Candy Turkey

These are so cute! My cousin, Sharon brought all the stuff up with her for Thanksgiving with us and we sat at the table and made 12 of them; one for everyone. The instructions are what you need to just make one turkey, but of course why would want to just make one?



2 Oreo sandwich cookies
7 Candy Corn Candies + 1 white tip of a Candy Corn
1 Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cup
1 Whopper
Black or brown frosting
Orange frosting
White frosting
3 Toothpicks (one for each frosting color)

1. Gently push in the pointed end of each of the seven Candy Corns into half of an Oreo (into the filling).
2. Using the black or brown frosting place a dollop on the top of the peanut butter cup and attach to the Oreo you just inserted the Candy Corns into-this will be the body of the turkey; use another dollop at the bottom of the body to hold him onto the second Oreo that will act as a base.
3. Place another dollop just on top of the peanut butter cup and place the Whopper ball on top for the head. Using just a drop of the same frosting onto the white Candy Corn tip and attach to the front of the Whopper for the beak.
4. Using one of the toothpicks, put a small amount of the black or brown frosting just above and one to each side of the beach for eyes.
5. Using the same technique with a second toothpick and a bit of the white frosting, place a small dot inside or just on top of the black or brown frosting to complete the eyes.
6. Finally, with the third toothpick and the orange frosting apply to the base of the peanut butter cup but still on the base Oreo and create his feet. Voila! You are now done! Cute! Right!?!

Turkey & Cranberry on Mini Pumpkin Muffins

This is another recipe I found in the same People magazine a few weeks ago by Mary Giuliani. I thought it sounded fun and would be perfect with Thanksgiving leftovers. I am serving this for lunch on Saturday after Thanksgiving day, but they would make a fantastic hors d'oeurve.

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. canned pumpkin
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
Leftover turkey
Leftover cranberry sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini-muffin pan.
2. In a bowl, stir flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, stir pumpkin, milk, oil and eggs until blended.
4. Stir flour mixture into pumpkin.
5. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 15 minutes.
6. Recipe makes 24 muffins.
7. Once cool, cut muffins in half horizontally. Place turkey and cranberry on bottom half. Replace muffin top.

Mini Grilled Cheese with Cranberry, Turkey & Brie

There are always plenty of leftovers in our house to enjoy, so I have come across a few recipes in a People magazine a couple weeks ago that we I'm going to try. This recipe comes from Mary Giuliani.

12 slices pumpernickel bread
1/2 lb. Brie
1/2 c. leftover cranberry sauce
Leftover turkey
4 tbsp. butter

1. Lay out 6 slices of bread. Dot each with a tbsp. of cranberry sauce, an even amount of Brie and leftover turkey. Top with remaining 6 slices of bread.
2. Melt butter in skillet. When butter starts sizzling, add sandwiches and cook until golden brown. Remove from skillet and cut into quarters.
3. Sandwiches can be grilled anytime. If prepared ahead of time; when ready to serve, place on a baking sheet and reheat at 300 degrees.

Cinnamon-Pecan Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread is what I'm making for breakfast on Thanksgiving Day. If you aren't a nut fan, you can easily leave them out. I found this recipe on the Splenda site.

1/2 (3 lbs.) pkg. frozen roll dough
1/4 c. chopped pecans
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. Splenda Brown Sugar blend
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. Splenda Brown Sugar blend
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. butter, melted

1. Spray 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle with pecans in bottom; set aside.
2. Combine 2 tbsp. butter, 1/4 c. Splenda and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a small pan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until blended; pour over pecans and set aside.
3. Combine 1/3 c. Splenda and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
4. Cut each roll in half; dip tops of balls into melted butter and then into Splenda mixture. Place in prepared pan. (At this point Monkey Bread may be covered and stored in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight or proceed as directed.) Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 50 minutes or until doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees about 10 minutes prior to baking. Bake 25-30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

18 Servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 180 calories, 6g fat, 2g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 290mg sodium, 24g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 9g sugar, 4g protein.

