CRANBERRY MEATBALLS

Filed under Appetizers
Ingredients
2 pounds pre-cooked frozen meatballs
1 (14 oz.) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (12 oz.) bottle chili sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Directions
In a large bowl, combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and Worcestershire (if using).  Place meatballs in a slow cooker.  Cover with sauce mixture.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until meatballs are heated through.

Let's Dish
These are a lot like those grape jelly meatballs (I know, it sounds weird, but they're pretty good) using cranberry sauce in place of the jelly.  I like these even more, and with the cranberries, they're perfect for the holidays.  We always have a selection of appetizers on Christmas Eve and these are always a favorite.  Best of all, they're so, so easy.  I like them without the Worcestershire sauce, but if you like them a bit more savory, it's a good addition.  If the sauce seems too tart after cooking for several hours, you can also add a bit more sugar.

Who Dished It Up First
This recipe was passed along to me at a church recipe exchange featuring favorite holiday dishes.

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I'm sharing @ Tuesday Night Supper Club

BROWNED BUTTER SPOON COOKIES

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 to 1/3 cup jam, such as berry or plum 
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter browns lightly and smells slightly nutty, about 15 minutes. Stir occassionally to loosen brown bits on bottom of pan.  Transfer the butter to a medium bowl and cool slightly.  Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg yolk, sugar and vanilla into the cooled browned butter. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until the dough looks like wet sand.

Scoop out dough with a small teaspoon (the kind you set the table with, not the kind you measure with). Rock spoon gently back and forth against the side of the bowl, packing the dough into the spoon, then scrape/slide the spoon against the inside of the bowl to make spoon-shaped cookies. Trim excess dough with your fingers and slide out onto ungreased cookie sheets, with the flat side of the cookie facing down.  Bake cookies until just browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool almost completely on the baking sheets, and then transfer cookies to a rack to cool. When cool, spread 1/2 teaspoon jam on the flat side of a cookie, and then sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.  If desired, dust cookies with confectioner's sugar.

Let's Dish
Spoon Cookies, or Lusikkaleivat, are a traditional Finnish cookie.  I've been wanting to try these for awhile now, and I'm so glad I did.  I mixed the dough in my large Pyrex batter bowl, and the straight sides worked well for shaping the cookies.  Don't be afraid of all the brown bits in the butter.  They give these shortbread-like cookies a delicious, nutty taste.  These are also good with Nutella in place of the jam.
 
Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from foodnetwork.com.

*I've pulled this recipe from my archives for the holiday recipe exchange contest at My Baking Addiction.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.  And don't forget to vote starting on Nov. 28.

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CLASSIC CORNBREAD STUFFING

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
8-10 cups dried bread cubes
1 9-inch pan cornbread (from a mix or your favorite recipe)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
3-4 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon dry rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons ground sage
2-3 cups chicken broth
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Crumble cornbread into a large bowl with dried bread; set aside.  In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion, shallot, garlic, celery, thyme, rosemary and sage and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Pour butter and vegetables over bread mixture and stir gently.  Stir in 2 cups of broth and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasonings before stirring in beaten eggs.  Add additional broth as desired for moistness.  Stir in parsley.  Spoon stuffing into a large casserole dish or 9x13 baking dish. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until heated through. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until stuffing is lightly browned.

Let's Dish
This is the best part of Thanksgiving dinner!  My mom used to start saving bread ends well before Thanksgiving so she'd have plenty for the stuffing.  I usually end up just cubing a loaf of bread and toasting it in the oven.  To make things easier, I whip up a pan of cornbread using a Jiffy mix.  If I'm feeling extra industrious I'll make a pan of Homesteader Cornbread from scratch.  There are a thousand recipes and methods for making stuffing, but this is the recipe I learned to make by watching and helping my mom in the kitchen. I'm probably biased, but of all the versions I've tried, it's still the best!

Who Dished It Up First
Like many family recipes, it's hard to say, but my mom learned to make it from her mother-in-law, who was a wonderful cook and hostess.  I'm not sure there is actually a written version of this recipe. This is my best guess at ingredients and measurements.  Feel free to adjust the quantities and seasonings to suit your tastes.

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I'm sharing @
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Delicious Dishes

SWEET AND SPICY CRANBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced serrano pepper
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) package fresh or frozen cranberries
1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot and serrano pepper and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Stir in the orange juice, brown sugar, cranberries, chipotle pepper in adobo, cinnamon, and salt. Reduce the heat and simmer until mixture is thick, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool and thicken. Refrigerate until serving.

