Sister Pie's Salted Maple Pie

Ok, so, full disclosure, I can’t even remember when or where I first saw this recipe. Maybe it was on a TV show? I’m not sure. It might have been on a Food Network show called The Best Thing I Ever Ate, where a bunch of TV cooks and chefs tell you the where and when of some of their favorite foods. In this case, Sister Pie is the name of a bakery in Detroit, and this recipe was one of their stand outs. Honestly, though, I really can’t remember when I first saw it. I just remember thinking “that pie has my name written all over it.”
 It’s syrupy sweet, kind of like a Pecan Pie, but it uses cornmeal to thicken it, similar to a Chess Pie. And it has that salty/sweet thing going on, which I love love LOVE. I just knew I had to try it!
 So I made it for one of my Fall Dinners (where I get to test out a bunch of new recipes with my gang of friends) and everyone loved it! Actually, I loved it so much that I immediately added the Sister Pie Cookbook to my wish list, and it has since become a cherished addition to my cookbook collection. It’s also the perfect addition to your pie repertoire. It’s special enough for Thanksgiving, but easy enough for anytime you just want a nice piece of pie!
Oh, one other thing..
I’ve listed the entire recipe just as it’s printed in the author’s own words. Following the filling recipe is the entire recipe and technique for making their pie crust. Once again, full disclosure, I was short on time and I didn’t make the crust as listed. I just used a ready made pie crust. What can I say? Sometimes I’m in the mood to get my hands in there and be up to my elbows in flour, and sometimes I just don’t have the time. You do you! Use your favorite crust recipe, buy a ready-made, or use this crust recipe that was made specifically for this pie. No matter how you slice it, you’ll still get a fabulous pie!

Salted Maple Pie Filling:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1⁄4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup Grade B maple syrup*
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 9-inch crust made with All-Butter Pie Dough, blind baked and cooled (see below)
1 large egg, beaten
1 pinch flaky sea salt, for sprinkling top

All-Butter Pie Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted European-style butter, straight from the fridge
1/2 cup ice-cold water-vinegar mixture (see below), or more if needed

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Make the filling:
In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter and maple syrup. Whisk in the brown sugar, cornmeal, and kosher salt.
Crack the eggs and yolk into another medium bowl. Add the cream and vanilla and whisk until combined.
Slowly pour the egg mixture into the maple mixture and whisk just until combined.
Place the blind-baked shell on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the crimped edge with the beaten egg. Pour the maple filling into the pie shell until it reaches the bottom of the crimps.
Transfer the baking sheet with the pie on it to the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the edges are puffed and the center jiggles only slightly when shaken. It will continue to set as it cools.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool for 4 to 6 hours. Once fully cooled and at room temperature, sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt, slice into 6 to 8 pieces, and serve.
Store leftover pie, well wrapped in plastic wrap or under a pie dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

All Butter Pie Dough:
In a large stainless steel bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and stir to mix well. Place the sticks of butter in the bowl and coat on all sides with the flour mixture. Using a bench scraper, cut the butter into 1⁄2-inch cubes. Work quickly to separate the cubes with your hands until they are all lightly coated in flour. Grab that bench scraper once again and cut each cube in half. I always tell my pie dough students that it’s unnecessary to actually cut each cube perfectly in half, but it’s a good idea to break up the butter enough so that you can be super-efficient when it’s pastry blender time.
It’s pastry blender time! Switch to the pastry blender and begin to cut in the butter with one hand while turning the bowl with the other. It’s important not to aim for the same spot at the bottom of the bowl with each stroke of the pastry blender, but to actually slice through butter every time to maximize efficiency. When the pastry blender clogs up, carefully clean it out with your fingers (watch out, it bites!) or a butter knife and use your hands to toss the ingredients a bit. Continue to blend and turn until the largest pieces are the size and shape of peas and the rest of the mixture feels and looks freakishly similar to canned Parmesan cheese.
At this point, add the water-vinegar mixture all at once, and switch back to the bench scraper. Scrape as much of the mixture as you can from one side of the bowl to the other, until you can’t see visible pools of liquid anymore. Now it’s hand time. Scoop up as much of the mixture as you can, and use the tips of your fingers (and a whole lot of pressure) to press it back down onto the rest of the ingredients. Rotate the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat. Scoop, press, and turn. With each fold, your intention is to be quickly forming the mixture into one cohesive mass. Remember to incorporate any dry, floury bits that have congregated at the bottom of the bowl, and once those are completely gone and the dough is formed, it’s time to stop.
Remove the dough from the bowl, place it on a lightly floured counter, and use your bench scraper to divide it into two equal pieces. Gently pat each into a 2-inch-thick disc, working quickly to seal any broken edges before wrapping them tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. If you’re portioning for a lattice-topped pie, shape one half into a 2-inch-thick disc and the other half into a 6 by 3-inch rectangle. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight. When you go to roll out the crust, you want the discs to feel as hard and cold as the butter did when you removed it from the fridge to make the dough. This will make the roll-out way easier.
You can keep the pie dough in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for up to 1 year. If frozen, remove the dough and place it in the refrigerator to thaw one full day before you intend to use it. If you’re planning to make only one single-crust pie, wrap the discs separately and place one in the freezer.
NOTE: Icy water, now improved and with tang: While working at Brooklyn’s Four & Twenty Blackbirds for a summer, I learned a number of good tricks that considerably changed my pie dough–making experience. Here’s one of my favorites: Fill a 1-cup liquid measuring cup with about 1 inch of water and freeze until completely frozen. Just after you mix your dry ingredients, grab it from the freezer and fill with water plus 2 tablespoons or so of apple cider vinegar. The ice-cold water-vinegar mixture should look just like apple juice. Let it chill on your counter while you mix the other ingredients for the dough.
NOTE 2: The addition of vinegar to pie dough was originally thought to tenderize the gluten (thus avoiding a tough crust), but there isn’t any good scientific evidence proving that it makes a difference. We keep it in our recipe for its tangy flavor and our respect for tradition.
NOTE 3: Not the pie-baking plan-ahead type? That’s okay! When you’re ready to make the dough, simply fill a 1-cup liquid measuring cup about halfway with ice, then add water and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.