Double Cherry Pie with Orange

The original recipe is called Cherry Cherry pie from Splenda, but I thought I'd add little twist by adding a little orange extract in place of the almond extract and some orange zest.



1-15 oz. pkg. refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
2-14.5 oz. cans pitted, tart red cherries, undrained (Oregon has a brand and I think they are the best tart cherries to use)
2/3 c. Splenda granulated sweetener
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. almond extract OR orange extract
2 tsp. lemon juice
4 drops red food coloring
Orange zest (about 1/4 tsp.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Unfold one crust; press out fold lines. Fit pie crust into 9-inch pie plate.
3. Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup juice; set fruit aside.
4. Combine Splenda and cornstarch in a medium saucepan; gradually stir reserved juice into Splenda mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice, extract and food coloring. Fold in reserved cherries; cool slightly. Spoon into pie crust.
5. Unfold second pie crust and press out fold lines. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Place over filling; fold edges under and crimp. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape.
6. Bake 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden. Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent over browning. Coll on wire rack for at least one hour.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 290 calories, 14g fat, 6g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 39g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 10g sugar, 3g protein.

Nostalgic Apple Pie

I love apple pie, but then again I love apples and cinnamon, so this is a perfect dessert for me. This recipe, too, I got from the Splenda site.



1 double pie crust
7 c. baking apples, thinly sliced, cored & peeled
1 c. Splenda granulated sweetener
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place one crust into 9-inch pie pan.
2. Place apples in a large bowl and set aside. Combine Splenda and spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over apples and toss. Spoon mixture into crust. Place second crust over filling. Seal edges, trim and flute. Make small opening in top crust.
3. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven 40-50 minutes or until top crust is golden.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 300 calories, 15g fat, 4g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 270mg sodium, 40g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 14g sugar, 3g protein.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

I will be making all my pies the day before Thanksgiving to help eleviate some of the stress of the oven. This simple recipe is from Eagle Brand.



1-15 oz. can pumpkin
1-14 oz. can Eagle Sweet Condensed Milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1-9-inch unbaked pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk pumpkin, milk, eggs, spices and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour into crust and bake 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean (about 1-inch from crust). Cool. Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator.

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

I apologize, you will not find a recipe for stuffing. I have decided with everything else, that I'm just going to do the every quick Stove Top Cornbread stuffing, the only thing is once it's ready, I like to stick it in the oven for a bit and get it crispy on top.

This sweet potato casserole is another recipe from the Splenda site. It sounds delicious! Instead of just mixing the potatoes with the spices and topping it with marshmallows, it calls for melting the marshmallows in a saucepan, adding the spices and creating a kind of sauce. I can't wait to taste it on Thanksgiving Day.

4 lb. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
3/4 c. light butter
1/3 c. Splenda granulated sweetener
2 tbsp. molasses
2 c. miniature marshmallows
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg (you know me, instead I will add extra cinnamon)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Boil sweet potatoes until slightly underdone, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and peel.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, Splenda, molasses and 1 cup marshmallows. Season with cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until marshmallows are melted.
4. Stir potatoes into marshmallow sauce. While stirring, mash about half of the potatoes and break the others into bite-size chunks. Transfer to prepared dish.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cover top evenly with remaining marshmallows. Return to oven and bake until marshmallows are golden brown.

12 servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 250 calories, 6g fat, 4g saturated fat, 20mg cholesterol, 95mg sodium, 48g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 23g sugar, 4g protein.

Homemade Rolls

This recipe allows you to use your bread machine to do all the work of mixing the ingredients for you, so you can work on another dish. The recipe is from:
www.bread-maker.net.

1 c. water
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 egg
3 1/4 c. bread flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. quick active dry yeast

1. In order listed above, place all measured ingredients in pan.
2. Select "dough" cycle.
3. Remove dough from pan and divide into 16 equal parts.
4. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
5. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
6. Serve warm.

