Thanksgiving Dream

It is! 

     What is really funny around our house is we start Christmas decorations on November 1st.  You are probably thinking "what the heck".  Well it's this way, when your guests for Thanksgiving come into your house they get a blast of color, it is always fun to see the expressions on their faces.  Especially the children (if they are invited).  The only difference they smell the best aromas of what is cooking.  Thanksgiving dinner.  Here are some of my favorite recipes.

Easy Sourdough Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 loaf sourdough bread, cut into cubes (about 10 cups)
•  tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 onions, diced (2 cups total)
• 1 shallot, diced (about 1/4 cup total)
• 4 large or 6 small celery stalks, sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• equal parts chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage to equal 1/4 cup total
• 4 tablespoons butter (use a vegan butter alternative for dairy-free, vegan stuffing)
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (chicken or turkey broth may be used also)

Steps

1. Dry the bread. Place your bread cubes on a large baking sheet and bake at 275 degrees until dry to the touch, but not toasted/brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool and place the cubes in a large bowl.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  
3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoon avocado oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, shallots, and celery until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Add in your fresh herbs and cook another 30 seconds. Add this mixture to the bread in the large bowl.
4. In the same pan, melt the butter. Scrape up any browned bits and then pour the butter over the top of the bread and vegetables. Add the broth and gently toss the mixture.
5. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased baking dish (9 X 13″) and bake in the 350 degree oven, covered with foil, for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Enjoy!

15-Minute Healthy Cranberry Orange Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon whiskey, bourbon, brandy or scotch (optional)
• zest from 1 orange

Steps

1. Add cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup, vanilla extract and bourbon in a small pot and place over medium high heat.Once mixture begins to boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce becomes nice and thick, coating the back of a spoon. You may notice a popping sound; this is the cranberries bursting so don't worry.
2. After 10 minutes I recommend removing the lid and allowing cranberries to simmer a few minutes to thicken the sauce up. If you are using frozen cranberries, this may take a bit longer.
3. Once the sauce is thick, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then garnish with orange zest. Serves 6 (about 1/4 cup each). Feel free to double the recipe!

Notes

If you use frozen cranberries, you may need to remove the lid in the last 5 minutes of cooking to give the sauce time to really thicken up. 

How to make cranberry sauce ahead of time: Simply cook as instructed in the recipe, then allow to cool completely, place in an airtight container and serve when ready. I prefer to serve my cranberry sauce but you can also feel free to heat it up over low heat in a small pot on the stove. This orange cranberry sauce recipe can be made up to 3 days in advance. 

Foolproof Turkey Gravy

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup turkey drippings (fat and juices from roasted turkey)
2. 1/4 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
3. 2 cups liquid (juices from roasted turkey, broth, water)
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt, or less, if using turkey drippings
5. 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Steps

1. Pour drippings from roasting pan into bowl, leaving brown particles in pan. Return 1/4 cup drippings to roasting pan. (Measure accurately because too little fat makes gravy lumpy.) Stir in flour. (Measure accurately so gravy is not greasy.)
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in liquid. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in salt and pepper.

Notes

• If you’d like a thicker gravy, mix 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons water or broth then whisk it into the hot gravy, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. 
• Taste as you go! Gravy is often the star of a turkey dinner, the condiment that ties the meat, potatoes, and veggies together. So be sure it’s well seasoned before the gravy boat is set on the table. 
• Do like the pros: use a medium-sized wire whisk to stir up the gravy, vigorously mixing in the flour into the pan drippings to create a roux (a thickening mixture that’s equal parts fat and flour), then as you stir in the liquid. 
• End up with a few lumps? Pour the gravy through a wire mesh sieve to smooth the gravy to a silky smoothness. 
• A flavorful broth is a traditional liquid for many gravies, but you could mix things up by using wine, milk, or half-and-half with the broth. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

I am been thinking of what else chocolate chip cookies…and what came to mind…chocolate chip cookies…I know my last blog I was being so good when visiting my daughter in Dallas, but guess what, I lost 3lbs!!! Well, that is after our visit to the Oregon coast just after our Dallas trip…She had her 80^th birthday.  It was great! The whole family was there.  It was fun watching all of the activities, and relatives show their love for one another.  We took a lot of pictures and of course, ate like vultures.  It was a theme birthday…which I wasn’t aware…the 50’s I thought while I was there, I lived the ’50s let other people look like they did.  There was a niece that took over the show…she wore a handmade poodle skirt and the rest.  My sister was very touched by the whole thing, she had all of her children there and some were very prolific…and of course dogs. It was rainy and cloudy…but some moment when the clouds parted, the ocean was beautiful the waves crashing and the beaches. It was a very serene look. 

