dark turkey meat (I used ground turkey breast)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce

Directions

Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Mix in the turkey. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a large plate or baking sheet.
Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add to marinara sauce. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 t sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves (I used dried)
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. Optional{Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.} I liked mine just how it was without smoothing it out.