Chilled Wassail / Lori Ham

1 Can Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate

1 Can Frozen Pineapple Juice Concentrate

3 Cans of Water

1 Two Liter of Sprite

2 Tbls of Pumpkin Pie Spice

Several Scoops of Orange Sherbet

Mix Together in Punch Bowl

Add Orange Slice and Cinnamon Stick to Garnish

Cheesecake Pumpkin Muffins / Karen Wold

1 c. pumpkin
2/3 c brown sugar, packed
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. pecans


Filling Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. flour
1 egg
1/4 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla

Directions:
Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside while making muffin mix.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper baking cups
Beat pumpkin, brown sugar, milk, oil and eggs in a large bowl
Stir in remaining ingredients, then fold in pecans
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full
Fill a piping bag with the cream cheese mixture and using a wide tip push the piping tip into the muffin batter and gently squeeze the cream cheese mixture out of the piping bag
Then lift the piping bag out and repeat for all 24 muffins
Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Pumpkin Cookies / Kristi Smith

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salkt

2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1 c. dark brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. butter softened

2 large eggs

1 c. pumpkin

1 t. vanilla

 1 bag white chocolate chips

1/2 c. nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 300.  In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, salt and spice mix well with a wire whisk.  Set aside.  In a large bowl blend sugars with electric mixer at medium speed.  Add butter and beat to form a grainy paste.  Scrape sides of bowl, then add eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.  Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add flour mixture and mix well.  Add in chocolate chips, blend at low speed just until mixed.  (Do no over mix)  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto un-greased cookie sheet.  1 inch apart.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until slightly brown along edges.

Coconut Candied Sweet Potatoes / Jenny Shumway

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

4 C mashed Sweet potatoes (4 med sweet potatoes or abt 2 large sized cans)
6 Tbs Sugar
6 Tbs butter (no margarine), softened or melted
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (eyeball it)
1 t vanilla

Topping:
If you're feeling naughty you can double this part :)

1 C brown sugar
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
6 Tbs melted butter

Note: You can make these up to a day or two ahead of time, just keep them well covered in the fridge and don't put the topping on until just before baking.

If using fresh sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick each sweet potato with a fork and place on foil in the oven. Cook for 40-60 minutes or until tender.


Once they've cooled enough to handle, slice in half and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl.


To the mixing bowl add in sugar, butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Your butter should be soft enough to blend up easily so nuke it in the microwave before you add it to the bowl if you need to.


You could mash it all up by hand, but an electric mixer works great. I don't like it completely pureed, so I mix it just until everything is incorporated but there are still some sweet potatoes in larger chunks.


Spread this mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 pan.


For the topping, combine brown sugar and coconut and then pour melted butter over and combine. Mmm...


Take a pinch of the buttery-sugary mixture and put it in your mouth. Chew. Swallow. Then sprinkle the rest evenly over the sweet potatoes in the pan.


Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes. It will be more or less depending on the size of dish you use, whether you double the topping, etc. But the top should be nice and browned and bubbly so just keep an eye on it.


The sugar and butter caramelize the coconut to create crunchy, chewy, sweet, thanksgiving-y heaven in a pan:


Did I mention kids will eat this like candy? Probably because it pretty much is candy. But who doesn't like a side of candy with their turkey??

Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage Soup / Windy Noyes and Jeni Farwell

1 large butternut squash, about 3 pounds, halved, seeds removed
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 T. Chopped fresh sage, plus 12 whole leaves
1 t. chopped fresh marjoram
6 c. light chicken stock or broth
1 t. cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 c. heavy cream, or more to taste
2 T. butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly coat the squash halves with 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil.  Season the inside with salt and pepper and place cut-side down on a baking sheet lines with parchment paper. Bake until very tender, about 45 minutes.  When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and reserve.  Discard the peel.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining vegetable oil and, when hot but not smoking, add the sausage.  Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions are wilted and start to caramelize, about 6 minutes.  Add the garlic, sage and marjoram, and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes.  Add the cooked squash and chicken stock, stir well to combine, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Crockpot version:  At this point I put everything in the crock pot on cook on low 6-8 hours.

With a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor or blender, puree the soup.  Add the cider vinegar and stir to combine.  Add the cream and adjust seasonings, to taste.