*Note from Joey: When looking for different grades of maple syrup, I like to think of it just as I would think of olive oil. The one with the lighter clear color is Grade A, just like extra virgin olive oil. And just like regular olive oil, Grade B maple syrup is a little darker in color, and has a more robust flavor.

Tips:
You can find Grade B maple syrup at Trader Joe’s or even online, but even if you can’t find it, be sure to use a PURE maple syrup. You don't want the corn syrup based products you’d put on pancakes. I mean, yes, of course you could still use that, but you’ll wind up with a different end result.

Joey's Creamed Spinach and Potato Casserole

 

 I was recently trying to think of something interesting to do with a basic creamed spinach recipe. Yes, of course, I love it just as it is, with its delicious cream sauce, and the onions and garlic, but I wondered what else might go in with it. In my family, 2 little boxes of frozen chopped spinach wouldn’t go very far, so I was thinking of what else I could add to it, to stretch the dish and make it go a little further.
 Then I thought of my Dad. It was always a running joke that whenever any of us brought friends home for dinner, my Dad would tell my Mom “I guess you’d better throw another potato into the pot!”  I thought “Ah! potatoes! of course!”
So that’s what I did. Just some par-boiled potatoes, added to your basic creamed spinach, baked into a casserole, and now you’re ready to feed an army. It’s quite economical too, because it doesn’t cost all that much and fills a lot of bellies.
 Then I thought, ooo this would make the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner, just as an alternative to the usual mash. Why not? It’s always  nice to have a variety!
 Even if it’s not Thanksgiving, keep this recipe in your back pocket and serve it up with some baked chicken or a roast beast. Super delish!



3 lbs red potatoes, peeled and sliced to bite sized pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tbs butter
2 (10oz) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbs flour
2 cups milk
1 cup cream or half and half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese

Place potatoes in a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You want to simmer them until they’re almost cooked through, but not quite. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pot, sauce the onion with the butter. Add the spinach and garlic and continue to saute. Let any excess moisture evaporate, then sprinkle the flour over all. Give it a good stir until there flour coats everything for a good minute or two.Add the milk, cream, grated cheese, salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Stir all together until it thickens. Add your potatoes to the pot, and stir to combine well.
Pour into a 13x9 casserole dish. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 350 oven for about 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.


Tips:
Instead of peeling and slicing the potatoes, you can just use baby potatoes and cut them in half. The skins are tender enough that you don’t need to peel them!
To remove the most moisture from your thawed spinach, place a clean tea towel flat on the counter. Plop your drained spinach onto the towel in one mound in the center. Gather all four corners of the towel together, making a little bundle of spinach. Now twist the bundle until it squeezes out all of the excess water. You’ll be amazed at just how much more water can be extracted!
If your sauce pot is not big enough to accommodate adding the potatoes to it, just toss everything in a large mixing bowl before transferring it to the casserole dish.
When adding the nutmeg, you only want just a tiny pinch. It’s a classic addition to any cream sauce, but you don’t want it to come out tasting like egg nog. Just a tiny pinch is enough!

 

 

Bourbon Sugar Pie

 OK, so, at the risk of sounding pretty obvious, I'm just gonna say this: Whenever I make a recipe with a specific star ingredient, I want to be able to taste that ingredient! Crazy, I know, but just go with me on this. If it's a Vanilla Brownie, I want it to have a STRONG hit of vanilla. If it's a Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcake, then I want to be able to taste the Bailey's Irish Cream! Know what I mean? It seems obvious to say this, but you'd be amazed at how many recipes I try that have a specific ingredient in the title, but there's no flavor of that ingredient to be found. Or maybe it's only just a little hint of that flavor.
 Enter, THIS recipe. When I tell you that it's a bourbon pie, I mean it's a BOURBON pie. One bite, and you definitely get the flavor. It's strong, yes, but in a really good way. My friend Jason said "WOW, bourbon." And it's so smooth that my friend Judy said "oooooooh that's really good" in a "boy that's smooth going down" kind of a way. hahaha
 I guess the best way to describe the texture is that it's similar to a Chess Pie or a Pecan Pie without the pecans. Sweet and syrupy and gooey and delicious. And it's perfect with a swirl of freshly whipped cream on top.
 I was originally gonna post this Betty Crocker recipe for Thanksgiving, (because who doesn't love pie at Thanksgiving?), but it was a busy week and I never got around to it. But then I figured "why not post it anyway? Pie is just as good for Chritmas as it is for Thanksgiving!" So here we are.
 It's REALLY easy to make, and I've literally already made it four times this month. It's just that good! And, side note, when you tell people it's a bourbon pie, everyone's reaction is always the same: "oooooooohhhhhh." Not even kidding. haha.
Give it as a holiday gift. Make it for your family.  Or friends. Or even just for yourself. It's definitely this year's favorite new dessert discovery!

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup bourbon

3 eggs, slightly beaten 

1 tsp salt

1 unbaked 9" pie shell, either homemade or store bought

Sweetened freshly whipped cream

Heat oven to 350ºF.
In a medium bowl, mix all filling ingredients until well blended. Set aside.
I used a Pillsbury ready-made pie crust, (which is my go-to brand). Just roll it flat, place it into your regular (not deep dish) pie plate, fold the edges under and flute to make a decorative edge. Pour the filling into pie shell. Bake 60-70 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the center is set. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 2 hours. Garnish with whipped cream. 

Tips:

Ok, here's the thing.. the original recipe directs you to blind bake the crust. In other words, partially bake the crust before you pour the filling into it, and then bake it with the filling for another 70 minutes. I did exactly that, just as instructed, only my crust turned out to be FAR too done. So then I made it again, and I figured it has to bake for over an hour. The crust will be cooked enough! So I just poured the filling right into an unbaked crust, baked it for 70 minutes, and it turned out perfectly. The bottom wasn't soggy, the outer edge was perfect. So that's how I'll be doing it anytime I make from now on. Also, the original recipe from Betty Crocker didn't have any salt in it. But it is INFINITELY better with the added tsp of salt. Be sure to include it! Btw, this recipe fits a regular pie plate, not the pyrex deep dish. I thought about increasing the amounts so that it would fill up a deep dish pie, but the pie is very sweet and very rich. I think it's fine just as it is!

