Cranberry Sauce

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Another Thanksgiving staple.  Great on leftover turkey sandwiches, too!

{What you need}

12 oz. fresh cranberries

1 cup white sugar

1 cup orange juice

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice.  Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes).  Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl.  Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Thanksgiving Turkey Gravy

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{What you need}

5 cups turkey stock with pan drippings 

(if you have the neck and giblets, you can boil them in water to make the stock)

1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup milk

1/3 cup flour 

some store bought pre-made turkey gravy to add to the finished recipe, in case you don't have enough gravy for the number of people you're serving

Bring the stock to a boil in a large saucepan.  Stir in soup and season with poultry seasoning, pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic powder.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer.  Warm the milk in the microwave and whisk in the flour with a fork until there are no lumps.  Return the gravy to a boil and gradually stir in the milk mixture.  Be careful no to let the bottom scorch.  Add pre-made gravy until you have the quantity you desire.

inspired by this recipe

White Sauce Pizza

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This was just a last-minute, throw-it-together type of pizza that happened to rock our world during dinner time last night!  We had everything on-hand and with a quick google of "white pizza sauce" we had an amazing (and amazingly beautiful!) pizza on our hands.  And in our tums.  The white sauce made all the difference for me, but John still wanted regular pizza sauce on his half.

{What you need}

2 boxes Jiffy Pizza Crust mix 

(has anyone else discovered this gem yet????? I'm in LOVE.)

1 cup hot tap water

{white sauce}

2 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons dried basil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I get a big bag at Costco and use it all the time)

{from here}

{toppings}

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast, seasoned with salt and steak seasoning

1 cup pre-cooked bacon, diced

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed enough to sprinkle on pizza

1/3 cup canned mushrooms

1 clove canned artichoke hearts

1-2 cups parmesan cheese

for the sauce:  Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Add flour and stir until thoroughly mixed.  Gradually whisk in milk and blend, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients.  Will thicken upon standing.

Prepare the pizza crust according directions on the box.  Spread white sauce as liberally as you like over the crust.  Put desired toppings all over the sauced crust, just as you like it.  Sprinkle the cheese on top of all the toppings and bake according to crust box directions.

Maryland Chicken

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Another family favorite growing up.  In fact, I've turned "maryland" into a verb.... you can "maryland" chicken, you can "maryland" veggies, you can "maryland" anything, really.  All you need is Krusteaz pancake batter and some oil for frying.

{What you need}

4 chicken breasts, cut in half hamburger style

1 cup prepared Krusteaz pancake batter

2 cups white sauce for gravy

                   4 Tb butter

                    1/2 cup flour

                  2 cups milk

                        salt and pepper

oil for frying

these mashed potatoes

Make sure the chicken breasts are dry and dip them in the pancake batter to coat the entire breast.  Brown the battered chicken breast in 1/2 inch oil on both sides just until it is evenly browned.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes and 350.

For the gravy, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the flour and stir.  Add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken.  Do not boil!!  Salt and pepper to taste, and serve over the chicken and potatoes.

(Compliments of Jackie Durrant)

Pumpkin Alfredo

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I made this for a very special evening.  I had been to the doctor earlier that day for an ultrasound for our first baby, but since John couldn't come with me because of final presentations at school, I had the ultrasound tech not tell me what sex the baby was and she wrote it down on a card I provided and put it in an envelope.  We had this very delicious and elegant meal before we opened the envelope together to find out what our first baby would be.  So this is a very special meal to us, and it is pretty reasonable to make.  Not the easiest thing, but definitely doable.

It calls for half of this alfredo sauce, which is part of why it takes a little longer to make because it's like you're making two meals.  But if you find a delicious alfredo sauce that comes pre-made or something, you could probably use that too and cut down on some prep time.

{What you need}

1 (8 oz) package cheese ravioli 

(or pasta of choice--I think it would be great with spinach fettuccine too)

1/2 batch of this alfredo sauce (or about 1 1/2 cup of canned)

1/2 T real butter

1/4 c finely minced onion

2 T chicken broth

1/2 t dried thyme

1 t dried sage

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  In a separate saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. When melted, add onion and saute until it is translucent and fragrant.  Add chicken broth and herbs.  Use   a spatula to deglaze the pan a bit and get any cooked bits of onion off the bottom.  Add pumpkin and whisk to combine.  Add alfredo sauce, stir to combine and cook until heated through.  Serve immediately over cooked pasta.  Another favorite from Best Bites.

Alfredo Sauce

Another winner from Our Best Bites.  The original recipe calls for "light" everything, but I used full fat.  It was so delicious, but doesn't make a ton.  I would at least double it every time I make from now on.  Serves great with cheese ravioli, or any pasta of your choice.  It looks like a lot of steps to put it together, but don't be intimidated.  It's actually super easy.

{What you need}

2 cups milk

1/2 cup (3 oz) cream cheese

2 T flour

1 t kosher salt

1 T butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a blender, blend the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt until smooth and set aside.  In a large, nonstick saucepan, melt butter on medium-high heat and add garlic.  Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from sticking and burning.  Add the milk mixture to the pan.  Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer.  Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more or until the sauce thickens, about 6-7 minutes.  Once the sauce has started to thicken, remove from heat.  Whisk the cheese into the sauce and immediately cover the pan.  Allow the sauce to stand for at least 10 minutes before using.  It will continue to thicken upon standing.  Serve immediately.

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days.  The sauce will become very thick once refrigerated.  To use it, reheat the sauce and add a little milk until the desired consistency is reached.