Let's Dish
I've been making the same cranberry sauce for years.  It's very similar to this recipe, minus the shallots and the spicy kick.  You may want to go easy on the peppers the first time you make this, just so it doesn't turn out too hot. It's really easy though, and can be made days ahead, so you could even serve a standard and a spicy version of cranberry sauce at your Thanksgiving meal. My husband prefers this to the regular version, which he doesn't care for at all.  He says it's like putting jam on your turkey.  But this version is a bit more savory.  Most Thanksgiving dishes are so traditional, which is one of the things I love about the holiday, but why not add a just a bit of spicy flair?  Chipotles in adobo come canned, and can usually be found in the Mexican food section of your grocery store. You can freeze any leftover peppers and use them later.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from Guy Fieri @ foodnetwork.com

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EASY VEGETARIAN TORTILLA SOUP

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2-3 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
Tortilla strips (soft or crunchy)
Optional toppings
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Chopped avocado
Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic and green pepper and saute until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in broth, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chillies, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Add black beans and corn and stir to combine.  Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes.  Stir in lime juice just before serving.  Ladle into bowls and top with a generous amount of tortilla strips.  Add optional toppings as desired.

Let's Dish
It looks like a long list of ingredients, but really you're just throwing everything into a pot, so this soup comes together in no time.  It makes a lot, but it's great for lunch the next day, and you can also put some in the freezer.  I like mine with corn tortillas cut or torn into small pieces, plus all of the optional toppings--but the tortilla strips are a must.  Otherwise it's just spicy vegetable soup.  Tortilla chips work too.  I usually have the ingredients for this on hand, so I can throw it together at the last minute.  Of course, you can always add meat to make this soup even more hearty.

Who Dished It Up First
This is an original recipe.

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PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE BARS

Ingredients
Cake
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin 
1/4 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin/butter mixture and combine until well blended. Spread about 2/3 of the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/4 cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the pumpkin batter. Dollop the remaining pumpkin batter over the cream cheese batter and spread out as evenly as possible.  Use a table knife to swirl together the cream cheese and top layer of pumpkin batter.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the pumpkin batter springs back when touched. Cool completely in pan, then cut into bars.

Let's Dish
When I saw this recipe over at 3B's--Baseball, Baking and Books, I couldn't wait to make it.  Because what's not to love about a pumpkin and cream cheese dessert? I adapted her recipe to use the whole can of pumpkin.  I just didn't know what I'd do with the extra.  I used a little less water and a little more flour to compensate.  My kids couldn't wait to eat this, but luckily there was some left the second day because it tasted even better then.  Almost like one of those pumpkin rolls that are so hard to make.  If you have pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute a tablespoon in place of the spices that are listed.

Who Dished It Up First
Ingrid over at 3B's, via My Baking Addiction.

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PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLES

Ingredients
12 ounces tube shaped pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add sausage, onion and garlic and cook until sausage is no longer pink. Add broth, basil and tomatoes with their liquid. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes to slightly reduce liquid. Add chopped spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender. Add pasta to skillet and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Let's Dish
This is a light yet hearty pasta dish that can be easily changed by using different vegetables.  Peppers and mushrooms are good, but use whatever vegetables you have on hand or enjoy. You can even use thawed, frozen spinach in place of fresh.  I also like to use hot Italian turkey sausage to make it a little bit healthier.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com

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HONEY GRAHAM SNACK MIX

Filed under Candy
Ingredients
6 cups Corn Chex or Rice Chex (or a combination)
6 cups Golden Grahams
2 cups nuts
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup white sugar

Directions
Place cereals, nuts and coconut in a large bowl.  In a medium saucepan combine the butter, corn syrup and sugar.  Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour immediately over the cereal mixture and stir to combine well. Pour onto wax paper lined baking sheets to cool, then break into bite size chunks.

Let's Dish
I should probably warn you, I could eat all 14 cups of this stuff by myself.  It's addicting.  You might want to plan on giving some away.  Your friends and neighbors will love you for it.  I like to use peanuts or slivered almonds in the recipe, but any type of nuts (or no nuts at all) will work.  And if you don't like coconut, you can leave that out too.  Store brand Chex cereals work just fine in this recipe, but the store brand Golden Grahams tend to go soggy.  The name brand version stays nice and crunchy, so I don't usually skimp there. The candy coating on this snack mix is meant to be a little chewy, so don't overcook it or it will harden into one solid mass.  I would probably still eat it all though.

Who Dished It Up First
I got this recipe from my friend Micah.

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MARINATED LONDON BROIL

Ingredients
1 flank steak or London Broil (about 3 pounds)
½ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup onion, finely chopped

Directions
Mix ingredients for marinade in shallow pan or zip-top bag. Score meat on both sides in a diamond shaped pattern.  Add meat to marinade and cover or seal. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Remove meat and broil or grill to desired doneness, 10-15 minutes. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.

Let's Dish
I've tried a lot of marinades for flank steak, but this one is my favorite.   It's a great way to prepare an inexpensive and otherwise tough piece of meat.  The longer you marinate it, the more tender it will be.  I definitely recommend overnight if possible.  I like to grill mine, about 6-8 minutes per side, but your cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your steak and how you like it cooked.  Flank steak and London broil are both the same cut of meat.  London broil is actually a method of cooking flank steak.  Nobody really knows where the name originated, but it probably wasn't in London, England.  You will find either label used in grocery stores. This is great served with a side of Parmesan Garlic Roasted Potatoes.

Who Dished It Up First
A family friend shared this recipe with my mother years ago.

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