Stuffing/Dressing

Photo Courtesy of PioneerWoman

Stuffing/Dressing has never been my favorite Thanksgiving dish until the past few years. I became a fan once I tasted Kneaders stuffing mix with it's huge asiago cheese bread cubes. It is to die for!! Since we didn't have access to Kneaders in Utah this year I found this 'next best' option on Pioneer Woman's site. I liked the unique combo of french bread and cornbread and the fact that they are larger cubes instead of small cubes that tend to turn to mush (almost like a dressing in the form of oatmeal...know what I mean?)

Pioneer Woman's Thanksgiving Stuffing (Delicious!!)
1 recipe of PW's cornbread (see below)
1 loaf somewhat crusty french bread
1 medium onion, diced
low sodium chicken broth (about 4 cups)
1/2 c butter
2 c celery, chopped
1/4 c fresh parsley
1/2 t dried basil
2-3 t fresh rosemary
1/2 t dried thyme
salt

First chop cornbread and french bread into 1 inch cubes, spread on baking sheets and let dry for approx. 24 hours.

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion and celery, cooking until onions are almost translucent. Add 4 c chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add herbs and stir until combined.

Place all dried bread cubes in large mixing bowl and gradually add broth mixture, tossing lightly as you go. If the mixture is not quite moist enough add more broth and stir. Salt carefully...you don't want to oversalt stuffing.

Either stuff the bird and bake according to directions or place in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cornbread:
1 c yellow corn meal
1/2 c flour
1 t salt
1 c buttermilk
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 c plus 2 T shortening

Preheat oven to 450. Heat shortening in iron skillet. Combine corn meal, flour baking powder and soda, and salt in mixing bowl. In separate bowl, combine buttermilk, milk and egg. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and stir. Add 1/4 c melted shortening, stirring constantly. Pour into hot pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Cupcake Pops

I was inspired by Bakerella to make these cupcake pops. Let me just say how yummy these are!! The outer chocolate shell kept the cake so very moist and yummy. I made some with lolli-pop sticks and some were too top heavy so I bagged them like truffles.

Here is Bakerella's simple yet satisfying recipe in my own words:

1. Bake a cake per the cake mix directions. Let cool completely.
2. Crumble the cake in a large mixing bowl one quarter at a time. Add a container of frosting (I used store-bought) to the desired consistency. Begin to roll the cake mixture into walnut-sized balls by scooping with a small cookie scoop. You'll need to wash your hands after every 5-10 cake balls because the cake begins to adhere more to your hands then the ball. Once your cookie sheet is filled with cake balls put them in the freezer for 20 minutes or until completely frozen.
3. While these are freezing begin warming up your double boiler to melt the dipping chocolate. (I don't have a double boiler so a glass bowl resting in a saucepan with boiling water works great.) Remove the cakes from the freezer and carefully begin to dip them in the chocolate. I used both a fork to handle the cake as well as my lolli-pop sticks. If the cakes get too warm they will begin to crumble so just put them back in the freezer if this happens. Place newly dipped chocolate cakes on wax paper, decorate with sprinkles if desired (the chocolate hardens fast so be sure to remember to sprinkle these before it dries).

*Jayne's Notes: My cake was left to cool a little too long so I ended up using all of the frosting to moisten it but I don't think normally you need all of it. With too much frosting the cake balls get too sticky for handling. Also, if you decide to make these into lolli-pops then roll your cake balls small or else they will be too dense and heavy to stay on the stick.

Ginger Chicken

*Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ginger Chicken

Martha Stewart's original recipe

1 three-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick
matchsticks (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup sliced scallions

1. Soak ginger in cold water 10 minutes; drain.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat; brown chicken in two batches, 6
to 8 minutes. Set aside.

3. In same skillet over medium heat, cook ginger, onion, and garlic,
stirring until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add soy sauce, vinegar, and
sugar; cook over high heat until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken; stir
to warm. Remove from heat; stir in scallions.

Serve over Chinese noodles or steamed rice.

*Jayne's Notes: Warning to all you faint-of-heart at the sight of ginger. As you see from above, this has a lot of it. Soaking the ginger and then browning it with the onions does lower the intensity. I like authentic flavor packed Chinese food but if you want to give this recipe a try just decrease the amount. The recipe is worth trying so don't be scared off! My kiddos eat this happily with no complaints. Tonight I added about a quarter cup grated carrots. I liked the color the carrots added and it tasted good as well. Also, I'm always trying to sneak extra veggies into my kids' food and this worked just dandy! This dish is all meat so be sure to serve a veggie on the side. Tonight we served this on steamed rice with steamed cabbage on the side. Yum!

Apple Crumb Pie

Apple Crumb Pie

Pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie (I used our cookie crust recipe)
6 c. chopped, peeled, tart apples
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. sour cream
4 t. lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
Topping:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cold butter

Make crust (don’t bake). In large bowl combine all ingredients, except topping and put in crust. For topping, combine flour and sugar in bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and apples are tender. Cool on wire rack.

*Jayne's Notes: This recipe is courtesy of Dan's sister Rebecca. I enjoyed this recipe especially because of the crumb topping. Apple pies to me are normally too doughy with a dough crust on top and bottom so I enjoyed this change.

Pecan Pie

(*Photo courtesty of PW)

I have never been a pecan pie girl; I prefer berry pies. I'm not sure if my dislike stems from not liking nuts as a child or because I don't think this pie looks particularly pretty. Either way, this has always been a pie I steer clear of...until this past Thanksgiving. We made this pecan pie recipe and I really enjoyed it!! Yum, yum, yum!!

PW’s Pecan Pie
1 unbaked pie crust
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter (regular, salted)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping cup chopped pecans
Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, being careful not to burn pecans and crust.
Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. Serve in thin slivers.

Peanut Butter Ritz Treats

We're always looking for little treats to bribe our kiddos to eat their dinner. My girls are actually really good eaters but sometimes when you want them to eat their bell peppers you have to give a little encouragement. The other night we tried this fun treat. It was easy to make and tasty.

Instructions: (quoting Pioneer Woman...and this is her photo too!)
Spread peanut butter on the crackers, top each cracker with a marshmallow, and pop them in the oven under the broiler. How brown/black you want your marshmallows will determine how close to the cooking element you put the cookie sheet and how long you bake them.

Once they are cooked to your desired yummyness, just pop these gooey treats into your mouth and enjoy!
(P.S. I'm a sucker for melted PB so I enjoyed these as well!)


Ritz+pb+'shmellows = yummy for my tummy