Thanksgiving - Sweets

I have a secret for you...my family has a HUGE sweet tooth! Well actually many sweet teeth :) So of course, we have desserts coming out of our ears!

This Creamy Pumpkin dip recipe is from friends of Rob. The dish is...well...creamy, pumpkin flavored and a dip! So I guess the name works out. Plus, it fulfills a sweet craving as it is more of a dessert dip.

Now I do not have the recipe for these guys below, but darn it I will get it! This is from Jennifer's boyfriend Christan. He is from Romania and this is one of his mother's recipes. The best I can describe the dessert below: flaky, sweet crust filled with peanuts and fruit (I don't know which kind of fruit). For me, sometimes desserts are too sweet, but this one is a nice blend of peanut and fruit flavors and a touch of sweet.

These are Sticky Buns from Liz. This recipe is definitely going to stick as a favorite for me. I love the mixture of the doughy texture with the sweet cinnamon glaze. Heaven!

Fry bread. This tradition is fairly new and by fairly new I mean a couple of years. Most traditions in my family have been in place since 'before I was born'. I am hoping this tradition continues to stay, though, because these are awesome. I mean come on, fried bread!

Do you remember when I tried (and failed horribly) at making Heath Candy? I was spared the embarrassment of a junkie picture in the cookbook when Jenny decided to make her Heath Candy recipe herself. Redemption!

Creamy Pumpkin Dip

• 2 – 8 oz pkgs. cream cheese – softened
• 1 – 16 oz pkg. powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 – 16 oz can pumpkin
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, gradually add sugar, beating well. Stir in pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and chill serve with ginger snaps.

Sticky Buns
• 2 cans Pillsbury biscuits
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Cinnamon
Cut each biscuit into quarters. Mix cream and brown sugar on bottom of 9x13in pan that has been greased. Put biscuits on top and turn to soak both sides. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Invert pan into foil right away.

Heath Candy
• 1 lb butter
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 – 7 oz herseys bars
• Nuts
Cook over medium heat until 310°F. Pour onto well buttered cookies sheet. Chunk 2 – 1 oz herseys bars on top and smooth when melted. Sprinkle with nuts.

Thanksgiving - Stuffing

Sorry for the brief posting hiatus. You never know when Comcast is going to make a mistake and turn off your Internet....blah!

For Thanksgiving my family all got together and stayed in a cabin at Estes Park, CO. We spend our time enjoying the views of the mountains, playing cards, reading, relaxing and...oh yea...EATING! I don't think anyone will ever go hungry at one of our family gatherings.  On Thanksgiving Day, we had so many dishes to choose from and ended up with three different kinds of stuffing! Stuffing is my favorite Thanksgiving dish so I was happy to load up my plate with a taste of each.

Uncle Bob's 'Traditional Stuffing for any Occasion'. This is the classic stuffing he has been making for years.

Cornbread stuffing. I made and shared this dish from the recipe book. It is from Amanda's family and is a good twist on a classic.

Meat Stuffing from Brenda and her mother. This stuffing is a bit heartier and has more meat than it does bread crumbs.

All of the recipes were VERY good. Do you have a special stuffing recipe?

Stuffing for ANY Occasion

Use Stove Top or other dry bread crumbs. Corn bread can also be mixed in. Moisten with chicken stock and butter. Adjust the following for quantities of stuffing desired.
• Diced celery
• Diced onions
Sauté with butter until tender then add to stuffing mix
Other great adds:
• Mushrooms
• Cooked sausage
• Dry cranberries
• Raisins
• Almonds
Season to taste with salt, pepper, sage, sweet basil or oregano.
Combine your desired ingredients in a baking dish or a foil pack and bake approx. 1 ½ hours at 300°F.


Quick Cornbread Stuffing

• Large pkg. of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread stuffing (and ingredients to prepare)
• Chicken Broth
• Chopped fresh onion
• Chopped fresh celery
• 1/8 – ¼ tsp. garlic salt
• Salt and pepper to taste
Use chicken broth instead of water and make sure mix is moist. Add chopped fresh onion and celery (to personal liking), Add garlic salt, and salt and pepper to taste. Can either mix in pan on stove top, or place in a casserole dish and put in oven at 350°F until heated through (usually about 20-30 minutes). Make sure to add enough chicken broth so the stuffing is moist and not dry.

Meat Stuffing
• 3 lbs. ground hamburger raw
• 2-3 bags bread crumbs (14oz each) any brand
• 3 cans chicken broth (14.5oz) any brand
• 1 fresh stalk celery (chopped)
• 1 large yellow onion (diced)

In a large mixing bowl, mix raw ground beef and bread crumbs a little at a time by hand until all bags of crumbs are mixed into meat, then add diced yellow onion and the celery into mix. Once it is all mixed together you then add your 3 cans of chicken broth one at a time (to personal moisture desired)and continue to hand mix it all. When mix is complete it is now ready to be put into Turkey or Chicken to be baked and any leftover mixture can be put into a baking dish and baked separately on the side. If baking alone in baking dish, coat dish with Pam cooking spray or oil and bake in the oven at 350'F for at least 45 min. or until ground beef is browned and top is slightly crisp.