10 Days of Thanksgiving Recipes -- Day 9

Purple Ribbon Pumpkin Cake - This cake is so easy to make and it tastes just incredible....so moist and sweet! We aren't that crazy about the frosting, but we can live with it.

 

Purple Ribbon Pumpkin Cake

	For the cake:
1	Can solid pack pumpkin (15 oz)	2 Cups	Sugar
4	eggs	1 Cup	Vegetable oil
2 Cups	Flour	2 tsp	Baking soda
2 tsp	Ground cinnamon	1 tsp	ground cloves
1/2 tsp	Salt	1/2 tsp	ground ginger
1/4 tsp	ground nutmeg
	For the frosting:
6 oz	Cream cheese	2 Cups	Confectioners' sugar
	Pecan halves

Directions: In a large bowl, beat the pumpkin, sugar, eggs and oil until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, salt, ginger and nutmeg; gradually beat into pumpkin mixture until blended. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Frost top and sides of cake. Garnish with pecan halves if desired. Yield: 12 servings.

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10 Days of Thanksgiving Recipes -- Day 8

It's appetizer day again today....seems that's all we eat! We have 2 recipes today, both of which are ideal for year round use. The 1st one is Scallops Sauce Verte, which is more of a salad than an appetizer and it will make a great addition to your Thanksgiving table. They also ...make a great luncheon salad on hot and humid summer days when you just don't feel like cooking.
The other is Parmesan Spinach Balls which are ideal as little 'candy poppers' as you're hanging around the kitchen watching everyone else cook! They are also great to make ahead, freeze and pop in the oven when someone pops over and you want a quick snack.
Best thing is, they both take such little effort to make!

Scallops Sauce Verte

1/2 Cup	Dry Vermouth	1/2	Onion, chopped
1	sprig of parsley	1	bay leaf
	salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 lb	Sea scallops, halved	1 Cup	Mayonnaise, approximately
1/4 Cup	Finely chopped parsley	1/2 Cup	Finely chopped spinach
1/4 Cup	Chopped chives or green onions	1 Tbs	Fresh dill

Directions: 1. In a saucepan heat the vermouth with the onion, sprig of parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Add the scallops and simmer gently until tender, shaking the pan occasionally, about seven minutes. Drain and cool. 2. Meanwhile, blend the mayonnaise, chopped parsley, spinach, chives and dill. Add more mayonnaise, if desired. 3. Place the scallops in a bowl lined with lettuce leaves, cover with the green sauce and top with a sprinkling of additional finely chopped parsley. Chill.

 

Spinach Balls

2	10 oz pkgs, frozen spinach, thawed & drained	2 Cups	Italian style bread crumbs
1 Cup	Parmesan cheese	1/2 Cup	Butter, melted
4	Green onions, chopped	4	Eggs, slightly beaten
	Salt & pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix the frozen chopped spinach, Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, butter, green onion, eggs, salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls. Arrange the balls in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

10 Days of Thanksgiving Recipes -- Day 7: Mashed (sort of) Baked Sweet Potatoes

People either love 'em or HATE 'em! We love 'em and we think we've found the best way to prepare them with not much prep or work at all. We HATE boiled potatoes that are mashed....they lose all their flavor and end up like mush. We HATE the... 'candied' style because they just a bit too over the edge sweet and gooey!
Baking the potatoes first and then 'mashing' them maintains a nice 'chunky' consistency and the pineapple, maple syrup, and pecans add a little Caribbean flavor to them.

Mashed Baked Sweet Potatoes

 

5 lbs	Sweet potatoes	1/4 lb	Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup	Crushed pineapple, drained	1/2 Cup	Chopped pecans
1/4 - 1/2 Cup	Maple syrup or honey

 

Directions: Pierce each potato a couple times with a fork and wrap them individually in aluminum foil. This will stop them from leaking all that gooey liquid inside them all over your oven. It will also make it much easier to peel the skin. Bake them at 400 degrees until a sharp knife slides in easily, but do not overcook. Let them cook a few minutes and them peel them and place them in a large mxing bowl. Cut them in pieces and gently mash them with a potato masher or continue to cut them with 2 knives, criss-cross. They should be more of a 'lumpy' coarse consistency rather than finely mashed. Do not use an electric mixer! Add the butter in small pieces and mix until melted and blended. Add the pineapple, the pecans, and the maple syrup to your desired degree of sweetness. Stir until all is incorporated. This will be enough to serve 8-12 people with some left over. You can make these ahead of time if you like and then bake at 350 until heated through.

10 Days of Thanksgiving Recipes -- Day 6

 

Let's stuff it today! If you like meat in your stuffing...this is for you! Lots of ways to vary this recipe too!

 

Savory Meat & Spinach Stuffing

 

2 lbs	Lean ground beef	1 lb	Ground pork
3 Pkg	Frozen, chopped spinach; thawed & drained	3	eggs, slightly beaten
2	Loaves, day old Italian bread, cubed (approx 4 quarts dry)	3 Cups	Milk
1 Tbs	Bell's seasoning	3/4 Cup	Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Cup	Onion, chopped	1 1/2 Cup	Celery, chopped
1 Cup	Red pepper, chopped	1 Tbs	Garlic powder
1/2 Cup	Chopped mushrooms	1/4 Cup	Pignoli (Pine nuts) -- optional
4 Tbs	butter		salt & pepper to taste

 

Directions: Combine milk and bread cubes; mix until moistened and set aside. Saute ground beef and pork until browned; drain and set aside Saute onions and celery over medium heat until just tender, but still slightly firm. Add red pepper and mushrooms and saute for 1 minute more. (vegetables should stay crispy) Return meat to pan and add spinach; mix to incorporate and cook for just a minute or 2 more. Take off heat. Mix in seasonings, parmesan cheese, pignoli, & bread cubes. Add eggs and stir to incorporate. This should be enough to stuff a 20 lb turkey with extra to cook on the side. Variations: Substitute bulk pork sausage or Italian sausage for the ground pork. Substitute 2 cups cooked long grain & wild rice for the bread. Subsitute chestnuts for the Pignoli (As with all nuts, ensure that no guests have nut allergies)

 

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10 Days of Thanksgiving Recipes -- Day 4

We'll switch gears today and give you a recipe for a scrumptious Sweet Potato Cloverleaf Roll. This is a nice variation on the traditional cloverleaf roll that adds those special Autumnal flavors of sweet potato and nutmeg. Enjoy!

 

Sweet Potato Cloverleaf Rolls

 

3 Tbs	Sugar	1	1/4 oz package active dry yeast
2	large eggs	1/3 Cup	Milk
1/4 Cup	Unsalted butter	1 tsp	Salt
3/4 Cup	Sweet potatoes, mashed	4 Cups	Flour
1/2 tsp	Nutmeg		additional melted butter for brushing the rolls

 

In a small bowl, stir together 1 Tbs of the sugar and 1/4 Cup warm water, sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and let it proof for 5 minutes, or until it is foamy. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, the remaining 2 Tbs of sugar, the milk, the butter, the salt, the nutmeg, the sweet potatoes, and the yeast mixture until the mixture is combined well.. Stir in 3 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time, and turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead the dough, incorporating as much of the remaining 1 cup of flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking, for 8 to 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a well buttered large bowl, and turn it to coat with the butter. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place, for an hour, or until it is double in bulk. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, cut off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut, and form them into balls. Put 3 balls of dough into each of 18 buttered 1/3 cup muffin tins. Brush the tops of the rolls with the additional melted butter and let the rolls rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until they are almost double in bulk. Bake the rolls in the middle of a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden.

 

10 Days of Thanksgiving Recipes -- Day 3

 

One more appetizer.....Festive Italian Sausage Cups. These are DANGEROUS!!
While you're hanging around having a few Thanksgiving morning cocktails....put these in dishes everywhere and watch everybody pop them in their mouths like candy! Beware...they are addictive!
If you want to stay with a seafood theme......substitute crabmeat for the sausage.

 

 

Italian Sausage Cups

1	Pastry for a double crust pie (9 in)
1 lb	bulk hot (or sweet) Italian sausage
6	chopped green onions
1 tbs	butter
1/2 cup	chopped canned mushrooms
1/4 cup	sliced pimento-stuffed olives
3/4 tsp	salt
1/4 tsp	pepper
1/4 cup	all purpose flour
2 cups	heavy cream
1/4 cup	freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 cup	shredded swiss cheese

On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to 1/8" thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2" round cookie cutter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased miniature muffin cup tray. Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans to cool on wired racks. In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain well and set aside. In the same skillet, saute onions in butter until tender. Add mushrooms, sliced olives, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour; stir until flour is incorporated. Add cream; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sausage and parmesan cheese. Reduce heat; simmer until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Spoon into pastry cups; sprinkle with Swiss cheese. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. This should yield approx. 48 cups. NOTE: Instead of making the cups from pastry crust, use pre-made phyllo dough cups. It will save you lots of time and they taste just as delicious! (maybe better!)

10 days of Thanksgiving recipes – Day 2: Grilled Proscuitto-Wrapped Shrimp

Grilled Proscuitto-wrapped shrimp

2/3 Cup Fresh or frozen cranberries 1/4 Cup Sugar 1/2 Cup Cider vinegar 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/4 Cup Orange Juice 3/4 Cup Olive oil 1/4 tsp Salt & pepper 3/4-1 lb Thinly sliced proscuitto (not wafer thin) 1 lb Fresh,uncooked shrimp - no smaller than U30's Place cranberries, sugar and vinegar in small saucepan and heat over medium heat until cranberries pop, 5 - 10 minutes. Let cranberries cool slightly and then transfer to a blender. Puree the mixture until fairly smooth - there will still be pieces of bright red skin. Add the mustard and orange juice and lightly mix. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Slowly add the oil while continuously whisking until all oil has been incorporated. Peel the shrimp and marinate in the cranberry vigniarette for a few hours. Lay proscuitto out and slice in half (if they are very long pieces of meat). Wrap each shrimp with a piece of proscuitto and skewer on bamboo skewers. Brush with olive oil and grille over medium high heat until shrimp turn pink. Do not overcook. For a variation, use thinly sliced cured (NOT processed) capacola or sopressata. Serve warm or cold.

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Thanksgiving! 10 Days of Recipes – Day 1

With Thanksgiving less than 2 weeks away, we'll have a recipe a day to help you prepare for the big feast!
We'll start with appetizers...today's contribution is Oysters Rockefeller

The best oysters on the planet come from the waters of Cape Cod Bay in Wellfleet, MA....but if you're in the Carolinas, try the  Lockwood Folly oysters which are in season right now! Get them at your local fish market...our 2 favorites are Haag & Sons  and Clem's. Both markets are located in Southport/Oak Island.

<---Oysters from marshland of the Lockwood Folly River

 

 

Oysters Rockefeller

24	Shucked oysters , liquor and deep shells
1	pound fresh spinach
8	tablespoon butter
1/2	cup chopped parsley
2	chopped anchovy fillets
1	tablespoon Pernod
1 1/2	teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1/2	cup fresh bread crumbs
	salt and freshly ground pepper
	tabasco
1	cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Set oven temp to 450 degrees. Drain the oysters and set aside in bottom shells. Strain and reserve the liquor for the spinach mixture . Rinse, wilt, drain, and chop the spinach. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the spinach, parsley, and anchovies. Gradually add the pernod, worcestershire sauce. and bread crumbs. Coarsly puree the mixture in a food processor or blender, thinning with oyster liquor if necessary. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and tabasco. Place the oysters in the shells on a baking sheet. Spoon the spinach mixture over the oysters and top with cheese. Bake from 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and light brown.

 

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