Green Beans with Orange and Almonds

This recipe sounds so refreshing, not to mention yummy! I found it in a People magazine a couple weeks ago, by Matt & Ted Lee. It is featured in their Lee Brothers Simple Fresh Southern cookbook.

1 large navel orange
1 lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
black pepper
2 tsp. canola oil
3/4 tsp. salt (I will probably only use 1/8 tsp.)
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1. Grate zest of orange. Segment orange, keeping juice in a bowl.
2. In a large skillet or saute pan, heat oil over high heat so it coats bottom evenly. When oil smokes, add beans and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring every 1 1/2-2 minutes, until half are blistered and blackened, about 8 minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Lift orange segments form juice and scatter them over the beans. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. orange zest.
3. Add vinegar, olive oil, and remaining salt to juice, whisk. Pour dressing over beans. Toss and season with salt, pepper and remaining zest.

Rosemary-Mustard Ham

Well, since I'm up at this hour and the hubby won't be up and out the door for work for another hour when i can go grocery shopping, I decided to start sharing some of my 2009 Thanksgiving dinner recipes with you. All my Thanksgiving recipes are new this year. I got this particular recipe from the Splenda website. Pictures will be posted after I make each recipe on Thanksgiving Day.

1- 5 lb. bone-in ham, fully cooked
1/2 c. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. clove (I don't care much for close, taste or smell, so I will not be using)
1/4 c. Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1 tbsp. fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp. allspice (I will probably use extra cinnamon)
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use a sharp knife and score the top of the ham in a diamond pattern and stud with cloves. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
3. Bake 40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine mustard, Splenda, orange juice, rosemary and spices. Remove ham from oven and brush a thick layer of glaze all over ham. Return to oven and bake 30-45 minutes more, or until thermometer reads 135 degrees. Brush ham two more times with glaze during baking time. Cover ham with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 270 calories, 6g fat, 2g saturated fat, 115mg cholesterol, 1900mg sodium, 7g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 0g sugar, 45g protein.

Thanksgiving Recipes

Hello all!

I just wanted to leave a little note to all who read my recipe/food blog. I appreciate your patronage and cherish your comments and tips. I love to hear about whenever you try one of the recipes I feature that I've made who family and friends have enjoyed. I love to cook and bake and I love to serve my family all the wonderful things I come across, so keep coming back and trying the recipes and don't forget to leave me a comment about how your family enjoyed it and if the kids enjoyed helping you make it.

This weekend, before family comes to town, I am going to share all my Thanksgiving recipes. This year, I'm not using my normal recipes for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm trying some new things with new and refreshing twists that I think not only my guests will enjoy but I think you will too. Also, all my desserts, except my rice crispy treats are going to be made with Splenda this year, to accommodate some special diets. Plus, it healthier.

I have a large menu planned and I only know for sure of 6 of us being here to eat it. However, I have invited many more to join us, I just haven't heard whether or not they are going to join us. Oh well, more for us if they don't come! I love Thanksgiving dinner.

I wanted you have an idea of what dishes I'm making, I will tell you each dish that will be featured but you won't know the recipe name until I post it. Some have no recipe, however. Stay tuned and be prepared to salivate as you read each recipe and leave your computer very hungry, craving your upcoming Thanksgiving meal! My menu: turkey, ham, stuffing, rolls, green beans, yams, potatoes, gravy, cranberries, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, apple pie, chocolate pudding pie, regular and chocolate rice crispy treats, crackers & cheese, fresh veggies & dip. These menu items you will see featured on this blog in a recipe: ham, stuffing, rolls, green beans, yams, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, apple pie, chocolate rice crispy treats, regular rice crispy treats. Along with Thanksgiving dinner recipes, I have a few others that I'm going to share, too, that we are going to use with leftovers. Yummy!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Oh yes, I am thankful for many, many things, but here are some of them: my husband and out 11th wedding anniversary (the day after Thanksgiving) our parents and siblings (amongst our many other extended family relatives), our babies, home, and work. I have been so blessed in my 30 years by our wonderful, loving Heavenly Father. I know that I will continually be blessed as I live out the rest of my 30, 40, 50, 60 or maybe ever 70+ years here on earth because He is that wonderful.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Yummy Mummy Calzones

This recipe, too, comes from my Taste of Home Halloween cookbook. However, I did see it featured on an Emeril Halloween special just before Halloween and Rachel Ray showed how to make them. I don't know where the recipe originated, but I found it in my Taste of Home Halloween cookbook before I saw Rachel make it, and I've had this cookbook for about 6 years. I remember how to do it without the recipe. The amounts may not be exact to the recipe but it is what I used. I made two mummy calzones-a turkey pepperoni (tastes just like regular pepperoni) and a veggie. I put the amounts of what I used for each in this recipe.

Yummy Mummy Calzone Picture: the big breasted, tall mummy calzone is the turkey pepperoni one and the short, fat mummy calzone is the veggie. Can you tell I made the long, big breasted one first?


Turkey Pepperoni Mummy Calzone:
1 loaf frozen bread, uncooked & thawed
1 pkg. Hormel Turkey Pepperoni (use as little or as much as you wish)
1/4 c. pizza sauce
1 slice of black olive, cut in half (for eyes)
1-2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese (again, use as much or as little as you wish)
NOTE: (If you wish, you could add sausage, hamburger, olives, onions, peppers, etc., whatever you want in you mummy calzone.)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Veggie Lover's Mummy Calzone:
1 loaf frozen bread, uncooked & thawed
1/2 Green pepper, seeded & sliced
1/2 Yellow pepper, seeded & sliced
1/4 c. Sliced Black Olives + 1 cut in half (for eyes)
1/2 Red Onion, small, sliced & slices cut in half
4-5 Mushrooms, fresh, washed & sliced
1/4 c. pizza sauce
1-2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Roll out each piece of dough into a rounded triangle shape, about 14-in. high x 11-in. wide at the base of the triangle. Place each on a parchment-lined baking sheet with the tip of the triangle toward you. Lightly score 4-in.-wide rectangle in the center of the triangle 2 in. from the top and bottom (I didn't do this scoring part, I just eyed it).
2. On each long side, cut 1-in.-wide strips at an angle up to the score line, leaving a triangle in the top center of the wide end for the head.
3. Inside the scored rectangle in the center, spread pizza sauce, sprinkle on cheese and place pepperoni. Shape the top center triangle into a head. Starting at the head, fold alternating strips of dough at an angle across filling stopping at the last strip on each side. As you bring the last two strips crossing over the pizza filling, press them firmly together at bottom to form a seal.
4. Brush dough with beaten egg. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. For eyes, press 1olive slice into each head. Discard or save the remaining slices for another use.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves: 8-10, but I think I squeezed about 12 out of mine, because one was so long and the other was so thick. I could cut the thick one into about 3/4-inch thick pieces and the long one was just long and allowed me to get more slices out of it.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (from the Taste of Home website at: www.tasteofhome.com): 1 slice equals 358 calories, 12 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 39 mg cholesterol, 831 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein. (This information is accurate to the exact Taste of Home recipe, however it varies with toppings, so this information is not correct for my variation of the Yummy Mummy Calzones. For the original recipes go to:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Yummy-Mummy-Calzones?cpi=1&sort=

NOTE: This was a HUGE hit at the Halloween party my Uncle Dustin and Aunt Tracy threw, along with my Uncle Paylor and Aunt Teresa, cousin Coley and her boyfriend, Victor. Once I cut them into slices, they were gone in a matter of minutes. Next time, I'm making more than just two. Give them a try and make them for your next Halloween or theme party! Not only were they a hit and indeed "Yummy" but they were fun to make too!

Taffy Apple Salad

I first found this recipe in my Taste of Home Halloween cookbook submitted by someone from Oregon, but I have misplaced that cookbook so I had to find the correct recipe online. I found more than a few variations but I found the right one at: http://kidscooking.about.com/od/soupsandsalads/r/taffy_apple_sal.htm. There is two minor differences: (1) this recipe calls for pineapple chunks, mine called for crushed-so it is just a matter of taste and preference; (2) this one calls for 2 tsp. vinegar while mine called for 1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar-again it is a matter of taste and preference. I am posting the recipe how I did it. It is a delicious salad and tastes very much like a candy apple.



20 oz. pineapple, crushed (reserve juice)
2 c. mini marshmallows
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. flour
4 c. apples, chopped (about 4 medium apples-I used 2 Granny Smith & 2 Red Delicious)
1 1/2 c. peanuts, lightly salted OR spanish style
8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed

1. Mix together pineapple and marshmallows together and chill for several hours (I would say at least 3 hours).
2. In a saucepan, mix together pineapple juice, sugar, cider vinegar, beaten egg and flour. Heat over medium-high heat until thick, stirring constantly. Allow to cool 30 minutes and refrigerate overnight.
3. Mix sauce mixture with Cool Whip. Add apples to marshmallow/pineapple mixture, mixing well. Add sauce/Cool Whip mixture blend. Stir in peanuts. Refrigerate several hours.

NOTE: I started this salad at night before Halloween and allowed the pineapple and marshmallows to chill while we went to have dinner and carve pumpkins. When we returned around 11pm that night, I did the sauce mixture and let it cool over night until I got up at 8am. That is when I got up and chopped the apples, mixed the Cool Whip into the sauce and began blending it all together. It refrigerated from about 9am to noon when we took it to my aunt's house and it chilled for another 6 1/2 hours until the party. HOWEVER, I have read that it has been know to be done in just a few short hours, as long as it has a couple hours to chill after all is mixed together.

Classic Potatoes Au Gratin

This recipe comes straight out of my November issue of Diabetes Forecast (pg 64). I tried once before when I was first married to make a version of these type of potatoes and they turned out horribly, so I decided to give them another shot. While I did really enjoy these potatoes fresh out of the oven, I did not enjoy them as much the next day as leftovers. I was really bummed, so my search is still on for that perfect Potatoes Au Gratin recipe. In the meantime, this one will do fine, I'll just have to be sure to make a smaller portion so I'm not stuck with the leftovers.

SAUCE:
1 1/2 tbsp. non-hydrogenated butter-type tub spread (such as Smart Balance)
1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 2/3 c. 1% milk
1 1/2 c. shredded 75% reduced-fat cheddar cheese (such as extra sharp)

6 medium russet potatoes (about 6 oz. each), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To prepare the cheese sauce: melt the buttery spread in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in the flour, salt and pepper and stir constantly with a wire whisk for 1 minute. Stir in milk, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in all the cheese, and cook for 30 seconds.
2. Place half of the potato slices in a 9x13-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Pour in half the cheese sauce. Add remaining potatoes in a layer, and pour in the remaining cheese sauce.
3. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 1-1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender. Remove the foil, and broil the top of the casserole for 1-2 minutes if desired.

12 Servings; serving = 1/3 cup

NUTRITION INFO: (per serving)
115 calories, 3g fat, 1.3g Sat. fat, 0g Tran. fat, 5mg cholesterol, 130mg sodium,
16g total carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 2g sugar, 7g protein.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Since it is cold and flu season and the bugs have hit our home, I made this for us last week. Of course, you don't have to be sick to enjoy a bowl or a mug of steaming hot chicken noodle soup. This is how I make it, but of course, everyone has their own little secrets and ways of doing things, but this is my recipe. Measurements are approximate for seasonings, I base it on taste, so feel free to add more subtract to your liking.

1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
9 c. water
9 chicken bouillon cubes
1 c. carrots, sliced thin
2 tbsp. onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. black pepper
3 c. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

1. In a large pot, combine together all ingredients except for pasta. Cook on medium-high for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Be sure to stir about every 5 minutes.
2. After carrots are cooked through, add cooked pasta and cook an additional 5 minutes until heated through. Serve hot.

10 Servings; 1 serving = 1 cup