We ate the usual food that you eat at coastal spots like clam chowder.  No one took that one, so we went to a local restaurant.  All was good.  We had a lot of fun.

Now back to my topic…you know how I can drift off…but it is all fun.

Let’s see, here are just a few recipes that I thought would be great to show and you will see why.

#1 S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

(Not exactly cookies), but the concept caught my eye so here it is: 

Servings: one 9-inch cake Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour ( measured correctly) 
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (9 graham crackers) 
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1 cup marshmallow crème---heaping (Fluff) 
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Z. Spray a 9-inch pie or cake pan with nonstick spray. Set aside. 

2. In a large bowl using handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed. Beat for about 2 minutes until smooth and combined. Add the vanilla extract and egg, beating until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl down as needed. Set aside. 

3. Toss the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt together until combined. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.  

4. Press 2/3 of the graham cookie dough into prepared pan. Spread the marshmallow creme on top. This will be tricky since the marshmallow creme is so sticky, but do the best you can to get an even layer. Sometimes I spray the bottom of a spatula with nonstick spray to spread it around. Sprinkle the marshmallow creme with chocolate chips and marshmallows. Mold the remaining cookie dough into flat pieces and layer on top of the chocolate chips. You won't have enough dough to make one single layer so some chocolate chips and marshmallow creme will be exposed. That is OK! You want to see the marshmallow on top. Sprinkle the top of the cookie cake with a few more chocolate chips on top, if you prefer. 

5. Bake the cookie cake for 25 minutes, or until the top is very lightly golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before digging in. 

6. The cookie cake looks and tastes best on the same day. I do not suggest making this dessert ahead of time for an event because the marshmallow becomes too hard over time. If you need to make it ahead, leave out the marshmallows. They tend to expand and then deflate underneath the dough, which isn't very pretty after several hours.

#2 Marshmallow Creme Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: Serves Makes 2-3 dozen large cookies

Ingredients:

·                   1 cup              (2 sticks) butter, softened
·         1/2 cup            butter-flavored shortening
·         1 and 1/4 C     granulated sugar
·         1 and 1/4 C     brown sugar
·         3                      large eggs
·         1 Tbls.                         vanilla
·         4 and 3/4 C     all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
·         2 tsp                baking soda
·         1/2 tsp.            kosher salt
·         2 and 1/2 C     semi-sweet chocolate chips
·         1 (7 ounce)   jar marshmallow creme, chilled in the fridge for about 
an hour

·         more chocolate chips to press into the dough

Directions:

1.    In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the shortening and beat well for 1 minute.

2.    Add the granulated sugar and the brown sugar beat for 1 minute.

3.    Add 3 eggs and 1 Tbls. vanilla. Beat until well incorporated, scraping the bottom and sides.

4.    Add 4 and 3/4 cup flour that has been spooned into the measuring cup (not packed or scooped). Don't stir.

5.    Use a small spoon to stir the baking soda and salt into the flour, then stir the flour in.

6.    When there are still streaks of flour in the mixture, add 2 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips. You may need to switch to a wooden spoon at this point if you have a wussy mixer. Don't over mix!!! Stir until just combined.

7.    Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, until completely chilled. Put the jar of marshmallow creme in the fridge too. (Peel off the foil under the lid first! Way easier when it's not cold.)

8.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper

9.    Use a Tbl. to make 2 balls of dough. Flatten them out with your hands to form a disc.

10.  Use a small spoon to scoop a generous tsp. of the cold marshmallow creme onto one of the discs. See photos.

11.  Place the other disk on top and use your fingers to pinch the edges and seal the marshmallow inside. Use more dough to "patch" it if there is a leak! Make sure the entire marshmallow is covered or you will have marshmallow lava all over your baking sheets.

12.  Place the dough on the cookie sheet. Make sure there are at least 2 inches of space in between each cookie.

13.  Press a few more chocolate chips on the top of each ball of dough BEFORE it goes in the oven. (I usually press them in just after baking, but it made them even flatter and I wanted them to keep some of their puff.)

14.  Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes, until they are golden on the edges and still a little shiny on top.

15.  Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool. (I mean if you're into that. I eat them as soon as the marshmallow has cooled to a not-tongue-burning level.)

