Chipotle Cranberry, Turkey, Cream Cheese Sandwich

2 Slices bread (I prefer whole wheat)
1 tbsp cream cheese (I use fat free or low fat, whatever we have in the fridge)
2 tbsp Chipotle Cranberry Sauce
Turkey (or in my case since the turkey was not cooked yet chicken)

Toast your bread. Spread with cream cheese and chipotle cranberry sauce and add turkey (or chicken).

Enjoy!!

Baked Squash

Squash (I have been using acorn lately but butternut works well too)
Brown Sugar (a few tbsp)

Heat oven to 400 degrees
Line your 9x13 pan with tin foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray place cubed squash in pan. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar.

Bake for 60 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Chipotle Cranberry Sauce (This recipe is from Dionne)

2 dried chipolte chilies
12 oz package fresh cranberries
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove (I leave this out)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Place chilies in medium saucepan filled with water, bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chilies are tender, adding more water if needed to keep chilies submerged, 1 to 1/2 hours, depending on dryness of chilies. Drain. You can also use canned chilies if you prefer -- it's a bit easier.

Combine softened chilies, cranberries, sugar and lemon juice in medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking until cranberries begin to pop, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cinnamon and cumin. Simmer until sauce thickens slight and flavors meld, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Cool.

Remove chilies. Stem and seed. Mince chilies and return to cranberry sauce, stir to distribute. Cover and chill.

This can be made up to a week in advance.

My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

Turkey

Keep it simple

Select your turkey

Seasoning your turkey -- I simple use a little salt and pepper and a cooking bag. Stuff your turkey and place in cooking bags and follow the cooking times listed below.

Roasting times are for a preheated 325 degrees F. oven.

Approximate Roasting Times for Stuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight Hours
6 to 8 pounds 3 to 3-1/2 hours
8 to 12 pounds 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours
12 to 16 pounds 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours
16 to 20 pounds 5-1/2 to 6 hours
20 to 24 pounds 6 to 6-1/2 hours
Approximate Roasting Times for Unstuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight Hours
6 to 8 pounds 2-1/2 to 3 hours
8 to 12 pounds 3 to 4 hours
12 to 16 pounds 4 to 5 hours
16 to 20 pounds 5 to 5-1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds 5-1/2 to 6 hours

Also, make sure you let your turkey rest after you bring it out of the oven. Don't cut right away give it 10-15 minutes at least.

Stuffing
2 tbsp butter
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onion
6 cups bread crumbs (you can dice your own or buy the packaged bags -- I use my own so I can use wheat bread)
1 can chicken broth
2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp black pepper

In skillet warm butter and cook your celery and onion until the onion start to turn clear. Add the chicken broth, sage and pepper. Mix in bread crumbs and stir until mixed. You are now ready to stuff your turkey.

Now remember you cannot for any reason stuff your turkey more than a few minutes before you are going to put your turkey in the oven. Don't want to get any weird poultry diseases.

Now you have your turkey and your stuffing cooking time to get to work on all the trimmings.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes
4 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon works too -- I would use 1 tsp)
Marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain. Mix in butter and pumpkin pie spice and mash (either with a masher or I use a mixer). Once mashed and mixed put in casserole. Top with marshmallows and back 15 to 20 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown.

We also have rolls (I use the Rhoads rolls from the freezer section) -- I really should try and make my own, but I have not yet. And we add cheese broccoli to the menu too, but that does not need a recipe it is simply steamed and then adding a little cheese sauce.

And for dessert my bread pudding

Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
5 large beaten eggs (I use egg beaters)
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups cubed Italian bread (I used cracked wheat bread)
1 cup brown sugar (I used half brown sugar, half splenda)
1/4 cup butter softened (I use apple sauce)
1 cup chopped pecans (I use sliced almonds and craisins)
2 cups granulated sugar (do not use)
2 cups milk (I use 2 cans fat free sweetened condensed milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease 9x13 pan

Mix together eggs, condensed milk and vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let stand for 10 minutes.

In another bowl mix together brown sugar, splenda, apple sauce, almonds and craisins.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture on top.

Bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until set.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce

Caramel Sauce
1/2 can fat free sweetened condensed milk
4 tbsp. butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cook in sauce pan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Let boil until bubbly. Remove from heat and let cool. Once sauce is cooled you can store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Heat before drizzling over bread pudding and ice cream.

Minestrone

3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can green beans
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 pkg turkey kielbasa diced
1 small can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups pasta (dry) -- I use whole wheat pasta

Warm chicken broth and water to a boil. Add garbanzo beans, kidney beans, green beans, carrots, celery and turkey kielbasa and bring to boil. Add tomato paste. At the same time cook 1 1/2 cups pasta. Drain and rinse pasta. Add pasta and let boil for 20-30 minutes or until carrots and celery are tender.

You can season with black pepper and cayenne pepper if you like.

Enjoy!!

Shrimp Pad Thai

1 lb. shrimp (peeled and deveined) -- can use chicken too if you prefer
1 jar baby corn cobs
1 jar water chestnuts
1 pkg rice noodles
1 pkg fresh bean sprouts

Sauce
1/2 cup hot water
1 1/2 Tbsp. tamarind paste (available by the jar at Asian/Indian food stores)
5 Tbsp. fish sauce - substitute 6 Tbsp. soy sauce if you prefer
1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, OR 2-4 tsp. chili sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)
5-6 tbsp brown sugar (I reduce to 1-2 tbsp -- but it is up to you)

Make sauce (I usually make a double batch).
Cook rice noodles according to package directions.
Cook shrimp over medium heat in pan. I spray pan with cooking spray instead of using oil, but a dash of olive oil works good too. After shrimp are pink add corn, water chestnuts, bean sprouts. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add sauce and rice noodles. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Bubble Up Pizza Casserole (from Whitney)

Picture is not accurate to recipe -- I was cooking for a bunch of hungry guys so I doubled the recipe and put biscuits both on top and bottom. Great recipe!! Any way to adapt it!!

15 oz jar pizza sauce (or if you are allergic to garlic -- a 15 oz can of tomato sauce seasoned with a touch of black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil and oregano)
1 roll of refrigerated biscuit dough
1 1/2 cups 2% shredded mozzarella
1 lb. lean ground beef (I use ground turkey)

Optional other ingredients:
sliced olives
turkey pepperoni
chopped bell pepper
mushrooms
chopped onion
or any other pizza toppings that you like

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain off grease. Add sauce (and any other ingredients) to meat.

Place biscuits in the bottom of a casserole dish and cover with meat/sauce/toppings.

Bake 25 minutes
Top with cheese and back additional 10 minutes.

Lemon Chicken

Super Simple Recipe

4 chicken breasts (diced)
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon juice (depending on how sour you want it)
black pepper to taste
2 tbsp cornstarch
Water (to mix with the cornstarch)
Rice (I use brown or jasmine -- cooked in the rice cooker)

Cook diced chicken in medium heat pan on stove top. I use a little cooking spray to coat the pan. Cook until golden brown. At the same time warm your chicken broth and lemon juice together in a medium heat saucepan. Add black pepper to sauce. Once it begins to boil add cornstarch and water mixture and allow to thicken. Once your sauce has thickened pour over chicken and let cook for 15-20 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Enjoy!!