For some reason, my family has NEVER made pumpkin pie as part of our Thanksgiving. We always opted for a delicious pecan pumpkin pie instead. I have always wanted to make a traditional pumpkin pie. This recipe is just perfect. So simple and soooo delicious.

Ingredients:

 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (about 2 cups)
 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
 2 large eggs
 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1(9-inch) unbaked pie crust

Preparation:

Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, and eggs together until well combined. Add spices. Pour into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
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I saw this recipe posted by Daphne Oz of The Chew and it looked so easy and delicious. I thought it would make for a perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving. Very simple using canned pumpkin, canned corn, with a few spices and some self rising flour and Voila! Fritters!!

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can Pumpkin Puree
1 7-ounce can Whole Kernel Corn (drained)
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Vegetable Oil for frying

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, corn and eggs and whisk to combine. Add the flour, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and season with salt and pepper. When the oil is to temperature carefully drop in heaping tablespoons of batter, making sure not to over crowd the pan. Gently flip when the bottom is crispy and allow to cook on the second side.
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Every year we all look forward to this pie.  Our Mom has been making it for Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember.  We ONLY have it once a year and it's my absolute FAVORITE thing for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without it.  In 1998 my niece, Rebecca was born on Thanksgiving Day so that was the only time that we didn't have our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner together.  Instead we all had some sub-par food at a diner near the hospital where Karen gave birth. I do believe however that our Mom brought some Pecan Pumpkin Pie to the hospital for Karen so she wouldn't miss out! 

Our Mom's sister, Aunt Bernice was just visiting from California and we were talking about the pie recipe.  She told me that the original recipe came from Better Homes and Garden Magazine from some time in the 1960's.  I think it's amazing that over 50 years later both our Mom and Aunt are still making this pie every year for Thanksgiving.  I told you it was GOOD!

If you love pecan pie and you also love pumpkin pie you MUST try this!
 

Ingredients:

3 beaten eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 9" unbaked pie crust
1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients, except for the pecans.  Pour pie mixture into prepared pie crust and top with chopped pecans.  Bake for about 1 hour or until the middle of the pie is firm, not jiggly (how's that for a technical baking term?)  Cool completely before serving (I like it chilled in the refrigerator) Top with whipped cream (Our Mom always served it with Cool Whip)

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Thanksgiving is right around the corner or for many of us Thanksgivukkuh.  So here come some great recipes and ideas for our favorite two holidays!!

 

Every Thanksgiving my sisters and I like to create a new signatiure drink befitting of the season.  Susan found a recipe for cranberry simple syrup, picked up some pomegranate vodka and we were set.  As a granish we skewered whole cranberries on a drink pick and froze them.  It was a great extra touch and it really did make a good stirrer that kept our drinks cool. 

 

 

Cranberry Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (8 ounces)      

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

 

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, and water to a simmer over medium. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until cranberries are tender but haven't burst, 10 minutes. Let cool, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard cranberries.  Pour simple syrup in a small pitcher and reserve in the refrigerator until cocktail time.

 

Cranberry Pomegranate Martini

Ingredients:

1 oz Cranberry Simple Syrup

4 oz Pomegranate Vodka

ice

whole fresh cranberries skewered on a tooth pick or short skewer

 

Preparation:

Fill a cocktail shaker or anther container with ice.  Pour in 1oz of premade cranberry simple syrup and 4oz of pomegranate vodka.  Put on lid and shake for 15 seconds until nice and chilled.  Pour alcohol mixture without ice into a glass and add cranberry skewer for garnish.

 

 

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We starting making cauliflower puree for Holiday dinners in place of mashed potatoes to have a more healthful alernative to all the potato dishes that we usually make.  We all really LOVE this recipe, well the adults do but the kids are still requesting mashed potatoes so I guess we will start making both.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter *optional

Preparation:

Cut cauliflower into small pieces and place in a stock pot.  Add chicken broth almost to cover and cook over med/hi heat for about 30-40 minutes until cauliflower is for tender.   Drain cauliflower reserving some cooking liquid on the side.  Using an immersion blender blend cauliflower until smooth.  If it's too thick add back in a little stock to help loosen it up.  Season with salt and pepper and some butter or margarine if desired.

