Pecan Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inch)
2 eggs
1 can (15 oz.) solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Topping:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup

whipped topping, optional

Directions

Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry; trim and flute edges. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin, syrup, sugar cream, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth; pour into pastry. Combine the eggs, pecans, sugar and syrup; spoon over top.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake 40-45 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and top of pie is set. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight or until set. Serve with whipped topping, if desired.

Yields 8 servings

**This recipe comes from the Nov/Dec 2009 Simple & Delicious magazine.**

Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/3 cup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 store-bought pound cake (12 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch thick slices
1 bar reduced-fat cream cheese (8 ounces), room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups fresh blueberries (three 1/2-pint containers), rinsed and dried
3 cups (two 6-ounce containers) fresh raspberries

Directions

1. Make lemon syrup: In a small saucepan, bring 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely, then brush over both sides of cake slices. Brushing the cake slices with lemon syrup will infuse them with flavor and keep them moist. Quarter each slice.

2. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese with sugar on high speed until lightened. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add heavy cream in a steady stream; continue beating until mixture is light and airy (mixture will be like a very soft whipped cream).

3. Arrange half the cake pieces in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. Spoon half the cream-cheese mixture over cake in dollops; spread to sides of dish. Scatter half the blueberries and raspberries on top. Repeat layering with remaining cake, cream-cheese mixture, and berries, piling berries in the center.

4. Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Serves: 6

**Thoughts~Try to make ahead so that it can refrigerate at least 6 hours or so. Also, I was able to get 3 layers out of the ingredients.**

Sausage Cheese Balls

Ingredients

2 lbs. Jimmy Dean sausage, uncooked
1-1/2 cups all-purpose baking/biscuit mix
16 ounces Sharp Cheddar cheese (or 4 cups shredded)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shred cheese and mix all ingredients. Form into 1" balls. Bake 15 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet until golden brown.

For a firmer texture, add an extra 3 cups of baking/biscuit mix and an extra 2 cups of cheese.

Yields about 6 dozen.

**Thoughts~Delicious! Huge hit at holiday parties.**

Whole Cranberry Relish

Ingredients

• 1 pound cranberries, picked over
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup orange juice
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Directions

Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until most of the cranberries pop open and the mixture is somewhat thickened, 7 to 10 minutes.

Makes about 3 cups

**Thoughts~This is the best whole cranberry relish recipe I have tried so far!**

Slow Cooker Stuffing

Ingredients

• 12 cups toasted bread crumbs, or dressing mix
• 1 lb. bulk sausage, browned and drained
• 1/4 –1 cup butter, or margarine (enough to flavor bread)
• 1 cup or more finely chopped onions
• 1 cup or more finely chopped celery
• 8-oz. can sliced mushrooms, with liquid
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp. poultry seasoning (omit if using dressing mix)
• dash of pepper
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups chicken stock

Directions

1. Combine bread crumbs and sausage. 2. Melt butter in skillet. Add onions and celery and sauté until tender. Stir in mushrooms and parsley. Add seasonings. Pour over bread crumbs and mix well. 3. Stir in eggs and chicken stock. 4. Pour into slow cooker and bake on High 1 hour, and on Low an additional 3 hours.

Serves 10

Variations: 1. For a drier stuffing, reduce the chicken stock to 1 ½ cups (or 14 oz. can chicken broth) and eliminate the sausage. 2. For a less spicy stuffing, reduce the poultry seasoning to ½ tsp. 3. Substitute 3 ½ – 4 ½ cups cooked and diced giblets in place of sausage. Add another can mushrooms and 2 tsp. sage in Step 2.

**Thoughts~Everyone seemed to like this at Thanksgiving.**

Extra Good Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 5 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cooked, and mashed
• 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 ½ cups sour cream
• 3 tsp. onion, or garlic, salt
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• ¼-½ tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions

Combine all ingredients. Pour into slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours. Serves 12

**Note~These potatoes may be prepared 3-4 days in advance of serving and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.**

Variations: 1. Add 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese. 2. Sprinkle with paprika before cooking.

**Thoughts~Make sure to get these really creamy. Great flavor!**

Mallow-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• Two 23-ounce cans sweet potatoes, well drained
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispies

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 10 x 6 x 2-inch (1½-quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Combine the sweet potatoes with ¼ cup of the melted butter along with 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to taste in a medium mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, beat until very well blended. Stir in 1 cup of the marshmallows. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, smoothing out the top with a spatula. Place the remaining 1 cup marshmallows over the top. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter and brown sugar with the Rice Krispies, tossing to coat well. Sprinkle the cereal mixture over the marshmallows. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are very hot and topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Serves 8

**Note~Rice Krispies can be replaced with lightly crushed Cracklin’ Oat Bran for a different texture and flavor.**

**Thoughts~I would use this recipe again, as it was good, but I would also like to search for another sweet potato recipe.**