Apple Cranberry Walnut Stuffing

You can make 101 variations of this, but here is what I used today.

Apple Cranberry Walnut Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz. pkg. dressing/stuffing
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 apples: peeled, cored, and cubed
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped sage
• 1 cup chopped walnuts*
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, combine stuffing, celery, onion, cranberries, apples, parsley, sage and walnuts.
   
3. Mix in apple juice, chicken broth and butter, tossing lightly but well.
4. Place in a 13x9 pan or 3-quart oven-safe casserole dish.
   
5. Cover and bake 30 minutes until heated through. To make it crisper, uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer.
6. If stuffing inside turkey, ensure stuffing reaches 165 degrees before serving.
   

*Recipe updated 11/23/2012, since I forgot to include the walnuts in the ingredients originally!! Photo by Spiceopolis.com.

Maple Butternut Squash

Here is a Vermont twist on mashed butternut squash. Enjoy!

Maple Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 (3pound) butternut squash
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup Vermont maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg

Directions:

1. Peel and cut squash into cubes.
2. Place in saucepan and fill with enough cold water to cover squash plus one inch. (You can do this the night before and refrigerate.)
3. Add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.
4. Cook 20-25 minutes until tender (but not falling apart)
5. Drain squash and return to pot briefly to dry out water.
6. Mash to desired consistency.
7. Add butter, syrup, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, then mix well and serve.

Good Ole' Mashed Potatoes

I know this is a basic one - but for the sake of sharing all of my Thanksgiving recipes in one place - here it is!

Good ole' Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of potatoes
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of half and half or milk
• 6 tablespoons of butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Peel and cube/quarter the potatoes. Add the potatoes to a large pot with enough cold water to cover them by an inch or so. (This can be done ahead and then placed in fridge)
2. Add salt and bring the water to a boil.
3. Cook until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife. (About 20-25 minutes)
4. Drain the potatoes, then return them to the pot and cook the drained potatoes over low heat for a couple of minutes to evaporate some of the water still in the potato.
5. Mash (quickly, to retain heat) by your method of choice.
6. Blend in butter and half & half/milk, plus any other ingredients you prefer. **BEST if you warm the milk and butter before adding to the potaotes.
7. Season with salt and pepper.

Interesting notes

• Use a 1/2 cup of liquid and 2 oz. of butter for each lb. of potatoes.
• For less lumps and creamier texture, mash/blend smooth BEFORE adding liquid.
• Heating butter and liquid first (but NOT to boiling) and not over-cooking potatoes will minimize gumminess.
• If your potatoes have been sitting around for a while, adding a pinch of nutmeg will freshen the aroma and taste.

And just for fun: POTATO, POTATO, POTATO

Photo courtesy of plasticrevolver

Ginger-Scented Apple Squash Soup

This recipe is courtesy of Weight Watchers.

Ginger-Scented Pear Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp ginger root, grated
• 1 medium leek(s), white part only, coarsely chopped
• 4 3/4 oz frozen apple juice concentrate (undiluted), about 1/2 cup
• 3 large apple(s), Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
• 3 pound butternut squash, peeled, cut into chunks and seeded (1 large or 2 small squash)
• 4 cup canned chicken broth, divided
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup fat-free half and half
  

Instructions

1. Combine ginger, leek and apple juice concentrate in a large pot; cover and simmer until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes. Add apples, squash and 1 cup of broth; cover and simmer until very tender, about 1 hour.
2. Purée soup in pot using a hand-held immersion blender. Or purée soup in a blender in small batches (be careful not to splatter the hot liquid) and return the puréed soup to the pot.
3. Add remaining 3 cups of broth, salt and pepper; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in half and half and serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.
4. This recipe is part of our Make Ahead Soups, Chilies and Stews series. To learn more about this cook-and-freeze feature, click here.

Notes

Partially cooking a hard-shell squash makes it easier to peel. Pierce the gourd in several places with a fork, microwave on HIGH for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on size, and then peel.

POINTS® value | 3 Servings | 10 Preparation Time | 20 min Cooking Time | 90 min Level of Difficulty | Moderate

Spicy Cranberry Chutney

Hopefully the first of many recipes I plan to serve for my 1st family Thanksgiving at home!

I found this recipe on AllRecipes years ago, and have made it every holiday season since. Yum!

Spicy Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine apricots, brown sugar, raisins and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and stir while simmering for 5 minutes. Stir in cranberries, apple and lemon zest; simmer for 10 minutes more.
2. Stir lemon juice, ginger and pepper flakes into the mixture before removing from heat. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: About: Nutrition Info / Powered by: ESHA Nutrient DatabaseServings Per Recipe: 10 / Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97 /Total Fat: 0.1g /Cholesterol: 0mg /Sodium: 8mg /Total Carbs: 25.3g /Dietary Fiber: 2g /Protein: 0.4g / WW Points = 2