Thanksgiving Day food

Cranberry Fluff Salad

IF you like things that are on the 'tart' side, you may 

like this recipe for Cranberry Fluff.  Yes, there 

IS sugar added to sweeten up the cranberries, 

but not enough to make the cranberries taste as 

IF they had started out as little 'sugar balls'!!!!

Cranberries are cranberries.

Below:  To 'chop' the whole cranberries, 

I first used the slicing blade in my food processor.  

The pieces were still too large.

Below:  Secondly, I put the 'still too large' pieces of cranberries back through the food processor, but this time I ran them through the 'grating disc' that came with it--  now,...GOOD ENOUGH!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound whole cranberries, chopped
• 1 cup sugar (IF you are "ANTI-tart", you might want to add more.)
• 1 cup seeded grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, halved (optional)
• 1 cup small marshmallows (2 cups would add more volume)
• 1/2 cup whole pecan halves, or chopped pieces
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine fruits, marshmallows and nuts.
2. Cover and put in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight (this helps the sugar 'do its thing').
3. Whip the cream until it forms and holds soft peaks.  Fold the cream into the fruit.
4. Chill in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.   Serves about 8.

P.S.  I adapted this recipe from one in an old 1992 recipe booklet put out by Women's Circle.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies*

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cheesecake part of this recipe--

• 2 (8 oz.) packages (full-fat variety) cream cheese, at room temp.
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup (regular, not light) sour cream
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork

For the Brownie part of this recipe--

• 3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar (I used 1 and 2/3 cups sugar today, and that was enough.)
• 1 cup cocoa (I used Hershey's).  I always sift cocoa, or run it through a screen to eliminate any lumps.
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (I prefer to use the aluminum-free kind)
• 1 TABLESPOON vanilla
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten 
• 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325.  Lightly butter a 9x13" pan.  Set aside.

First, make the cheesecake mixture: 

1. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it's 'smooooooth'.  
2. Add the pumpkin, sugar, vanilla and spices; beat until smooth. 
3. On low speed, add in the sour cream and eggs until well combined.  Set aside.

Now, make the brownie part:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.  Add the sugar and stir (or whisk) over medium to low heat just until butter and sugar are combined and hot, but not bubbly.  You'll only need to heat it for a couple of minutes; until the mixture looks shiny.
2. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and vanilla.  Let cool for about five minutes so it won't be as hot for the addition of the eggs as in the next step.  
3. Whisk in the eggs until smooth.  Stir in the flour.
4. Pour about 3/4 of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan.  Spread out smoothly.  
5. Pour the cheesecake batter over the brownie layer and spread evenly.
6. Drop the remaining brownie batter by dollops on top of the cheesecake layer. 
7.  Use the blade of a kitchen knife to swirl the brownie dollops into the cheesecake, making a pretty, swirly pattern.
8. Sprinkle the top of the swirled pattern with the chocolate chips.  Like this...

                             

Bake for 35 minutes or so, until the cheesecake layer is set.  Let cool completely on a wire rack, then chill and store in the refrigerator.  

Below:  Baked, mine looked like this...

                               

Below:  Cut, they looked like this...

* Today's version (recipe) of/for these bars was adapted (with very minor changes) from Bridget's recipe/post at:  http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2012/11/pumpkin-cheesecake-brownies.html     There, I read that the 'brownie layer' for this came from the  King Arthur Cookie Companion   (THANKS, Bridget!!!)

"Accident" Soup (Beef and Vegetable Combo.)

Above:  Before I added liquids, 
everything looked like this!

Why in the world would I have named this 'Accident' Soup!?   Well, ... because I started out to make this one day only because I had over a pound of thinly sliced carrots, some chunked celery, onions and lean ground beef  sitting in the refrigerator and I needed wanted to use all of that for/in SOMEthing! 

I browned the hamburger with the onions and celery, added carrots, cubed potatoes and a few other things-- I really THOUGHT it would end up being more of a stew, but,  NOPE!!!--  it was a SOUP.   And, I say it was quite 'accidentally' GOOD!!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 and 1/2 lbs. lean hamburger
• 1 large onion, chopped or sliced
• 1-2 cups celery chopped into 1/2" pieces (leaves are good in it, too). 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 and 1/2 lb. carrots, sliced (mine were about 1/8" thick)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 of 15 oz. can beef broth
• 1 of 15 oz. can vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes (or smaller 1/2" cubes)

• 1/2 lb. soft kind of Velveeta type cheese (I think grated mild or medium cheddar would also work).  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown the hamburger with the onion and celery until meat is lightly browned and the vegetables are slightly tender.   Drain excess fat off. 
2. In large heavy-duty kind of stock pot or heavy dutch oven, combine meat/onions/celery and potatoes and sliced carrots.  Add the water and the two cans of vegetable broth and garlic powder.  Stir to mix.  Let this cook over medium heat while peeling and cubing the potatoes.
3. Add cubed potatoes.  Stir well.  
4. Cover and simmer until carrot slices and potatoes cubes are fork tender.   (BUT!!, my 'lazy way' of doing this is to put this into the oven at 350-degrees for almost an hour.  At this point in the preparation, I think this could also be put into a slow cooking crock pot on low for about six hours and it would turn out good, too.)
5. Just before putting into individual bowls, spread little chunks of cheese on the top and gently stir until it melts into the broth.

Extra note:  I knew my husband had to be leaving the house in a bit over an hour.  I put this together.  He was not quite finished with eating it when the missionaries came to get him.  He put it 'on hold' and then, when he got back home an hour later, he told the missionaries, "I'll go and finish my soup.  You want some, too?"  Even if it was nearing the middle of the afternoon, they said, "Sure!"   They loved it so much that they each took second helpings-- one of them wanted to know what the broth was made up of.  "Vegetable and beef broth, water, and some cheese  melted on the end."   Anyhow, this................ 'accidentally good' soup was a huge hit with them.   Just yesterday, the missionaries again mentioned having had this soup here a couple of weeks ago, and asked if the recipe was on my recipe blog.  Well,............. it IS,............ NOW!!!!