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It's the age old question......what kind of sweet potatoes are we making this year for Thanksgiving?  Everyone seems to have an opinion and everyone likes them a different way.  A few years we made 2 different types of sweet potatoes but with the other million sides our family serves at Thanksgiving we have to narrow it down to one.  Here are two of our family's favorites....although there is a 3rd which I didn't post today.....Sweet Potato Pie.  I promise to post that recipe soon.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Marshmallows

 Roasted Maple Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Marshmallows:

4 large sweet potatoes

4 tablespoons margarine

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bake sweet potatoes, skin on in a 400 degree F. oven for 30-45 minutes until very tender.  Let cool enough to handle and then slice each potato in half and with a spoon scoop out the potato from the skin and place in a large bowl.  Discard the skin.   Add margarine and maple syrup and mash well or use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Transfer whipped sweet potatoes into a oven proof dish and top with mini marshmallows in a single layer.  Place potatoes back in oven for just about 5 minutes until the marshmallows on top are golden brown.  Watch the potatoes carefully so the marshmallows don't burn.  Serve immediately.

Roasted Maple Sweet Potatoes:

4 large sweet potatoes

6 tablespoons margarine

4 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Peel potatoes and cube.  Place potatoes on a sheet pan lined with foil.  Dot potatoes with margarine and sprinkle with brown sugar.  Drizzle maple syrup over the top of potatoes.  Place in oven and let roast for about an hour checking every 15 minutes and stirring with a spoon.  The potatoes will burn on one side if you do not move them around every so often.  They are done when they are fork tender and nice and caramelized.  Tranfer to serving dish and serve immediately.



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I have been trying for a few years now to find a good cornbread stuffing recipe. It is not as easy as you would think. Also I need to use a cornbread that contains no dairy since we serve it with a meat meal. I think I finally found one now. We just tested it today for Thanksgiving and it came out delicious. I found it on the website California Kosher Cooks. For the cornbread you can use any recipe you like and substitute soy milk for the milk. I actually found a boxed mix that uses water instead of milk and it came out great.

This stuffing tastes a lot like the traditional stuffing we make every year just slightly sweeter with the corn bread. I think it might become a new family favorite!

Ingredients:

1 small pan baked cornbread

1 small loaf whole wheat bread, cubed crusts removed

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

3 cups vegetable broth, with 1 1/2 sticks margarine melted in it

1 C chopped mushrooms

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp sage

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute onions, celery, and mushrooms in margarine until softened.

Crumble cornbread in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Place in a well-oiled 9 x 13 pan.

Bake 30-45 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered.

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This is a great idea that I got from my friend Maria.  She made it last year for Thanksgiving and posted a picture on Facebook and I knew it would be a big hit at the kids table for Thanksgiving.  The only change I made was to replace the cheese cubes with pineapple chunks since we always have a kosher Thanksgiving dinner and we can't serve cheese with a meat meal.  The kids LOVED this.  They sat at the table and started eating it as their "appetizer".

Ingredients:

1 small round watermelon

1 bunch of red grapes

2 cans of pineapple chunks

1 bosc pear

2 mini marshmallows

1 slice of red bell pepper

1 slice of yellow or orange bell pepper

long skewers

tooth picks

Preparation:

Begin by placing the watermelon in a small bowl so it won't roll around.  Attach pear to the front of watermelon by using a few tooth picks.  Stick tooth picks halfway into watermelon and then push the pear onto the toothpicks to hold it in place.  Attach the marshmellow eyes using one toothpick per eye.  Next cut the red pepper into a "gobbler" shape and attach to side of pear with a toothpick.  Do the same with the yellow or orange pepper for the turkey's beak.  Prepare the "feathers" by alternating between grapes and pineapple about 2/3 of the length of a skewer.  I made all the fruit skewers in advance and kept them on a covered sheet pan with foil in the refrigerator to stay cold until just before all the family arrived.  About 15 minutes before I placed all the fruit skewers into the top and back of the watermelon to look like feathers.

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You can't have Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce.  This is my version.  I use strawberries to help sweeten it up a little more and add extra texture.  This year I decided to add a little lemon juice and cinnamon and it really came out delicious.

Ingredients:

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 quart strawberries, diced
1 cup sugar
1 cup  water
Lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Place cranberries, water and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook on med/hi until cranberries start to burst.  Stir cranberry mixture and add in diced strawberries.  Let cook on med - med/hi heat stirring occasionally until fruit is cooked down but still a little chunky about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and cinnamon and cook for an additional minute or two.   Remove from stove and transfer hot mixture into a heat proof bowl and chill in refrigerator until cold, about 1-2 hrs or overnight.
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I wanted to come up with some fun ideas for the kids table.  When searching on the internet for new edible center piece ideas I found this super smart idea of making edible napkin rings out of bread.  I think the kids are really going to love this.  I made homeade whole wheat challah for these fun napkin rings but you can just as easily use frozen bread dough or a boxed bread mix.  I like this particular challah recipe because it has 1 cup of finely grated carrots in it.  I love the little orange specs in the dough and why not get some extra veggies into the kids, while they have no idea it's there.  For these napkin rings you will need 3-4 empty paper towel rolls covered in foil, lightly greased to make the shape of the rings.  Below the recipe are a few pictures of the process.  I hope you will try this!

 

Ingedients:

2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups unbleached flour
1 package active dry yeast
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more to coat bowl and top of dough
3 tablespoons honey
2 eggs, divided
1 cup peeled, finely grated carrots

Preparation:

Combine whole-wheat and unbleached flours.  Place 2 cups flour mixture,
yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl.  (set the other 2 cups flour mixture off to the side)

Heat warm water, oil and honey in a saucepan or microwave oven until
very warm, about 115 to 120 degrees. Add water mixture to flour-yeast
mixture, beating until well blended. Add 1 egg, carrots and enough
reserved flour to make a soft dough. (I needed about 1 1/2 cups of reserved flour)

Turn dough onto a floured board. Knead 5 to 10 minutes, adding additional
reserved flour as needed (I used the remaining 1/2 cup of flour) to make a smooth and elastic dough. Place dough in an oiled bowl.  Oil the top of dough. Cover with a towel; let rise in
a warm place until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

While waiting for dough to rise, Wrap 4 paper towel tubes in foil; grease lightly. Grease baking sheets.

Roll dough on lightly floured surface into two 12×6-inch rectangles. Cut dough into strips (6×1/2-inch) to make 48 strips.  Braid 3 strips of dough together and wrap around prepared tubes, pinching ends of dough to seal. Repeat with remaining dough.  Place on a greased baking sheets. Cover with a towel.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Beat remaining egg and use to brush tops of braids, all the way around. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

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It's time for Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays again.  This week's theme is THANKSGIVING!  Please post your favorite Thankgiving recipes.  I know we are always looking to change it up each year.  I would love to try a new sweet potato or stuffing recipe!!

Our Rules:

1.  Please become a follower of our blog.

2.  Please share a link back to your actual recipe post, not to your main blog page.
3.  Please link back to our blog so others can join in the fun.
4.  Leave us a comment about what recipe you are linking up.
5. Have fun!

Here are the featured recipes from last weeks theme -
CHILD FRIENDLY FOODS.

Fabulous Dinner Rolls by Lark's Country Heart


Funfetti Cake Balls by The Kitchen is my Playground


Simple Soup for Toddlers by Little Mommy Big Appetite


Almond Joy Brownie Bites by Flour Me with Love


Baked Mac n Cheese (no boil) by Everyday Mom's Meals


Now on to our FAVORITE holiday!  THANKSGIVING!!

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I stayed very late at my mentor's friends' house on Thanksgiving 'cause I had a great time with them. We talked, we ate, and we played game. I also had a small tour around their beautiful house and threw snow balls from the back side of the house.  That was really really a great time.

The next day, which was Black Friday, I woke up late and found no one in the apartment. A good time to study
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It's the fourth Thursday of November when I started my day gracefully, ready to spend the long day. Yeah, it's Thanksgiving, "as big as Christmas," one of my mentors told me. 
I have two mentors. One has left for a week holiday in Pennsylvania and on Thanksgiving she would visit her son. Therefore, my first plan of the day was to cook with my other mentor (who is still here). My mentor picked me
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