"To die for" Chocolate Pecan Pie

Submitted by: MrsPH

Every year, my mom takes pie requests from the men in the family for Thanksgiving.  Last year, my husband requested a pecan pie and so my mom made this recipe from Emeril... And let me tell you it is "to die for". I have made it a few times since then (it's incredibly easy to make esp. when you use a ready made crust) and I have yet to hear anyone say they didn't like it.

*Recipe from Emeril Lagasse*

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups pecans 
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell 
• 4 eggs, beaten 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup corn syrup 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• Pinch salt

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spread the pecan pieces and the chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pie shell.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together. Pour the filling over the pecans. Bake until the filling sets, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
• Serving suggestions include: Caramel or confectioners' sugar on top or with vanilla ice cream.  We never served it with any as it is pretty perfect on its own. 

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Harvest Pumpkin Bread

Submitted by: maryandkirk0909

Recipe adapted from Recipe Zaar

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. dark brown sugar
• 1 can, 15 oz. canned pumpkin 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1/4 c. applesauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray 9x5 loaf pan (or your desired bread shaping device) with baking spray.
• Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
• Combine sugars, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and applesauce in medium bowl (I wouldn't recommend a metal mixing bowl for this part- it just tastes tinny to me if you mix liquids in one). Mix until blended.
• Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until just moistened.
• Spoon batter into prepared pan.
• Bake for 60-70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Roasted Maple Sweet Potatoes

Submitted by: melpfaff

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup 
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Arrange sweet potatoes in an even layer in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Combine maple syrup, butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper in small bowl. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes; toss to coat.
• Cover and bake the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes. Uncover, stir and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until tender and starting to brown, 45 to 50 minutes more.

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Worlds Best Mashed Potatoes

Sumbitted by: melpfaff

There is no exact recipe here.

Ingredients:

• about 5 lbs mashed potatoes
• buttermilk
• butter
• garlic powder
• ground white pepper
• fresh chives

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Submitted by:melpfaff

Recipe from *Cooking Light*

Crust Ingredients:

• 56  reduced-fat vanilla wafers (about 8 ounces) 
• 1  tablespoon  butter or stick margarine, melted 
• Cooking spray

Filling Ingredients:

• 3  (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened 
• 2  (8-ounce) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened 
• 1/2  cup  granulated sugar 
• 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar 
• 3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour 
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon 
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground nutmeg 
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground ginger 
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt 
• Dash of allspice 
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 4  large eggs 
• 1  (15-ounce) can pumpkin

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°. 
• To prepare crust, place wafers in a food processor; pulse 2 to 3 times or until finely ground. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack. 
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°. 
• To prepare filling, beat cheeses with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and next 8 ingredients (granulated sugar through vanilla), beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin; beat well. 
• Pour cheese mixture into prepared crust; bake at 325° for 1 1/2 hours or until almost set. (Cheesecake is done when the center barely moves when pan is touched.) Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around outside edge. Cool to room temperature; cover and chill at least 8 hours.

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Cranberry-Cider Sauce (whole berry)

Submitted by: melpfaff

Ingredients:

• 3 cups apple cider
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 12 whole cloves
• 2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

Directions:

• Combine the apple cider, sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange zest, and cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat to low; simmer until sugar is dissolved and the flavors are blended, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir cranberries into the saucepan, turn heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until cranberries begin to pop, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Pour into shallow dish to cool and serve.

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Green Beans (from Giada Delaurentis)

Submitted by: melpfaff

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered (about 14 mushrooms)
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and slice into 1-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch kale (1/2 pound), rinsed, stemmed, and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
• 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

• Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, green beans, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking until the green beans are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and the kale and continue cooking until the kale has wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and the Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Submitted by: aortiz59
 

A good rule of thumb for this recipe is for every cup of pureed vegetables use the same amount of stock. Be careful to re-season with salt and pepper.

*Recipe taken from Barefoot Contessa Family Style*

Yields 3 to 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 c. chicken stock
• 3 to 4 c. roasted vegetables
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, heat 3 cups of chicken stock. Coarsely puree the vegetables and the stock in the bowl of a food processor. Pour the soup back into the pot and season to taste. Thin the soup with more chicken stock and reheat. The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until it is the consistency that you like.

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Autumn Vegetable Medley

Submitted by: aortiz59

My family doesn't put this on the table for Thanksgiving, but I made this for my H and I a few days ago for our own mini-Thanksgiving at home. It makes a lot of vegetables, so if you are making this for just two people you will have a ton of leftovers. I've included a recipe for roasted vegetable soup, which is a great way to use leftovers because leftover roasted vegetables get soggy when heated up again.

*Recipe taken from Taste of Home*

Yields 7 servings.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into small wedges
• 2 medium red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium red onion, quartered
• 3 tbs. olive oil
• 2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• In a large bowl, combine potatoes, red peppers, squash, sweet potato, and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat.
• Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet, lined with foil. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*

Cypress Inn Pie

Submitted by: Diamond_Doll

Cypress Inn Pie is the signature pie from a small inn in my hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The inn is now closed, but my mother has been making the pie for years, and it has become a family tradition. It's a fool-proof recipe and a crowd pleaser. Who doesn't like toffee?

Ingredients:

• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 8oz cool whip
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 crushed Heath bar OR Heath toffee bits
• Graham cracker crust
• Shaved chocolate, for garnish

Directions:

• Mix 1st 4 ingredients with mixer until smooth. Spread into pie crust. Sprinkle with Heath bar and chocolate shavings on top. Chill in refrigerator for several hours.

Did you try this recipe? Post your experience, tips & reviews in the comment section!

*posted by michelle142*