16.  Drink with milk!

#3: Hot Fudge Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 14

Ingredients:

·         3/4 cup            butter (1 1/2 sticks)

·         3/4 cup            brown sugar

·         1/4 cup            sugar

·         1 tsp.               vanilla

·         1                      egg

·         2 cups                         flour

·         1                      small box instant vanilla pudding mix  3.4 ounce

·         1 tsp.               baking soda

·         1/2 tsp.            salt

·         2 cups                         semi-sweet chocolate chips (see note)

·         14 tsp.             hot fudge sauce (refrigerated or at room temperature)

Directions:

1.    Start by beating butter and sugars together for 1-2 minutes until very fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until incorporated and dough comes together. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover tightly and chill for at least 1 hour.

2.    After you put the dough in the fridge to chill, prepare the hot fudge sauce. Line a small baking sheet (or something similar that is flat and will fit in your freezer) with foil, parchment, or wax paper. Drop your heaping tsp.s of hot fudge onto the paper. (see note) Freeze until ready to use (no need to cover).

3.    After your dough has chilled for at least 1 hour, take it out of the fridge and preheat your oven to 350. Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

4.    Roll your dough into 14 balls (yes, they are large!) Take the hot fudge drops out of the freezer. Take one dough ball and use your fingers to break it in half. Place a hot fudge drop in the middle of one half of the dough ball, then top it with the second half and roll the ball in your hands to make it round again and seal the sides so you can no longer see the fudge. Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. (Careful not to crowd your cookies because they will spread and they are big. About 6 to a large baking sheet is plenty)

5.    Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes until they are started to lightly brown around the edges but aren't quite fully cooked. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes on the pan (until the pan cools), then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely - they are completely done cooling when you can touch one of the chocolate chips and it is firm. Store in airtight container. Serve at room temperature or reheat for a few seconds in the microwave for a warm and melty treat! (see note)

Notes

o    When dropping your fudge onto the paper before freezing, the best way to avoid a mess is to spritz your tsp. with a little bit of nonstick spray before scooping your fudge. Use your finger to gently slide it out onto the paper. 

o    For the chocolate chips, I like to reserve about 1/3 cup when mixing them into the dough. I leave those out and then right before putting the cookie balls in the oven, gently press chocolate chips into the cookie dough balls - after baking these chocolate chips will still show on top of the cookies. This is my favorite trick to make chocolate chip cookies look really pretty! 

o    The hot fudge sauce will stay soft inside the cookies even after they are completely cooled. Warming them up is not necessary but it is a fantastic treat - especially served with ice cream! 

#4 Peanut Butter Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie

Servings: 16 Cookies

Ingredients:

·         12 Tbls            butter, softened

·         3/4 cup            brown sugar

·         1/4 cup            sugar

·         1 tsp.               vanilla

·         1                    egg

·         2 cups                         flour

·         1                    small box instant vanilla pudding mix (one 3.4 ounces)

·         1 tsp.               baking soda

·         1/2 tsp.            salt

·         2 cups                         semi-sweet chocolate chips (see note)

·         16                    Oreo cookies

·         1/2 cup            creamy peanut butter

Directions:

1.    Start by beating butter and sugars together for 1-2 minutes until very fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.

2.    Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until incorporated and dough comes together. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover tightly and chill for at least 1 hour.

3.    After you put the dough in the fridge to chill, prepare the Oreos. Pull apart the Oreo cookies, spread 2-3 tsp of peanut butter on one half and press the cookie back together. Repeat with remaining cookies. Place on a plate and freeze until ready to use.

4.    After your dough has chilled for at least 1 hour, take it out of the fridge and preheat your oven to 350. Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

5.    Cover each peanut butter Oreo with cookie dough about 1/4 inch thick. Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough and cookies. (Careful not to crowd your cookies too close on the baking sheet.

6.    Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes until they are started to lightly brown around the edges but are just shy of being fully cooked. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes on the pan (until the pan cools), then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely - they are completely done cooling when you can touch one of the chocolate chips and it is firm. Store in airtight container. Serve at room temperature.

*Notes: Prep time does not include chilling time.

#5 Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 14 cookies

Ingredients:

·         2 1/4 cups       flour

·         1 tsp.               baking soda

·         3/4 tsp.            salt

·         1/2 cup            sugar

·         3/4 cup            brown sugar

·         2                      eggs

·         1 tsp.               vanilla extract

·         2 sticks            butter, softened (16 Tbl.s)

·         2 cups                         chocolate chips

·         14 soft             caramels, unwrapped

Directions:

1.     In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Slowly add in the eggs one at a time, making sure to wipe down the edges in between each addition. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined.

2.     With the mixer speed on low, slowly add in the flour mixture to the eggs and butter until a dough forms. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until just combined, being careful to not over-mix the dough. Refrigerate and chill the dough for 30 minutes.

3.     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

4.     To form the cookies, scoop rounded Tbl.s of dough onto a non-greased cookie sheet, about 2-3 inches apart (I could fit 6 on my standard size baking sheet). Lightly press a caramel into the center of each cookie dough ball to fit the caramel in and slightly flatten the dough. Top each caramel with another Tbl. scoop of cookie dough, making sure to press down slightly (but not flatten) so that the caramel is completely covered with dough and it won’t bake out the sides. Continue this process until all the cookies are formed.

5.     Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden brown and cooked through. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven before transferring them to a plate or rack to cool as you will want the caramels to set slightly before moving.

#6 Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

For Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• ·         2 1/2 cups       all-purpose flour
• ·         1 tsp.               baking soda
• ·         ¾ tsp.             salt
• ·         1 tsp.               corn starch
• ·         ¾ cup              unsalted butter, room temperature (1½ sticks)
• ·         1 cup               firmly packed brown sugar
• ·         ¾ cup              granulated sugar
• ·         1                      large egg, room temperature
• ·         1                      egg yolk, room temperature
• ·         2½ tsp             vanilla extract
• ·         1 1/2 cups       chocolate chips

For the Brownies:

• ·         1/2 cup            all-purpose flour
• ·         3 Tbl.s             cocoa powder
• ·         1/4 tsp.            salt
• ·         4 Tbl.s             unsalted butter
• ·         1/2 cup            granulated sugar
• ·         4 oz.                semisweet chocolate
• ·         1 tsp.               vanilla extract
• ·         1                      large egg, room temperature

·          

Directions:

 In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch for the cookies. Set aside.

      Beat the butter and both sugars together in a separate bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until well combined.

      Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing in the flour as you add more. Once all the flour is added and there are no streaks of flour fold in the chocolate chips and mix just until they are evenly distributed.

      Cover the cookie dough and chill for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

      Once the cookie dough is made, immediately start the brownie batter.

      Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt for the brownies in a small bowl. Set aside.

      In a medium saucepan, add the butter, sugar, and chocolate together. Heat on low and mix until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is well combined. It will look fairly grainy at this point. Remove from heat and allow to cool until it is room temperature. If you kept the stove on low, it shouldn't take too long to reach this point.

      Vigorously. beat the vanilla and egg into the chocolate mixture until well combined.

      Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and mix until just combined and there are no streaks of flour.

1   Transfer the brownie batter into a bowl, cover, and chill for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

     Remove the cookie dough and brownie batter from the refrigerator and uncover.

         Place parchment paper or silicone baking mats onto baking sheets.

1    Measure out 1/2 Tbl.s (1 1/2 tsp.s) of the brownie batter. The batter should be thick and may require a few minutes at room temperature or a touch of muscle to scoop it out. Roll out the brownie batter into a ball.

1   Measure out one Tbl. of cookie dough. Flatten slightly and create an indentation. Nestle the brownie batter ball into the indentation. Measure out another Tbl. of cookie dough and use that to cover the brownie ball. Roll the cookie dough in your hands swiftly to form a large ball. Set aside and repeat until you've run out of cookie dough. (You might end up with a bit of leftover brownie batter. I put mine in lined mini muffin tins to make brownie bites.)

      Chill the cookie dough balls together as you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

     Bake the cookies for about 10 - 12 minutes. Leave on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes to cool before placing on wire racks to cool completely.

And last but not least …

#7 Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 16

Ingredients:

• ·         3/4 cup            (1 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ·         1 1/4 cups       brown sugar
• ·         1 tsp.               vanilla extract (optional)
• ·         1                      egg, lightly beaten
• ·         1 1/2 cups       all-purpose flour
• ·         1/2 tsp.            baking powder
• ·         1/4 tsp.            baking soda
• ·         1/4 tsp.            fine salt
• ·         1 cup               chocolate chips
• ·         8 ounces         caramels
• ·         1/4 cup            heavy/whipping cream
• ·         1/2 tsp.            coarse grain salt (optional)

Directions:

1.     Cream the butter and sugar together before mixing in the vanilla extract followed by the egg.

2.     Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt before mixing into the wet ingredients.

3.     Mix in the chocolate chips and press 1/2 of the mixture into the bottom of a greased 8-inch square baking pan.

4.     Melt the caramels into the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat before pouring onto the bottom layer in the baking pan and topping with the salt followed by the remaining dough.

5.     Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the sides are lightly golden brown and the caramel is bubbling, about 15-20 minutes before removing from the oven to cool before slicing.

Well now it is the time to make these and “gain a few pounds”, but enjoy!!!