Holiday Sweet Spiced Nuts

Ingrediants:

3/4 sugar
3 tbsp water
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cardamom (or substitute 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
1 cup pecan halves
1 1/2 cups whole almonds
1 cup walnut pieces

Directinos:

Preheat oven to 200°F.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.

Spread evenly on a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan.

Bake for 45 minutes, stirring nuts every 15 minutes.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Pecan Pie

Ingrediants:

1 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup (or dark corn syrup)
1 tablespoon rum or bourbon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1/4 cup cream
1/4 salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.

Make the Pecan Filling: In a large saucepan, heat the brown sugar, Lyle's Golden Syrup, rum, and butter until boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool until tepid. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. When the boiled syrup has cooled, beat in the eggs, salt, and cream.

Remove the chilled pastry crust from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the chopped pecans over the bottom of the crust. Then pour the filling evenly over the nuts. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is just set (a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie will come out clean. (If you find the edges of the pie crust are over browning during baking, cover with foil.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipping cream.

Makes one 9 inch pie.

Note: To toast pecans - Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes in a 350 degree F oven until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.


Maple Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Make the Maple Whipped Cream: Place the heavy whipping cream and maple syrup in bowl of your electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the cream until soft peaks form.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

For the topping:
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Nonstick spray

For beans:
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
1 gallon water
2 tablespoons kosher salt

For sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Bake in the oven until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes, for approximately 30 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use.

Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Add the half-and-half and cook until the mixture thickens, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Corn Pudding

Ingrediants:

2 ears fresh corn
1 16 ounce bag frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 cup half and half (I used low fat)
1/2 cup milk (whatever kind you have, I used skim)
2 eggs, plus 1 egg white
1/2 stick butter, melted (I used the unslated SmartBalance-butter blend stick)
5 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the kernels off both ears of fresh corn, setting aside 1/2 cup of the whole kernels. With a cheese grater, grate the ears of corn over a plate to remove all of the milky corn still left in the ears. With the 1/2 cup of corn you set aside, you should have about 3/4 cup of corn kernels and ‘milky’ corn left.

Pour the 3/4 cup corn from the fresh ears in a food processor. Set aside 1/2 cup of the frozen corn kernels. Pour the remaining frozen corn in the food processor with the fresh corn. Blend the corn until it is evenly minced, almost to a puree. Pour in the milk and half and half and blend until combined.

In a medium bowl, beat your eggs and egg white slightly with a fork. Pour the corn mixture in the bowl, stirring to mix well. Slowly pour in the melted butter, stirring as you add it. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cheese and stir to combine. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with non-stick spray, and pour the entire mixture into the dish. Bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the middle is set. Let the dish stand for at least 30 minutes. Can be refrigerated and reheated.

Cornbread Stuffing

Ingrediants:

2 slices bacon, chopped
2 stalks celery, minced
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
2 1/2 cups crumbled cornbread
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large heavy bottomed saute pan, begin to fry bacon. Add celery, onion and garlic to pan and allow to saute with the crispy bacon. Add rosemary, sage and parsley after bacon has cooked for 8 to 10 minutes. Saute until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl add cornbread, dried cranberries and chicken stock. Stir in the cooked vegetable mixture. Mix well.

Place in 8x8 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Pumpkin Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 pounds bulk sweet Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey, whatever you like), casings removed
1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk (eyeball it)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
Few dashes fresh nutmeg
1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO, about two turns of the pan. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, breaking the meat up as it cooks with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Push the meat to one side of the pan and add the eggplant, onion and garlic. Cook 7-8 minutes, until tender, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the veggies are cooking, place a medium-size sauté pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook the mixture for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk into roux, breaking up any clumps. Bring the mixture to a bubble and add the pumpkin puree and nutmeg. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Spread about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9" casserole dish. Layer three lasagna noodles over the sauce, then top them with about 1 cup of the meat mixture, a cup or so of the sauce and a palmful of cheese. Repeat these layers two times, topping the casserole with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over the noodles, sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake the lasagna until the sauce is bubbling and pasta is baked through, about 45 minutes.

During the last ten minutes of baking, remove the aluminum foil to brown the cheese. Once out of the oven, allow the dish to rest a few minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6 Servings

Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.

With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.