Thanksgiving: Ciabatta Stuffing with Artichoke Hearts & Chestnuts

(Photo via Food network, I will add my own after the Holidays)

This is a recipe that we got from Giada, we just altered it to make it vegetarian by adding vegetable broth and substituting artichoke hearts for the pancetta. If you want to watch Giada make it, here is the link.

This is what I look forward to every Thanksgiving! It is by far the best stuffing I have ever had and I am convinced that it is the best I will ever have! Trust me! The artichokes and ciabatta make it unbelievably savory and delicious! I am "Thankful" for it!

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

2 large onions, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

3 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 pound day-old Ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 cup (or more) canned vegetable broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs, beaten to blend

14 oz. Jar Artichoke hearts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, artichoke hearts, rosemary, and garlic. Sauté until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

Thanksgiving: Roasted Vegetables

(Photo via Google, I will add my own photo after the Holidays)

INGREDIENTS:

~Brussels Sprouts, cut in half

~Sweet potatoes, cut in chunks

~Fennel, sliced

~Onions, sliced

~small colorful Carrots, whole

~Olive Oil to drizzle

~Salt and Pepper to taste

~Herbs de Provence

~Balsamic Vinegar to lightly drizzle

Lay all the vegetables on a cookie sheet. Then I drizzle olive oil all over them and add salt and pepper and sprinkle on the Herbs de Provence. (My favorite dried herb mixture!)

Then roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for around 30-45 minutes. Just check them by poking them with a fork to see if the middle is soft.

Finally, when you take them out and lightly drizzle them with Balsamic Vinegar...Heaven!!!

Thanksgiving: Pomegranate &Persimmon Salad

(Photo via Food network, I will add my own after the Holidays)

This is a salad that my mom made up it is the perfect, fresh fall salad that everyone needs to have on Thanksgiving! What is more fall than pomegranates, persimmons and pears? It is so delicious!

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1 Tablespoon Sherry vinegar

3 Tablespoons canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large bunches Mache

1 small head radicchio, torn into 2-inch pieces

1 Fuyu persimmon, cut into thin slices

1 Red Bartlett pear, halved, cored, and cut into thin slices

6 fresh figs, halved

1 small pomegranate, peeled, seeds removed and separated

1/2 cup walnut halves, candied in 2 Tbsp sugar

In a small saucepan over high heat, reduce the cranberry juice until 1 to 2 tablespoons remain. Let cool. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, reduced juice, and oil and season, with salt and pepper. Place the Mache, radicchio, persimmon slices, pear slices, and figs in a bowl.

Add the vinaigrette and gently toss together. Place on individual salad plates. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and walnut halves and serve immediately.

Thankgiving: Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

(Photo via Google, I will add my own after the Holidays)

I love Ina Garten's Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes Recipe! Yum, this is getting me so hungry! Why are they so good? I just love them! I usually skip the gravy but this year I am going to try to make a vegetarian one so I will post it if it turns out to be yummy!

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Add them to the boiling water and bring the water back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.

As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them. Mash them with a masher and then a hand mixer, but not too much, I still like them kind of chunky. As soon as the potatoes are mashed, stir in the hot milk mixture. Add enough buttermilk to make the potatoes creamy. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper, and serve hot.

Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Cheesecake

(Photo via Google- I will add mine after the Holidays)

What I look forward to every Thanksgiving? This Pumpkin Cheesecake is easily the biggest hit of Thanksgiving in our home! It is so rich and creamy and the flavor is unbelievable! I LOVE it so!

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Filling:

12 oz cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup pumpkin

2 eggs + 2 egg yolks

Topping:

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions: Make crust and place in pie tin. Beat filling together and pour into crust. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread topping on and bake for 10 more minutes. Chill.

Thanksgiving: French Silk Pie

(Photo via Google, I will add my own after the Holidays)

This is such a crowd pleaser, it gives you that chocolate fix but it is in the form of a pie that feels more festive! You can't leave without having a slice of this yummy pie!

Ingredients:

1 cooled pie crust

3 oz melted unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

Fresh Whipped cream

Chocolate curls (made with a Hershey bar and a potato peeler)

Instructions: Beat sugar and butter for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for 2 minutes between each addition, scraping sides of the bowl constantly.

Turn into shell. Chill several hours. Garnish with cream and chocolate curls.

Eggplant Parmesan: My Current Obsession!

When I say obsession, I am not using that word lightly!!! I think about this eggplant parmesan basically everyday, and when I make it, that is all I want to eat...I could pretty much eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I just love it so much and it is so satisfying and delicious! And it almost tastes better to me the next day after it settles together. So, this is a must try! Even if you or your family "thinks" you don't like eggplant...you will love this. I slice the eggplant so thin and that gives it great texture. Trust me...it is perfection!

So, there are a few ways to do this. If you are including roasted vegetables, then it is great to use a pan and just start layering (I often use leftover roasted vegetables from the night before so I don't even have to do that step, which is nice!) But if you are doing just eggplant, it is kind of fun and fancy to do it like a little Eggplant Napolean, pictured below. Just cook in a dish and layer the circular breaded eggplant with the sauce and cheese and then bake in the oven and each person is served there own Napolean.

If I am doing just Eggplant Napoleans, I like to lightly drizzle the breaded eggplant with balsamic vinegar and then layer and cook. It just adds an extra depth of flavor.

*I usually just throw it together so these are approximate measurements.

INGREDIENTS:

~1 large eggplant, sliced very thin

~For Breading Eggplant: One plate of parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and fresh basil to dip eggplant in, one plate of flour to dip eggplant, one bowl of a couple eggs, beaten to dip eggplant in.

~Olive oil, for frying the eggplant

~A variety of vegetables, (roasted in the oven in olive oil, herbs de provence, salt and pepper, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar after they are done. Love it with fennel, squash, zucchini, onions, cauliflower, whatever you have) *optional

~About 3.5 or 4 cups or more of Your favorite marinara sauce recipe or just some from the store is fine, my favorite is the Trader Joe's Tuscano Marinara in the can.

~About 3 cups Shredded Mozzarella, or less if you want

~A little Smoked mozzarella, *optional (This adds an extra unique and yummy, smokey flavor)

~Parmesan Cheese

~Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Slice eggplant very thin, in circles or half circles. Place three plates or shallow bowls on the counter. One with a mound of flour. Two with a couple eggs, beaten. Three with a mound of parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and fresh herbs, like basil.

Dip the eggplant in the flour, then the eggs, then the parmesan mixture. Then fry until golden brown in a pan with hot olive oil. Remove and place of paper towel to drain.

**Often times I don't have bread crumbs, so I just use flour and parmesan cheese. Also, I have done it for my sister-in-law who can't eat gluten, with just eggs and parmesan cheese! It all pretty much tastes the same! So this is a great *GLUTEN-FREE option!

These bits of eggplant are so yummy just like this! So make extra to snack on! My other sister-in-law just made these, brought them to a party and served them with marinara dip and ranch (kind of like mozzarella sticks). They were a hit!

Layer sauce, roasted vegetables, cheese, eggplant, sauce, cheese, etc. Then Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes before you cut and serve.

And ENJOY!

Micah was begging me for days to make Eggplant "K"armesan!

I finally did and he was loving it!