In a small saute pan, cook the butter over medium-high heat until it begins to turn brown around the edges.  Add the whole sage leaves and cook until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer the leaves to paper towel to drain.

Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the crispy sage leaves.

Yield:  4 to 6 servings

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 medium sized pumpkin
salt
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides.  Separate the seeds from the stringy core.  Rinse the seeds.

2. In a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, out 2 cups of water to every half cut of seeds.  Add a half tablespoon of water for every cup of water (more if you like your seeds saltier).  Bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain.

3. Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a roasting pan.  Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer.  Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown, 10-20 minutes.  When browned to your satisfaction, remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack.  Let the seeds cool all the way down before eating.  Either crack to remove the inner seed (a lot of work and in my opinion, unnecessary) or eat whole.

Thymed Italian Veggies / Abby Reidhead

3-4 yellow squash
1 medium onion
3 carrotts
1/2 bell pepper
1/4 t. rosemary
1/4 t. thyme
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 T. kosher salt

** Optional veggies include grape tomatoes, mushrooms, be creative!***

Cut your veggies.  Drizzle cookie sheet with 1/2 of the olive oil.  Spread out your veggies and cover with the rest of your olive oil.  Add your spices and cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread / Alli Florence

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c canned pumpkin
1 c. corn oil
2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c. milk chocolate chips

Cream eggs and sugar.  Add pumpkin and oil.  Add dry ingredients slowly and combine thoroughly.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour into 2 greased and floured (9X5) pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Grandpa Frazier’s Zucchini Boats / Shari Kirkham

4 med zucchinis

½ lbs. sliced mushrooms

3 T. butter

2 T. flour

½ t. salt

1 t. dried basil leaves

¼ t. pepper

1 c. shredded cheese

3 T. sour cream

Cut ends of zucchini.  Boil or steam in salted water 10 min.  Cut in ½ lengthwise.  Scoop out pump leaving ¼ inch shell.  Chop up pulp.  Sauté mushrooms in butter & salt for 3-5 min.  Stir in flour, basil, and pepper.  Add pulp.  Cook about 2 min.  Cool slightly.  Stir in cheese & sour cream.  Fill skins w/ mixture.  Cook @ 375 degrees until hot and bubbly.

Butternut Chipotle Cream Soup with Pumpkin Seed Pesto / Debbie Schneider

2-4 T. butter

1 diced sweet onion

4-6 c. diced butternut squash (can use 6-8 c. if you want it thicker / or any combination of winter squash like acorn, buttercup, banana, or pumpkin)

4 c. chicken broth

1-2 dried or jarred chipotle peppers or roasted chopped jalapeño (optional)

1 T. salt

1-2 c. cream or half & half

½ t. nutmeg

Melt butter in saucepan and add onion and squash.  Cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes.  Stir often add chicken broth, chipotle peppers, salt and cook another 5 minutes.  Blend with a  stick blender or regular blender until smooth (if you want it chunky, remove about 2 c. of the squash before blending).

Add the cream and nutmeg and cook another 5 min. then add the rest of the squash.

Serve with pumpkin seed pesto.  Can also top with a  few toasted pumpkin seed and a dollop of sour cream.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

2 c. an combination of the following to equal 2 c. parsley, cilantro or basil

¾ c. pepitos (pumpkin seeds) toasted

1 t. cumin

1 t. salt

½ c. canola or olive oil

Place all ingredients except oil in blender and pulse until combined.  With the blender on, slowly add the oil and blend until smooth and cream

***Left overs freeze well***

Healthy Spaghetti Bake / Melissa Karren

1 Spaghetti Squash

½ each of red, green and orange peppers – chopped

1 jar Ragu Spaghetti sauce

1 lb. Ground Turkey

Mozzarella Cheese

1.       Cook the Spaghetti Squash in microwave 10 mins. Then use a fork to shred the pulp

2.       Cook Ground meat then add peppers until tender

3.       Add spaghetti sauce and squash to meat, mix.

4.       Put in a 9X13 casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 15-20 mins.  Broil the top for a minute.

Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish / Heather Caffall

 

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or 2 teaspoons ground thyme
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Relish:

• 1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add bay, celery, and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce, to taste, then cook flour a minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit then add in cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

While soup cooks, assemble the relish: combine apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon.

Adjust seasonings in soup and relish and serve soup in shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish.