Blue Cranberry Sauce

1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pint fresh blueberries


Wash and pick over cranberries. Place in a medium saucepan with water, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, stir and simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.


Slightly mash the cranberries with the back of a wooden spoon to insure all skins are broken. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Mix well.


Remove from heat and mix in the blueberries (don't be afraid to break a few, but don't over mash either). The sauce will thicken as it cools.


Transfer to a bowl, cool slightly and place plastic wrap directly on top of sauce to cover. Refrigerate until chilled.


Excellent sauce!


Adapted from allrecipes.com

Brandied Cranberry Sauce

2 bags fresh cranberries, washed  (about 4 cups)

2 cups sugar

Cinnamon

Cherry Brandy

Place the cleaned cranberries in a 9x13' baking dish.  Pour the sugar over them and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 300^ for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Remove from oven and stir in about 1/4 cup brandy.  Cool and serve at room temperature or chill.

This stuff is SO much better than the canned stuff!!

11/25/10 Variation
Added 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp crystallized ginger and 1 tsp cinnamon with 2 1/2 cups sugar and 1 large chopped Fuji apple with Blackberry Brandy.  Yum!!

Mama D's Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

• 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
• 1 1/2 cups canned or cooked/mashed pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cuts evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, evaporated milk, milk and eggs in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Pour into unbaked pie crust and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 300 degrees F and bake for 45-50 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is firm. Cool and serve with Cool Whip or whipped cream and cinnamon-sugar if desired.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

 

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 c. pecans, chopped
• 1 c. butter, melted
• Cool Whip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.  (I used my mixer for this step.)  Pour into a greased 13×9 baking dish.
Run cake mix through a sifter to get lumps out and sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture.  Top with pecans.  Drizzle melted butter over pecans.  Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool. Serve chilled (or warm).  Top with  a dollop of whipped topping.

Mama D's Sweet Potato Pie

Mama D's Sweet Potato Pie

9-inch pie pastry

2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

2 eggs, well beaten

1 1/4 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

4 tblsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, sugar, salt, spices and melted butter, stirring well as you add each ingredient. Beat until smooth and well blended. Pour into the pie shell and bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees F and bake for about 50 minutes more or until crust is browned and filling is firm. Cool and serve with Cool Whip or Whipped Cream and cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Jason's Cranberry Salad

Jason's Cranberry Salad

2 - 12 oz bags cranberries

2 naval oranges, 1 peeled, 1 unpeeled

2 gala or Fugi apples

1 small box cherry Jello

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Sugar to taste

Chop cranberries, oranges, and apples in food processor, alternating fruit as you go adding pineapple, nuts and cherry Jello last. Stir in sugar until desired sweetness has been attained. This is a family favorite for Thanksgiving so Jason usually doubles this recipe so there's plenty to go around.

Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars

Snickerdoodle layer:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin Pie Layer:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

Topping:

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Drizzle

1 oz white chocolate, chopped

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.

To make snickerdoodle layer:

1. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

2. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

To make pumpkin pie filling:

1. In a mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour over the snickerdoodle layer, smoothing out the top.

2. Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

3. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely. They will deflate a bit and remain a bit pie-like on the top layer. The bars that are closer to the edges of the pan will be more firm.

4. After the bars are completely cool, place the chopped white chocolate into a bowl or zip-lock bag and melt on low power. When it's completely melted, add the pumpkin pie spice and mix (or knead if using a zip lock bag). Use a spoon or cut a small corner off the bag and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the bars and let it cool and harden.

5. Store in a covered container.

Adapted from a recipe I found on Pinterest!

My opinion: This was good...not great and a lot more "cakey" than I thought it would be.

My revised opinion: OK, This is EXCELLENT the NEXT DAY! So, imo, this should be made one day before you serve it.

Cranberry Trifles

Cranberry Trifles

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) angel food cake mix

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 cans (16 ounces each) whole-berry cranberry sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons grated orange peel

Fresh cranberries or mint, optional

Directions

Prepare, bake and cool angel food cake according to package directions. Cut into 1-in. cubes; set aside. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, sour cream and vanilla; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. In a bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, sugar and orange peel.  In individual parfait glasses or a 3-qt. trifle bowl, layer half of the cake cubes, cranberry mixture and whipped topping mixture. Repeat layers. Refrigerate until serving. Garnish with cranberries and mint if desired. This is an elegant dessert and it is exceptionally good!

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
4. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.
5. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.
6. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

1 (16 oz.) pkg. pound cake mix

3 large eggs

2 tbsps. butter, melted

4 tsps. pumpkin pie spice, divided

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (about 2 cups)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine cake mix, 1 egg, butter and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in large bowl until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into bottom of 15 x 10-inch jellyroll pan.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk; beat in remaining 2 eggs, pumpkin, remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice and salt; mix well. Pour over crust; sprinkle with nuts. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Cool. Chill. Cut into bars. 

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Topping:

5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) unsalted butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar

8 ounces (2 1/4 cups) fresh cranberries

Cake Batter:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray a 9 inch round cake pan.

Topping: Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking for a few more minutes until the sugar starts to caramelize. Then remove from heat, and pour into your prepared cake pan. Sprinkle evenly with the fresh cranberries.
Cake Batter: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture (in three additions), alternately with the milk (in two additions), ending with the dry ingredients.
In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar just until the whites hold a firm peak. With a large spatula gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter in two additions. Pour the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top. Bake in preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake has browned, starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto your serving plate.
Serve with softly whipped cream.

Note: Because of the moisture in the cranberries, and because ovens do vary, the baking time can vary significantly. If you use frozen cranberries (do not thaw) the cake will take longer to bake than if you are using fresh cranberries.