Haven’t finalized your Thanksgiving day menu? Check out these easy recipes from our Yummy Delicious contributors (and a few special guest bloggers) for some new inspired ideas.
Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta
Recipe courtesy of Jenna Helwig at Rosaberry.com.
Each Thanksgiving one of my
dear friends makes Brussels sprouts with pancetta for her family. After
recently preparing the dish myself I know why – it’s delicious! The recipe
easily doubles or triples for a larger crowd. You can trim and chop the
Brussels sprouts a few hours ahead of time. Keep them in a bag in the fridge.
Ingredients (Yields 4
Servings)
1/4 lb. pancetta, cut into
1/4 inch cubes
1 lb. Brussels sprouts,
rinsed and dried
extra virgin olive oil (if
necessary)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to
taste
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the
pancetta cubes and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is
crisp, about 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cut each sprout in half lengthwise.
Then, beginning at the top of each half, cut the sprout into thin ribbons.
Stop once you reach the thick part of the core; you’ll discard about 15%
of each sprout half.
3. Remove the crisp pancetta from the pan, placing
it on a plate lined with a paper towel. If there aren’t at least two
tablespoons of fat in the sauté pan, add a tablespoon of extra virgin
olive oil. Add the Brussels sprouts, salt, and freshly ground pepper to
taste to the pan, and sauté over medium-high heat until the sprouts are
deep green and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar to the
middle of the pan and quickly scrape up any brown bits stuck to the bottom
of the pan. Turn off the heat and taste the sprouts for seasoning, adding
salt or pepper if necessary.
Butternut Squash Soup
Recipe courtesy of Jen Tilley at how-tosimplify.com.
Ingredients:
1 2-lb butternut
squash, halved
1 12-16 ounce sweet
potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium carrots,
peeled and roughly diced
4 tablespoons
unsalted butter
1 medium onion,
diced
2 ribs celery,
peeled and sliced crosswise
2 sprigs thyme
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and
half (optional)
Salt and pepper (to
taste)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to
350 degrees.
2. Place
squash cut-side down, potatoes and carrots on baking sheet. Bake for approximately
30 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and let squash cool enough to
handle.
3. Use
a spoon to scoop out and discard squash seeds. Scrape the meaty away from the
skin. Place the squash meat, potatoes and carrots in a bowl and reserve.
4. Melt
butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Add onion, celery and thyme and stir
occasionally until soft and lightly browned (approximately 10 minutes).
5. Discard
the thyme.
6. Stir
in the broth and roasted vegetables and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
7. Puree
soup in food processor or blender until smooth and return to saucepan (you may
need to puree in batches).
8. Add
the half and half to the pureed soup.
9. Season
to taste with salt and pepper and re-heat if necessary before serving.
*These are traditional
instructions; however, if you want to speed the process up a bit, you can
always microwave the squash, potato and carrots to soften.
**Recipe provided from a friend (originally from the CBS Chef on a
Shoestring segment in 1999 — Chef Chuck Adams.
Mini Stuffin’ MuffinsRecipe courtesy of Jessi Walter at Tastebuds.
This is an awesome recipe we’ve developed at Taste Buds called “Stuffin Muffins” — they are amazing and the kids have been loving making them!
1/2 onion, diced
Directions
1.Tear up pieces of bread
into large bowl.
2. Chop onion add to bread.
3. Add carrots and peas.
4. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and salt.
5. Crack egg and add to
bread mixture.
6. Pour butter and broth
into mixture and stir to combine.
7. Spoon mixture into
sprayed muffin tins.
8. Cooks 15-20 minutes or
until browned.
Arugula Salad with Butternut Squash, Lentils, Candied Pecans, &
Feta
Recipe courtesy of Jenny Rosentrach of dinneralovestory.com
Directions:
1. On a cookie sheet, toss 1
small butternut squash
(peeled, seeded, and chopped into small pieces as shown below) with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a
teaspoon or two of fresh thyme
leaves. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss
about 8 cups baby arugula,
1 cup cooked beluga lentils
(you can buy these precooked at Trader Joe’s), a handful of crumbled feta, and a handful of store bought candied pecans. Make dressing: Whisk together 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup olive
oil, salt, pepper, snipped chives.
When squash is ready and has cooled, add to the salad and toss with vinaigrette
right before serving.
Easy Apple Pie
Recipe courtesy of Amy Spiro at bakingandmistaking.com.
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6 tbsps shortening, cubed and frozen
9 tbsps butter, diced and frozen
6 to 8 tbsps ice water
Filling:
8 apples (I used half Granny Smith, half Golden Delicious)
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp cinnamon
1 egg white
Demerara sugar
Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to
combine.
Sprinkle the shortening over the flour, and pulse until it resembles cornmeal.
Then scatter the butter on top and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and stir in 4 tablespoons of the ice water.
If the dough doesn’t come together, sprinkle a tablespoon at a time until it
does.
Divide the dough into two discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about
an hour.
Core, peel, and slice the apples.
In a saucepan, stir together with the sugars, lemon juice and cinnamon.
Cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until just tender.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Roll half the dough out on a well-floured surface into a 12-inch circle.
Carefully fit the dough into a 9-inch pie plate, leaving the overhang. Cover
with saran wrap and freeze, about 30 minutes.
Fill the crust with the cooled apple mixture.
Roll out the remaining dough into a 10-inch circle, and a cut a hole or vents
into the dough.
Place over the filled pie.
Trim the excess of both crusts to about a 1/2 inch, and crimp to form a neat
edge.
Beat the egg white and brush it on top, sprinkle with the sugar.
Bake at 425 F for 25 minutes, then reduce to 375 F and bake an additional 25 to
30 minutes.
