Sweet Potato Pie

This is a very easy pie to make and is just the perfect thing to have on a cold evening! It has a similar texture to pumpkin pie, and I'm sure it would be lovely with some ice-cream.

4 oz cream cheese (softened in the microwave for about 20 seconds)
2 C sweet potato (baked and mashed)
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 C light cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 store bought graham cracker pie shell
vanilla ice-cream for serving

Bake about 5 sweet potatoes in a moderate oven for about 1-1/4 hour until done.
Allow them to cool for a few minutes, then peel and mash them.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Put 2 cups in a medium mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Add the sugar, cream and beaten eggs and mix well. Stir in the cinnamon and vanilla and then pour the mixture into the graham cracker pie shell.

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish. I love the look of it, but I have to say it's a little sweet for me, and I think I prefer just plain baked sweet potatoes with no extra sugar added. They are extremely sweet after all!
4 medium sweet potatoes, baked and mashed
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C miniature marshmallow

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the sweet potatoes for about 1 1-4 hours until cooked. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes and then peel and mash with a fork.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the sweet potato, brown sugar, salt and vanilla.
Spoon the mixture into a small casserole dish, and sprinkle the miniature marshmallows over the top.
Lower the temperature to 375 degrees, and bake for about 25 minutes until the marshmallows begin to brown and start to melt.

Pumpkin Season

It's pumpkin season here in New England! I love the huge variety of pumpkins and multi-colored gourds. And of course pumpkins lend themselves to all sorts of baked concoctions!

Spicy Cranberry Chutney

This recipe is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey who is one of my favorite cookbook writers. This cranberry sauce has a nice kick to it, and the cayenne adds some heat which works very well with Thanksgiving Dinner.

1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced finely
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
3 TBsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne1 can whole cranberry sauce, roughly chopped
dash ground black pepper

Cook the ginger, garlic, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and cayenne in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook on a medium heat form about 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about half.

Add the can of cranberry sauce, stir and gently heat for about 10 minutes or so.
Cool before serving.

Cranberry Sauce

This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, who is one of my favorite TV cooks. She has such an easy cooking style, plus I love having a peep into what life is like living on a ranch in Oklahoma.

3 C fresh cranberries, washed
1 C maple syrup
juice and zest of one orange

Put the cranberries in a medium sized saucepan, and then add the maple syrup and orange juice and zest. Stir gently and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes or so until the cranberries begin to break down.

This is one of the most delicious cranberry sauce recipes I've tried, and the best thing is that it's super easy to make! You can't go wrong with that!

This Thanksgiving I cooked three different cranberry sauce recipes, and this was definitely my favorite. Everyone else seemed to love it too!

Green Bean Casserole

This is the old-fashioned green bean casserole that is the traditional accompaniment to Thanksgiving Dinner.
1 can condensed mushroom soup
1/2 C milk
5 C green beans, cooked
2/3 C French's Fried Onions

Cook the green beans until done. Drain and spoon into a large casserole dish.
Sprinkle 1/3 C of the fried onions over the green beans, and gently stir and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Meanwhile, stir the soup and milk together in saucepan, and gently heat for a few minutes.
Pour the hot soup over the green beans and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes until the beans are heated through.
Top with the remaining fried onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes.