Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

I was in the mood to try a new Thanksgiving sounding (non-pie) dessert and this turned out to be just perfect. It freezes well and would make an easy, yummy, and quick Thanksgiving day breakfast (along with Orange rolls at our house).

4 eggs

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup canola oil

4 cups sugar

4 1/2 cups flour

2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 cups cranberries , fresh (coarsely chop in food processor)

Combine the wet ingredients and then add the dry ingredients. Pour into 3-4 medium loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Southwest Shredded Chicken 3 Bean Chili

This recipe is quick and tasty and complements the cornbread recipe below. It's a match made in heaven. I especially enjoyed that though this chili had some bite, it wasn't too spicy yet still full of flavor all at the same time.

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 14 oz cans chicken broth
16 oz can black beans, drained
16 oz can red kidney beans, drained
16 oz can canelli beans, drained
15 oz can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1 Tablespoon Tabasco hot sauce
1 fresh lime juiced
2 heaping Tablespoons chili powder
1 heaping Tablespoon cumin
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and shredded chicken breast; cook for 1 minute then stir in chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes then reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve.

Green Chili Cheddar Cornbread

1 Cup butter (2 sticks)
1 Cup sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ Cups flour
1 Cup cornmeal
1 ½ Tablespoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ Cup ultra gel (optional)
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 16oz can creamed corn
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until well combined. Slowly add eggs until well combined. Pour in remaining ingredients in no particular order until just combined. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish or 24 muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. If baking in 9x13 inch dish bake for 25-30 minutes, if baking in muffin tins, bake for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center.

I got this recipe off the Picky Palate blogspot. It's absolutely delicious! The one suggestion I have is to make the cornbread in muffin tins rather than the pan. It's so moist and delicious that it took me a lot longer cooking time to get the center of the 9x13 pan fully cooked. But, it was worth the wait!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

PICTURE COMING SOON!


My recipe was "Pumpkin Cheesecake" from Real Simple Magazine (Nov 2008). This is actually not a cheesecake. It is called "cheesecake," but in reality it is an icebox pie shaped like a cheesecake. This is unbaked (no eggs), and it just sets up in the fridge. It has a lighter, less dense, creamy texture, not a traditional cheesecake texture. When I gave my husband a slice, he didn't like it at all. But when I said, "Don't think cheesecake...think 'PIE'", he said, "This is great pie!" It cracked me up.Pumpkin Cheesecake

For the Crust 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from 14 graham crackers) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling
1 .25-ounce envelope unflavored gelatin
1 8-ounce bar cream cheese, at room temperature
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the CrustHeat oven to 400° F. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan. Using a straight-sided dry measuring cup, press the mixture into the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.Make and Chill the FillingSprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup boiling water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until dissolved, about 5 minutes.Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin, sour cream, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Mix in the gelatin mixture until incorporated.Pour the mixture into the crust and refrigerate, covered, until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Yield: Makes 8 servings


NUTRITION PER SERVING -- CALORIES 458; FAT 29g (sat 17g); CHOLESTEROL 80mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44g; CALORIES FROM FAT 56%; SODIUM 233mg; PROTEIN 6g; FIBER 3g; SUGAR 32g


submitted by Elizabeth Nielsen

Creme Brule

Crème Brule
6-8 servings

Heat almost to a simmer:
2 c. heavy cream
In medium bowl, stir with a wooden spoon just until blended:
8 large egg yolks ½ c sugar
/or 3 large eggs (I do the 3 eggs)
Gradually stir into the cream strain through fine mesh into a large bowl. Stir in:
¾ tsp. vanilla
Pour into 6-8 4 inch custard cups or ramekins and place in a preheated water bath. Set in 250° preheated oven, bake until set but still quivery in center about 1-1 ½ hours. Remove from oven & water bath & cool to room temperature. Cover each one tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hrs or up to two days. Shortly before serving, gently blot any liquid that has formed on the surface with paper towels. Then caramelize the tops by using small kitchen blowtorch.





After it has sat in refrigerator over night.After you sprinkle sugar on top you caramelize it with a hand held torch.

As the sugar cooks it turns into this brown crispy crust. This one still needs more around the edges.
These are done, and ready to eat.

Pumpkin Caramel Corn

This was such a fun recipe to make - I mean c'mon who doesn't love caramel corn in all it's ooey goodness! :)

8 quarts of popped popcorn = 1 1/4 cups unpopped kernels

1/2 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup karo syrup

3/4 cup solid pack pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

pinch of cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Pop the popcorn into a large greased w/pam roasting pan. Melt butter in a medium saucepan and then add brown sugar, karo syrup, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cream of tartar. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Let boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. Bake in roasting pan (or you can use a big bowl and greased cookie sheets) at 225 degrees for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. When it's done cooking, pour onto waxed paper/foil and stir every 5-10 minutes as it cools. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili w/pumpkin

Submitted by Rebecca Cantwell

You will need the following ingredients:

2 large onions

4 cloves of garlic

1 large zucchini

2 large yellow squash (can substitute one small pumpkin for one of the squash)

2 large pepper of any color

2 cans diced tomatoes

4 cans black beans

3 cans kidney beans

2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. red pepper/cayenne pepper

Dash of cinnamon

In a large pot:

Add 1 cup ow water, onion and garlic and turn on stove to medium heat. Add all the other veggies (peeled & diced), and cook for approximately 5 minutes until veggies are tender, but not yet cooked. Add cans and turn to low heat. Let simmer for1 hr.

*All the canned ingredients in this recipe are 14-15 oz. cans.*

Pumpkin Cheeseball

This cheeseball turned out quite tasty. It's an interesting assortment of ingredients that blended very nicely together. It's also festive looking as it's orange in color. The recipe doesn't call for the nuts, but the second time I made it I enjoyed rolling it in crushed pecans as pictured above.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened - do not microwave, just let it sit out on the counter for a couple of hours

1/2 cup. solid pack pumpkin

1 jar (2 1/2 oz.) dried beef slices, chopped. This was very easy to find in the grocery store next to the canned meats. It's an ingredient I've never used before, but it was easy to work with and necessary for the salt in the cheeseball

2 cups (8 oz.) sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 tbsp. chopped onion

Mix and form into a bowl. Roll in chopped nuts if desired and/or score the cheesball with a knife to look like a pumpkin and use a short celery stick to represent a pumpkin stem. Serve with crackers and enjoy.