Cheesy Corn Casserole

  This is a recipe that I made quite a long time ago, and I've been waiting for just the right moment to post it. And guess what, the time has come! Yes, yes, I know I have several corn side dish recipes, but really, can one have too many? I think not! More is more!
 My usual go-to corn casserole is more of a corn pudding. It's much sweeter, with corn bread mix and creamed corn. This recipe goes in a more Southwest direction, with lots of Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and peppers. And the jalapenos give it a nice little kick. YUM! It's from Cooktop Cove and it was an instant hit when I made it for my friends. It's perfect for the cooking novice who would like to contribute to the holiday meal or potluck because it's SUPER easy! You just stir all the ingredients together, and bake! It doesn't get much easier than that, right? I seriously need to make this again. You should too! Hope you like it!




3 cups frozen corn
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and finely diced
1 1/2 cups milk
5 tablespoons butter, melted
5 eggs, whisked
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In an 8-by-12 casserole baking dish, add all the ingredients. Stir with a spoon to mix everything up. Bake for 50 minutes. Let sit on counter for 5 minutes to set.




Tips:
I know the recipe says to add all the ingredients to the baking dish and then stir, but I prefer to use a large mixing bowl to stir everything, and then pour it into the baking dish. I'd much rather have more room to stir than worry about washing another dish, know what I mean?
Also, I used a 9x13 baking dish instead of an 8x12 dish. Use what you have!

Sausage and Potato Stuffing

 Back in the day, there used to be a TV commercial that begged the question: Do you want stuffing or potatoes? And to that I say "why do we have to choose one or the other? why can't we have both?! And that brings me to this stuffing recipe. It's your classic stuffing with sausage and sage, but it has potatoes too! It's the best of both worlds, all in one dish. I found it on Allrecipes.com, which is one of my go-to websites for recipes. One of the things I love about that website is that it shows you lots of comments by regular home cooks who have made it, and very often what minor tweaks they did to make it their own. Many said that "this is now their new holiday stuffing." I guess you can't get much better than that! So give this one a try. Maybe it'll be YOUR new go-to holiday stuffing!



1 pound lean pork sausage
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup diced sweet onion
3/4 cup butter
 9 cups soft bread cubes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Place sausage, potatoes, celery, onion and butter in a large, deep skillet. Saute over medium high heat until sausage is crumbled and evenly cooked. Combine the bread cubes, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Toss together with the sausage and potato mixture. Add chicken or vegetable broth if needed. Bake stuffing in a covered casserole dish for 40 to 50 minutes.



Tips:
Instead of peeling and dicing potatoes, I just used halved baby red potatoes. No need to peel!
Many of the reviews on this recipe said that it can easily be cooked in a slow cooker. 3-4 hours on low should do the trick! Also the slow cooker will retain moisture (plus it creates steam), so just keep an eye on that. If your stuffing looks too wet, just remove the lid and let some of the moisture evaporate. If it becomes VERY wet, put it in a pan, uncovered, and pop it into the oven. That should dry it out a bit. On the flip side, if it looks too dry, just add a little chicken broth. Easy!

Slow Cooker Creamed Corn

 Ok, so, once again, I'm turning to my trusty slow cooker for an easy Thanksgiving side dish. I knew I wanted to find a slow cooker creamed corn recipe, but wasn't sure which direction to go. Something cheesy and gooey? maybe. Something Southwest-ish with jalapenos? Hmm.. not sure. I needed to find the RIGHT recipe. So I started googling, and immediately noticed that I kept finding this one over and over... it's on MANY websites and frankly, I don't even know whose it is. (The FIRST found it on a blog called Damn Delicious, so I'll give them the credit.) I thought, well, if so many bloggers love this recipe enough to post it, then it much be good enough to try. And it looked easy enough so I went with it! 
 Well, Holy Thanksgiving, Batman, it's amazing! It's creamy and rich and just sweet enough. It's also stupid easy to make and it frees up your oven and stove top. It's verything you need in a Thanksgiving recipe, right? So basically, if you can open a can of corn, you can make this recipe. This is definitely the RIGHT recipe!!



3  15oz cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup milk
1 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into slices


 Place corn into a slow cooker. Stir in milk, sugar, and pepper until well combined. Without stirring, top with butter and cream cheese. Cover and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours. Uncover and stir until butter and cream cheese are well combined. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately or keep warm until you're ready to serve.



Tips:
You can also use fresh or frozen corn instead of canned, yellow or white, all good.
I added a few chopped scallions on top, just for a little pop of color, but that's completely optional.
I thought about adding a can of cream style corn, because why not? I figured how can that not be good? Maybe next time!

Slow Cooker Ranch Carrots

  One of the biggest questions that everyone asks me around the holidays is "With such a large family, who does all the cooking?" And the short answer is EVERYONE! I mean, yes, I'm lucky to have several siblings with the means to host different holidays.. Thanksgiving at Tommy's, Easter Brunch at Cathy's, New Year's Day at Michael's, Christmas Eve at Jeanie's, Christmas Pollyanna at Patty's... But the whole family always contributes to the menu, and the first thing everyone asks is "what can I bring?"
 Usually, for Thanksgiving, the menu planning committee decides what foods we want to have, and then an email goes out to the entire family, and the cooking tasks get divvied up between everyone. (yes, there really is a menu planning committee. not even kidding). Some of the more experienced cooks in the family will take on some of the bigger jobs such as roasting the turkeys, (yes, plural) and then the family members with a little less experience will take on the easier cooking tasks.
 So this recipe falls squarely into the latter category. It's really one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make so it's a cinch for the culinary novice. Not only that, it's perfect for Thanksgiving because it uses a slow cooker (your best friend in the kitchen) so it doesn't take up any oven or stove top space. You can also prep it in advance and then just turn it on when the time comes. So simple! And most importantly, it's delicious!!! Full disclosure, I'm not even sure where I found the recipe. Somewhere on the interwebs. But I made it for my Friendsgiving Dinner, and everyone loved it. I was an immediate fan, and I'm sure your gang will love it too! You should give it a try!


2 lbs carrots
1 sweet onion
1 stick butter
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and slice carrots. Chop the onion. Place them in a slow cooker. Top with pats of butter. Sprinkle with half the packet of dressing mix. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Sprinkle with remaining dressing mix, and toss all to combine. Turn slow cooker to warm until you're ready to serve.


Tips:
To make things easier, you can just use baby carrots. No peeling or slicing! I must say, I prefer to cut  large carrots into chunky wedges, but any kind of carrots will work!
When I chopped the onions, I left them in large chunks as well, but then decided I would prefer a smaller dice next time.  
And one other thing.. I usually don't mention specific brands, but in this case, for me there's no ranch dressing other than Hidden Valley Ranch. And that's all there is to it.

Joey's Asparagus and Mushroom Casserole

  Ok here goes my flight of ideas..  Are you ready? Here we go:
I was thinking of coming up with a variation on the favorite classic green bean casserole, which my Mom always called Green Bean Bake. I liked the idea of doing a creamy mushroom sauce just like the classic, but instead of doing green beans, I decided to go with asparagus. So far so good. I sauteed mushrooms and onions, added the asparagus, made a basic white sauce and then baked the whole thing. It was pretty good, (in fact, my friend Nate said it was his favorite part of this year's Friendsgiving), but for me, it was kind of missing something. It needed another element. Cheese? Maybe, but what kind? Bacon? YES! How could that be a bad thing? Hmm.. So then I regrouped to see where things landed: Asparagus, mushrooms, onions, bacon... all good. Now what about the sauce....definitely staying with the basic white sauce instead of the classic canned soup ... and now the cheese... but what kind? Well, I don't want it to be like a mac and cheese sauce, so maybe not Cheddar.. I decided to go with mozzarella because it would give me that gooey cheese factor and it would brown nicely on top. Would all of that work?? Absolutely! Am I happy with the result? Definitely! It really hits all the points from the Green Bean Bake, and it's still something new and delicious. Maybe next time, I'll even top it with French fried onion rings, just for a little added texture! Who knows? Maybe THIS one will wind up being a classic too!



1 lb fresh asparagus
10 oz Cremini mushrooms
1/2 lb bacon
1 large sweet onion
1 large clove garlic
1-2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbs butter, if needed
2 tbs flour
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


First, do all of your prep:
Trim off the tough woody ends of the asparagus and cut the spears into one inch pieces. Slice mushrooms. Chop onions. Slice bacon into small lardons. Mince garlic. Strip the thyme sprigs of their leaves.
Since different ingredients have different cooking times,  all you do is saute each thing separately, then add it to a big mixing bowl.
Here we go:
In a large pan, over medium heat, saute bacon until crisp, allowing the fat to render. Remove bacon to a big mixing bowl. Remove and reserve all but a couple tbs of fat from the pan. Add the onions. Saute until they begin to soften. Add asparagus. Toss and saute for a few minutes until the asparagus are bright green and crisp tender. Add garlic. Continue to cook for a minute or two. Add to the bowl with the bacon. Add mushrooms to the pan. Resist the urge to add more bacon fat to the pan! I know it seems like the pan is dry, but soon there will be a ton of moisture coming from the mushrooms. Saute until most of the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have become brown and slightly sticky. Add fresh thyme leaves to the mushrooms and let it cook for another minute. Add mushrooms to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Add about 2-3 tbs of bacon fat (or butter) to the pan. Add the same amount of flour. Use a whisk to combine and let it cook for about a minute, then add milk. Whisk to get out any lumps. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until it begins to thicken. Pour thickened cream sauce into mixing bowl over other ingredients. Add half cup of cheese to the bowl. Stir until well combined and coated with sauce. Adjust seasoning if needed. Pour into 2 qt casserole dish. Top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350ºF for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.


Tips:
The first time I made this, I added quite a lot of bacon. Sounds good, right? But here's the thing.. the smokiness from the bacon wound up taking over the whole thing, so maybe in just this ONE instance, we can allow ourselves to cut the bacon down to about 1/2 pound.
Speaking of bacon, yes the bacon is salty, but you'll still need to add some salt. Make sure you taste it to season it properly! And don't forget the black pepper!
One of the key ingredients is the fresh thyme. I suppose you can use dried thyme, but for me there's just nothing like fresh. It makes all the difference, so much so that I would make a special trip to the store to get it. Just sayin!

Bacon Apple Sweet Potato Casserole

  If you're looking for a recipe that SCREAMS Thanksgiving, this is it! For a while now, I've been doing a savory take on sweet potatoes, and this recipe ticks all the boxes. Don't get me wrong, I love love LOVE the favorite Candied Sweet Potatoes and the favorite Sweet Potato Casserole with all the brown sugar and such, but lately I've been embracing the sweet potato in a savory light.
 I found this recipe on a blog called Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and although I tweaked the amounts and method here and there, the recipe and inspiration clearly belong to Mel. I'm not sure I would have ever added shredded CHEESE to a sweet potato dish, but it's fabulous! How brilliant is that?? And tbh, I wanted MORE cheese the entire time I was INHALING it. More is more! At the same time, it has all the Thanksgiving flavors that you want in a casserole... rosemary, sage, I bet you could even add some thyme, because why not? They go beautifully with the cheese, and the apples enhance the sweetness of the potatoes. And the bacon, well, we all know it makes everything better.
 So if you're looking for a new take on sweet potatoes, seriously TRUST ME on this one. It's absolutely Thanksgiving worthy, and it tastes like Autumn in a casserole. It's literally one of my favorite new things that I've made in quite a long time. Like, not even kidding. You must try it!



5 lbs sweet potatoes
1 lb thick-cut bacon
2 medium leeks, washed well, trimmed of tough edges and sliced thinly
2 large honey crisp apples, cored, peeled and finely diced
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs finely chopped fresh sage
1 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
S&P to taste
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese


In a large pot, boil sweet potatoes until fork tender. Remove from pot and let cool until you can handle them. Remove peels, place in a large bowl, and mash them until smooth.
 In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon pieces to a paper-towel lined plate, leaving a tablespoon or so of drippings in the skillet and removing any excess grease. Chop the bacon to small bits. set aside.
Over medium heat, add the leeks, apples, brown sugar, sage, and rosemary to the skillet. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the leeks and apples have softened and caramelized slightly
Add about 3/4 of both cheeses, bacon, and leek/apple mixture to the sweet potatoes, reserving a bit of everything to sprinkle on top. Stir to combine. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Lightly grease a large baking dish and spread the sweet potato mixture evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the bacon, leek mixture, and cheese over the top. Bake for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately.


Tips:
The original recipe baked the potatoes instead of boiling them. Do whichever method you prefer!
I think I'll add fresh thyme next time I make it. Why? Because I LOVE fresh thyme!
I bet you could use another mildly flavored onion instead of the leeks. I'd do a Vidalia, I think.
Definitely go for a SHARP Cheddar. You want that  flavor to come through. The original recipe used Fontina instead of Jack. Again, you do you!

Round Two Mac and Cheese

 OK, so, I know I'm gonna get a bunch of flack for saying this, but I never considered mac and cheese as being part of Thanksgiving Dinner. I know. I know. For many people, it is just not Thanksgiving without it, but it was never something my family ever included with our holiday meal. Other holiday parties? Yes, absolutely! But definitely NOT Thanksgiving.
 So, if you are also someone who doesn't usually include mac and cheese in your big feast, here's a great way for you to use up some of your leftovers! And yes, I've seen the videos where people are absolutely HORRIFIED watching the video from The Kitchen where they're adding leftovers to a mac and cheese, as if this is some sort of sacrilegious act. And to that I say, no one is trying to CHANGE your beloved favorite mac and cheese! But who says there can't be other kinds too?? I have literally TEN different recipes for mac and cheese on this blog, and frankly I can't wait to find ten more! So how about let's just keep our culinary minds open, and try new things, shall we?
 So, back to this recipe! Everyone always loves to make a turkey sandwich with stuffing and cranberry sauce on the day after Thanksgiving, but there's never anything to do with the leftover vegetables, right? Well, here you go! Add them to mac and cheese! Even if we're not talking about Thanksgiving dinner, it's a great way to use up leftover vegetables. You just add a few fresh ingredients and make an entirely new casserole out of it. Perfect! For my Round Two, I added roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash, but you can add any kind of veggies you have leftover. I mean isn't adding cheese sauce usually how parents get their kids to eat vegetables anyway? It's a total win! Oh, and here's a thought.....  if you are someone who MUST have mac and cheese with your holiday meal, this could be a round ONE mac and cheese side dish for your big feast!
Give it a try! I promise you'll love it!




1 lb cut pasta, any shape
4 tbs butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 tbs mustard
1 lb Velveeta cheese
leftover veggies, such as broccoli, carrots, or root vegetables
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tbs melted butter
5 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Heat oven to 350ºF.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, boil the pasta until al dente.
While the pasta is boiling, melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the onions and saute over medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the fresh thyme and continue to saute. Add flour and stir well for a few minutes until it blends with the butter. Add the milk, mustard, and Velveeta in chunks. Slowly whisk over medium low heat until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens slightly. Be sure to stir all the way to the bottom to insure that the cheese sauce doesn't burn.
When the pasta is al dente, drain it well and add it to a big mixing bowl. Now add your leftover veggies and all of the cheese sauce to the bowl. GENTLY toss everything together. Pour into a large casserole dish. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter and the bread crumbs, then sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Place in oven and bake for 1/2 hour or bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle crumbled bacon over the top. Let it stand for about 10 minutes and then dig in!




Tips:
Be sure to boil the pasta in SALTY water. It needs more salt than you think it will need. How do you know how salty it is? TASTE IT. Yes, Taste the water before you add pasta to it. Also, make sure the water is boiling before you add the salt, otherwise the crystals will sink to the bottom and and leave marks on your pot.
When you make the cheese sauce, you will think that this is FAR too much sauce for this amount of pasta, but just go with it. When you bake it, the pasta will absorb some of the sauce and it will be the perfect creamy mac and cheese texture when it's done!
If you have a specific go-to mac and cheese recipe, by all means, use it! Just add your leftover vegetables and some fresh herbs like thyme, or sage, etc.
If you want to make it vegetarian, just leave out the bacon!

Joey's Celery, Apple, and Fennel Slaw

 I've often had the debate about which recipes are a MUST at Thanksgiving. For some people, it's just not Thanksgiving without Mac n Cheese. For others, you can't have Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes, cranberries, and stuffing. We all have our family traditions and favorite dishes.
In my family, one of the things that MUST be on the plate, is home made cole slaw. Cole slaw, you say???? Yes! It's something my Mom always made for Thanksgiving, and so it will always be on my Thanksgiving table.
 Just as with cranberries, I have my favorite recipe for cole slaw, but I still like to try other different versions and variations. Especially when you have a big plate of heavy casseroles, you definitely want something bright and acidic to cut through everything and balance it out.
 I've always loved the crisp anise flavor of fennel, so I wanted to try it in a delicious slaw. Funny thing... I searched and searched for what I thought would be the perfect recipe, and then I wound up not following it anyway. LOL I have a habit of doing that! Well, what can I say? I like to taste things and then say "what else does it need? And then I go from there.
 So if you'd like to try a new something to brighten and freshen up your meal, give this slaw a try. It really goes SO well with a big Thanksgiving feast!


1 tbs vegetable oil
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 tbs mayonnaise
salt and pepper
 2 granny smith apples
3 ribs of celery
2 bulbs fennel plus 1 tbs chopped fennel fronds 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, mayo, and S&P. Set aside.
Core apples, (no need to peel). Slice the apples thinly, then cut into thin match sticks. Slice the celery into thin slices on an angle. Slice the the fennel as thinly as possible across the bottom of the bulb.
All of this slicing is even better if you have a mandoline slicer. (just be very careful of that blade!)
Toss everything in the dressing. Adjust seasoning if needed.



Tips:
Unfortunately, this is not one of those dishes that can be made very far ahead. No one likes a soggy cole slaw. If you absolutely MUST make it ahead, I wouldn't go sooner than the night before.
For an extra hit of fresh anise flavor, you could add a little chopped fresh tarragon. I probably would have added some to the recipe, but I didn't have any on hand!

Spinach Gratin

 I recently invited a few friends over for a Friendsgiving dinner, and I made a bunch of dishes for everyone to try. I was pretty pleased with all of the recipes, but I think THIS one was the absolute stand-out. As you can see in the picture, it makes a pretty big casserole, and there was not very much left at the end of the night. That's definitely a WIN, in my book.
 This recipe is from Ina Garten, and it's absolutely DELISH. Now, I have to say, my sisters and nieces and I are always joking about how she always says "use fresh, but store bought is fine." But for this recipe, it's an absolutely MUST to use store bought frozen spinach. Because spinach cooks down to practically nothing, you'd need, like, a metric ton of fresh spinach to fill up the pan! So, frozen is the way to go.
 Usually, when I'm looking for recipes for Thanksgiving, I don't always go for the rich heavy casseroles, but this one looked so good, I decided to give it a go. Fun fact, it's not heavy at all! Rich and flavorful, yes. Heavy, nope! As Miss Ina would say "How perfect is that?"
 When I made it, I prepped and assembled it the night before, and then just popped it in the oven on the night of my dinner. Easy! For Thanksgiving, you can put it in the oven when you take the turkey out. The turkey needs time to rest anyway, so that will give you plenty of time to bake the casserole.
 So, thank you, Ina, for yet another fabulous recipe. I'm definitely not gonna wait until next Thanksgiving to make this one again!



4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups milk

3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

 


Tip:
To squeeze the liquid out of the spinach, place a clean tea towel flat on your work surface. Place your defrosted spinach (in small batches) on the towel. Just dump it right out of the box onto your towel. Pick up all four corners of the towel to make a little bundle of spinach. Twist the bundle so that the towel tightens around the spinach, which will squeeze out all the liquid. 

Cranberry Grape Compote

 For me, it is just not Thanksgiving unless you have home made cranberry sauce. I mean, yes, I know many of you are a fan of the can, but for a day as special as Thanksgiving, it's time for something fresh and homemade. Many many years ago, I asked my Mom how she made her cranberry sauce, and now I'm happy that I get to make it for my family every year. But I still like finding other versions and variations! (frankly, I've never met a cranberry sauce I didn't like) And that brings us to THIS recipe from Martha Stewart.
 This is what I like to call "stupid easy." Like, I don't even think it could be any easier. You literally just throw everything into a sauce pot and let it simmer. That's it. Done. How awesome is that?? And as with everything Thanksgiving, we all know that doing as much as you can in advance is the best option. You could make this DAYS in advance, so it's really a no brainer.
 So lets talk about the most important thing.. how it TASTES! I would venture to say that if you are not usually a fan of cranberries, then maybe give this one a try. The grapes mellow out the tartness of the cranberries and it's a perfect blend! Kind of like if grape jam and cranberry sauce had a baby.
 If you've ever felt intimidated by the thought of making home made cranberry sauce, this is the recipe for you!! And if you love cranberries as much as I do, then you absolutely MUST give this one a try!


12oz bag of cranberries (fresh or frozen, no need to thaw)
3 cups seedless red grapes
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt


In a large sauce pan, over medium high heat, bring cranberries, grapes, sugar, and 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until most of the cranberries have popped and the grapes are falling apart, about 10-15 minutes. Remove heat. Add salt and stir to combine. Let cool to room temperature (compote will thicken as it cools.) Serve at room temperature.



Tips:
Because of the amount of natural pectin in the cranberries, the sauce will gel firm when you refrigerate it. I think it looks prettier as more of a loose sauce, so I gave it a quick stir just before serving.
Serve leftovers as a spread on bagels with cream cheese or heat it up and serve it warm over vanilla ice cream!

Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes

 One of the trickiest things about tackling a Thanksgiving dinner is oven time management. The turkey is taking up ALL of your oven space, and you only have so many burners on your stove. So how do you get everything else done? Well, the easiest thing to do is to remove the oven/stove from the equation altogether! Use your slow cooker!
 Seriously, your slow cooker is your BFF when it comes to preparing your holiday feast. It not only frees up your oven, but it also frees up your time because it's a total do-ahead! You can prep your potatoes a day or two in advance, and then on Thanksgiving morning, just turn 'em on! Just a quick mash before you serve, and then you can keep them warm, right in your slow cooker. Easy!
 This recipe is from The Magical Slow Cooker, and it's absolutely perfect.  If you know me, you know how much I absolutely LOVE using slow cookers, so much so that I literally have a collection of them. Actually, I think I may need an intervention (is seven too many?). But here's the thing... I use ALL of them! They're all different sizes, so I can use different sizes for different things!! For this recipe, I didn't need to use the biggest one, because I only had a handful of guests. But if you're feeding a crowd, go ahead and fill up your biggest crock pot! This recipe is so good, it will all still work! You can also tweak it and add whatever flavors you'd like.
 This one is DEFINITELY a keeper.
And if you don't own a slow cooker, this recipe is the perfect excuse to buy one! or seven!



6 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (this was about 7 cups, measured)
1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup water or apple juice

Add these items at the end:

1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbs. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt


 Add the peeled and diced sweet potatoes to the slow cooker (5-quart or larger). Slice the butter and place on top. Pour over the water. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time. When the cooking time is done, add the maple syrup, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth OR use a potato masher and mash by hand. Serve with additional butter if desired.




Tips:
Yes, that's all the water it needs. Just 1/4 cup. I promise it will work!
I actually went longer than 4 hours, and it was fine!
When you're adding your flavors at the end, you do you! If you like a lot of something, add a lot! Tbh, I didn't even measure anything. I just added a few glugs of pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup), and then tasted it to see if I wanted more.
If you'd like it to be much sweeter, add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar!
I like the flavor of orange with sweet potatoes, so you could add a little grated orange zest, or even just a couple tablespoons of orange marmalade. YUM.
Is it too dry? Add a little extra heavy cream and/or butter. And definitely don't forget to add the salt! Season it the way YOU like it!

Cinnamon Pie

  As I was trying new recipes for Thanksgiving, the question that always came to mind was "is it Thanksgiving worthy?? Allow me to explain.
 In my family, Thanksgiving isn't just a meal, it's an event. It's a HUGE deal, and it's my very favorite holiday of the year. So, a few weeks ago, I tried a couple recipes, and my thought was "Is it GOOD enough for my family's big event on my favorite holiday?" Unfortunately, several of those recipes didn't make the cut.
 And then, ladies and gentlemen, I discovered THIS recipe. First, let me just say that this may possibly be my favorite new recipe this year. I found it on a blog called A Spicy Perspective, and it is HEAVEN in a pie plate. It's absurdly easy to make and it literally proves what I always say...."There's no such thing as too much cinnamon." At first, the recipe kind of reminded me of my family's favorite cherry cheese pie, sans cherries, and of course with the addition of a TON of cinnamon. Of course, I needed an excuse to try it. I had planned on having a few friends over for a sort of meeting/dinner, and this was the perfect chance to test the pie.
 It got RAVE reviews from my friends, and soon they were asking me for the recipe. My friend Chris described it as tasting like the inside of a cinnamon roll. OMG YES THAT'S IT! That's the perfect description! It's rich and creamy, but yes, if a cinnamon roll and a pie had a baby, this would be it!
 So, if cinnamon rolls are your thing (Anthony, I'm looking at YOU), then you clearly need to make this pie! And YES, this is DEFINITELY 100% Thanksgiving worthy!!




8 ounces cream cheese softened 
1 cup brown sugar packed 
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk 
1 1/4 cups heavy cream 
1/4 cup all purpose flour 
3 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1 pie crust homemade, or store-bought 
Powdered sugar for dusting



 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll and fit a pie crust into a deep dish pyrex pie plate. Crimp the edges and place the pie crust in the refrigerator. Place the cream cheese and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Beat of high until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, then beat in the eggs. Scrape the bowl again, then set the mixer on low and mix in cream, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and nutmeg until very smooth. Pour the cinnamon filling into the prepared pie pan. Bake for 35 minutes, until the center seems set when jiggled, but not totally firm. Bake another 5 minutes if needed. Cool completely. Cover and chill. Take out of the refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Dust the top of the pie with powdered sugar. Cut and serve with whipped cream if desired.



Tips:
Yes, that says 3 1/2 TABLESPOONS of cinnamon. That is NOT a typo. I know, I know, that's quite a lot, right? Well, what do you expect? It's a cinnamon pie!

Slow Cooker Mushroom Stuffing

 OK so here's an easy no brainer of a dish that is PERFECT for your Thanksgiving feast! Why is it perfect? Well, for one, it's a total do-ahead. You can have it all prepped and ready on the night before, so that all you have to do is turn on your slow cooker when you put the turkey in the oven. And that brings me to number two, the oven! Guess what? No oven space needed! It frees up your oven for your turkey and your other side dishes, so not only is it a time saver, but also it's a space saver! And then that leaves me with number three, the most important thing of all.. it's absolutely delicious! I mean, come on, how can you have a turkey dinner without stuffing? Frankly, you can't. And this recipe from Taste of Home is one of the best I've ever tried! Yes, Kelsie Kels, I know you love your Stove Top (not that there's anything wrong with that), but it's Thanksgiving! How about lets splurge a little and make something home made, with fresh herbs and aromatics, want to? It's everything a home made stuffing should be! Love love LOVE it! And I know you will too. :)



1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 pound baby portobello mushrooms, coarsely chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
12 cups unseasoned bread cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups vegetable broth


 In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, celery, and onion; cook and stir until crisp-tender, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add stuffing cubes, herbs, and seasonings; toss. Whisk together eggs and broth. Pour over stuffing mixture; stir to combine. Transfer to a greased 6-qt. slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low until heated through, 3-4 hours.



Tips:
For a little variety, add several different kinds of mushrooms! More is more!
If you'd like a dryer stuffing, place a clean tea towel over your slow cooker, and then place the lid over it. The towel will prevent any condensation from dripping back into your stuffing!
I find it's best to use stale bread cubes. They absorb so much more flavor!
Btw, I may or may not have added a little more butter and a little more celery. And by a little, I mean A LOT. Why? Because I like it!!  If you like a lot, add a lot!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries, Feta, and Honey

 Every year, I try my best to find new and different Thanksgiving side dish recipes. I mean, for the most part, just about everyone has a turkey, or at least some sort of big something as the star of the meal (ham, prime rib), but it's the SIDE DISHES that you can vary from year to year to add some excitement to your menu! For this one, I wanted something fresh, easy, and yes, I wanted it to be a little lighter. Of course I know it's a huge feast and this is not a day for dieting, but it seems to me that having a few lighter dishes would be a very welcome break from all the super heavy casseroles. Am I right? Yes, of course I LOVE a good rich casserole, but this is a marathon, not a sprint, get it?
 So lets talk about this dish. I've seen it on several websites, but I first found it on a website called Out of the Woods Fitness. So, since that's where I saw it first, that's who gets the credit! It's EXACTLY as delicious as it sounds and it hits all the marks. The honey and squash are sweet, the cranberries are tart, the feta is salty, and the parsley adds a burst of green freshness. It's so perfectly balanced! I swear, when I made it, I could not stop eating it. Some websites also add toasted pine nuts over the top, just to add a little crunch, and I'd be all for that too. But you do you!
 So if you're looking for a new way to make butternut squash, or if you're looking for a new and lighter and dare I say it HEALTHIER side dish for your Thanksgiving, this is definitely the one!




1 large butternut squash, (about 3 lbs) peeled + cubed
a hearty drizzle of olive oil
salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste
2 cups fresh cranberries
2-3 tbs honey
1/4 cup finely crumbled feta
ground cinnamon, to taste
fresh parsley, to garnish, chopped



Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
Lightly drizzle or spritz a baking sheet with olive oil.
Add cubed squash to the sheet along with another drizzle of olive oil.
Sprinkle with a light layer of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste.
Roast for 25 minutes on the center rack.
At the 25 minute mark, pull out the oven rack, and add your fresh cranberries to the roasting pan.
Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cranberries have started to soften and burst a bit.
Remove from oven and add a sprinkle of cinnamon (approx 1/8-1/4 tsp or to taste) along with feta and honey.
Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.



Tips:
To make this in advance, follow the recipe as far as roasting the squash and cranberries, then place them in a sealed container in the fridge until your dinner. Then just reheat (in oven or microwave) and then pick up where you left off and finish the recipe as directed. In other words, don't add the feta, honey, and parsley until you're ready to serve!
In the original, it was noted that the honey is drizzled after the roasting (instead of before) in order to retain some of its health benefits. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but it makes sense to me!

Kale with Bacon

 Ok, this one's quick and easy peasy. I know kale is very trendy at the moment, but when you get right down to it, there are many reasons why everyone is going crazy for it. Well, for one thing, it's like super crazy good for you. It has a ton of vitamins C and K and beta-carotene and antioxidants and about a bazillion other nutrients that I can't even pronounce. And on top of all of that, it's delicious!!! It's hearty enough that it still keeps its integrity when you cook it (instead of just turning to mush), and it doesn't disappear in the pan the way fresh spinach does when you cook it.
 This recipe is from Taste of Home, and I knew it was a winner at first glance. Frankly, you can cook anything with bacon, onions, and garlic, and I'm in heaven. When I made it for my Friendsgiving dinner, it was a big hit! But no one needed to know how easy it was. And remember, your Mom always said to eat your greens, right? She was absolutely right!
 I think maybe Popeye would have eaten kale instead of spinach if he had cooked it with bacon and onions and garlic. Just sayin!


2 pounds fresh kale, trimmed and torn 
8 bacon strips, diced 
2 large onions, chopped 
4 garlic cloves, minced 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper

 In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. of water to a boil. Add kale; cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings. In the drippings, saute onions and garlic until onion is tender. Drain the kale; stir into onion mixture. Add salt, pepper and bacon; heat through. 

Tip:
If you're not a fan or pork, try turkey bacon instead!!
For a little extra added flavor, try cooking it in chicken broth instead of just plain water!

Cider-Glazed Turnips & Apples with Sage & Bacon

 Here's another fabulous side dish that falls right in line with my latest obsession with apples and sage. It's from Finecooking.com, and I absolutely fell in love at first bite. It also fits my criteria for the perfect Thanksgiving dish because it's easy, you can do it ahead of time, and you can adjust the amounts to feed however big of a crowd you're having at your table this year.
 It's a pretty simple dish, but it really hits a lot of different notes that all work perfectly together. You have the sweetness from the apples and cider and the freshness from the sage, both of which mellow that sharp bite that the turnips can sometimes have. And we all know everything is better with bacon, right?  That just goes without saying! It makes everything rich and special enough for your holiday guests.
 The other thing that I love about this recipe is that it is cooked on the stove top, not in the oven. If you've ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that oven space is precious real estate that is not always readily available when you're trying to get everything cooked and hot at the same time. Having the option of cooking something without using the oven is a life saver (not to mention a time saver as well!) You just sit it on the back burner and let it braise until everything is nice and tender, and the cider is sweet and syrupy. YUM! Oh, and if you're not a fan of turnips, I think maybe you just haven't found the right recipe for them. This could be the one to change your mind! And if you've never tried them, well, now is the perfect opportunity! Enjoy!

1-1/2 lb. small purple-top or white turnips (about 9 small)
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup apple cider
2 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large firm, sweet apple such as Pink Lady or Braeburn
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage


Peel the turnips and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut each half into wedges 1 inch thick at the widest point. Put the bacon pieces in a large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Pour off the bacon fat from the pan and set the pan back on the burner. Add the butter and, when it’s melted, add the turnips, apple cider, sugar, and 1-1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with the lid slightly askew, reduce the heat to medium high, and cook at a steady boil, shaking the pan occasionally, until the turnips are just tender but not soft (a pairing knife should enter a turnip with just a little resistance), 8  to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and core the apple and cut it into 1/2-inch slices. Uncover the pan, add the sliced apples and sage, and continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. The turnips should be soft and the apples should be crisp-tender. (If not, add a few tablespoons of water and continue to cook for another 1  to 2  minutes.) Toss in the cooked bacon and season to taste with black pepper and more salt if necessary.


Tips:
I know I usually like to switch things around and tweak a recipe here and there, but for this one, I didn't change a thing! It's just absolutely delicious as it is. I used Honeycrisp apples, because they're my favorite. What's yours? I also didn't drain out all of the bacon fat as instructed, because... bacon.

Apple, Sausage, and Parsnip Stuffing with Fresh Sage

 Here's a stuffing recipe that I found on Epicurious.com. As soon as I saw it I thought "well, if THAT doesn't scream THANKSGIVING, I don't know what does!" Sausage stuffing with fresh sage? I mean, COME ON! And the apples and parsnips bring a sweetness to the party that is simply just perfect!! It's definitely something new and different, but it's classic at the same time. Cool, huh?
 Now, if you've read any of my other recipes, you know that I can't leave a recipe alone. In this case, I didn't change the ingredients listed in the original recipe, I changed the AMOUNTS. Apparently, the folks at Epicurious were feeding an army, and their amounts were about twice as much as I needed for my 9x13 casserole dish. Then again, they used part of it to stuff the turkey, and part of it to bake in a dish. Since I prefer to stuff the turkey with aromatics, I just cut the recipe in half (except for the butter and chicken broth) and that's how I have listed the recipe below. It worked perfectly! However, if you have quite a gang to feed, or if you prefer to stuff your turkey with stuffing instead of aromatics, then by all means double everything and go for it!


1 lb loaf sliced sourdough bread with crust, cubed
1 lb sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 lb hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups celery. chopped
3/4 cup (1  1/2 sticks) butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cubed
1 lb parsnips, peeled, cubed
1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth


Preheat oven to 325°F.
Bake bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté sausages in very large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking into pieces with spoon, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl; add bread.
Add onions and celery to same skillet and sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes; transfer to bowl with bread. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes; mix apples into stuffing. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add parsnips and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes; mix into stuffing. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet. Add sage and sauté until dark green, about 2 minutes. Mix sage and butter into stuffing. Season with salt and pepper.
Place in buttered casserole dish. Drizzle with 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover with foil.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing covered until heated through, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.


Tips:
When I brought some to my brother, Chris, he said he wished that it would hold together a little more. Since there are no eggs or any kind of binder to the recipe, the best way to keep everything together is to chop everything a little more finely than I did, and don't skimp on the butter and chicken broth. Again, the amounts are just guidelines. Add them til it's enough!
This can absolutely be prepared a day in advance. Actually, you could even do it TWO days in advance if you cover it tightly with foil and keep it in the fridge until it's time for baking.