Harvest Fruit Salad: Thanksgiving Side Dish

This is one of my favorite Fall fruit salads. In fact, I just made it for Middle's Woodland Theme Baptism Luncheon. This also makes a great side dish on Thanksgiving, because let's face it one of the hardest things about Thanksgiving dinner is deciding what sides to make. I mean we all know the main players. That is a no brainer.

Turkey-Check.
Potatoes-Check.
Gravy-Check.
Rolls-Check.
Pie-Check.

But alas, what to do with the other sides. There are so many to choose from. How does one narrow down what to make?

Well I am gonna help you at least narrow down one. This salad is nice to have on the Thanksgiving table. It pairs up great with my favorite Spinach Apple Salad.

This Harvest Fruit Salad is a great addition to Thanksgiving dinner.

Harvest Fruit Salad

6 cups diced apples
2 cups halved red or black grapes
1 pomegranate, seeds only
1 cup walnut pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 water
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla

First prepare all the fruit.

Aren't pomegranate seeds gloriously lovely??

Place all of the fruit into a large bowl.

Now make the sauce.

Combine the sugar, flour, and water in a saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until it boil lightly and starts to thicken. When it thickens, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then pour it over the fruit and evenly coat.

Then stir in the walnuts.

With everything all mixed and pretty all you need to do is serve it up.

Now that will make your mouth happy and your Thanksgiving dinner complete.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie with Gingersnap Crust (Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week)

Just like I promised yesterday, I have dessert for you today.

Well not really. I have the dessert recipe. Sorry if I got your hopes up with the promise of dessert.

This recipe is practically as good as the real pie, and it is one step closer to the real pie. Ya' just have to make it.

No biggie.

Today on day 5 of Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week it is all about the dessert. Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie with Gingersnap Crust.

I made a version of this pie the very first time that I hosted Thanksgiving. It was rather exhilarating. My plan was for it to be the "cherry on top" of my Thanksgiving dinner "sundae". I was more than a little nervous that it was going to be a big dud. A dud on top of a dinner dud.

Sometimes when I am anxious I get a little glass half empty, with a leak in the bottom. A girl's first Thanksgiving will do that do her.

Good news, both turned out pretty good. The pie, being the perfect ending.

Originally what drew me to this pie was that is was only part pumpkin pie. I do not care for traditional pumpkin pie. I do however, love cheesecake, which I have on many, many, many occasions declared. Most recently on the oh-so-delightful Gingersnap Cheesecake Bars.

I fully believe that cheesecake can make almost anything even better.

That goes for pumpkin. That goes for pie.

The gingersnap cookie crust doesn't hurt things either.

Oh and don't forget the whup cream... yep I said whup. I love whup cream.

I wish Thanksgiving were right now and that this pie was in front of my face. Oh well, I guess I will have to show some patience.

I hope you enjoy it!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie with Gingersnap Crust

indgredients:
crust-
1 lb gingersnaps, crushed
8 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons sugar
pie-
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
3/4 cup broken walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate covered Health bits
1/4 cup brown sugar
whipped cream

To make the crust, combine the gingersnaps, butter, and sugar until completely mixed. Press firmly into a 9" pie pan. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and the 1/3 cup sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then  stir in the orange zest. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Next make the pumpkin filling. In another bowl, combine pumpkin, the 3/4 cup sugar, and the 2 Tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice. Add in the eggs and beat lightly. Then mix in the half and half.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust carefully. Then pour the pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese layer. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, Heath bits, and brown sugar. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the pie and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the middle is set.

Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate the pie for at least 2 hours.

Top with whipped cream before serving.

Thanks for joining me for Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week.

I hope some make your menu, or at the very least your 

Pinterest Thanksgiving Menu board for next year...

or you know for whenever you are hungry.

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Spinach Apple Salad (Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week)

One week until Thanksgiving! Eek, I am so excited. I love Thanksgiving. I have been making menu plans and I have been getting some last minute Thanksgiving table stuff ready. My brain is fairly busting with things I want to do that are NOT going to get done in this next week.

In the long run, the extra stuff doesn't matter. I will be with friends and family. There will be yummy food. I have a lot to be grateful for. I have everything I need.

Life is good.

You know what else is good...

Do you like that lead in?

Today for Day 4 of Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week I am sharing the recipe for my very favorite salad. I eat this salad all year long. For several years, this salad has made it to our Thanksgiving table. I am not always a fan of the heavy vegetables you tend to find at the Thanksgiving table. I added this salad to our menu because it gave me a chance to balance out the turkey and rolls (which I have an affinity for) with some veggies that are not warm carrots.

I rather loathe warm carrots...okay so I don't like any carrots...

I do love salad. Especially when that salad has candied pecans, apples, and bacon. Yum.

Yep, this is the kind of veggie I like. No comments about if this really can be considered a veggie side with all that bacon. Don't burst my bubble. Let's just call it a vegetable.

See, there is lots of spinach. Yeah, it counts.

Seriously so yummy.

This salad is a nice surprise at a Thanksgiving table, and it is a crowd pleasure.

Spinach Apple Salad

 printable recipe

salad ingredients:
1 bag of baby spinach
1 red apple, diced
1 cucumber, diced
3/4 cup craisins
1 cup pecan pieces, candied*
4 strips bacon, cut in pieces and cooked

dressing ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Combine all of the salad ingredients.

To make the dressing, combine sugar, vinegar, paprika, onion, Worcestershire, and oil. Shake the dressing until the oil is completely mixed in. Then add in the poppy seeds. Shake again.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Serve immediately.

*To candy the pecan pieces, cook them in a small frying pan with 3-4 Tablespoons of sugar. Stir the the pecans constantly, coating the pecans in the sugar while the sugar melts. When the sugar liquifies, and coats the pecans completely, they are done. From the pan, dump them out on a cutting board and let cool. Breaking the pieces up if necessary.

Come back for more Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week tomorrow.

I think it is finally time for some dessert!

See ya tomorrow for some pie.

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Dinner Rolls (Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week)

Day 3 of Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week is upon us.

Quick recap. Day 1 was the completely delightful Garlic Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes. Day 2 was the bacon loaded Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Onions.

Today, the carb gods are upon us, and there are Dinner Rolls.

Here is a not so secret secret. I love myself really good rolls. Heck, I love myself some really good anything bread.

Here is another secret, that you may not know about me...

On Thanksgiving, I go light on pretty much everything but three things. Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, and Rolls. In fact, I have been known to forgo a slice of pie just so I can have another roll. Yeah, I take my roll-eating pretty seriously.

Now that you know that, we can proceed and you can feel secure and trust me when I say these rolls are super yummy. You know since I am practically a roll professional and all.

You can feel confident about showing up to a Thanksgiving meal with these.

Happy carb eating!

Dinner Rolls 

ingredients:
3 cups warm water
2 1/2 Tablespoons yeast
4 eggs
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Salt
10 cups flour

Instructions:
Pour the warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until the mixtures is foamy. Whisk in the eggs, butter, sugar, and salt. Whisk until everything is well mixed.

Add the flour in two cups at a time, stirring now with a wooden spoon. Once the flour has been mixed in, knead the dough while it is in the bowl. Knead for several minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour.

Once it has risen, punch the dough down. Dump on the counter. Divide the dough into 3 equal sections. Roll each section into thick pizza like rounds. Cut
into 8-10 equal pieces. Form the pieces into rolls.

Place them in lightly greased baking pans. Place the rolls right next to each other, touching. Let them rise for another 1/2 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Butter the top of the rolls when they are done.

Come back for more Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week tomorrow.

Tomorrow I am sharing my very favorite Spinach Salad recipe.

See ya tomorrow!

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Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding

Thanksgiving is uh yeah in two days. TWO.

Those of you who are hosting, or contributing to the yum-tastic gratitude feast probably have the menu made up, the food purchased, and a time line of when to make everything.

I am of course assuming that most of you are WAY more on top of things than I am.

Just in case you are so prepared that you have time to throw another dessert on your menu for Thanksgiving, I have one today for you that is uh...DELICIOUS. That is pretty much the best word to describe it.

At the beginning of the month I was contacted by a certain bread company to develop a Thanksgiving recipe for them. I was beyond thrilled at getting the chance to work with them. I spent a couple of weeks hemming and hawing about what kind of recipe I wanted to develop. I finally settled on this yummy dessert option.

Just as I had settled on my recipe last week, this certain bread company kind of had a company cataclysmic event of ginormous proportions. Wondering if my recipe was still going to be needed, I contacted the powers that be and asked if I should continue to move forward.

I was told absolutely.

So move forward I did.

That is where this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding comes in.

I happily whipped up my Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding. I snapped pictures. I edited pictures. I ate several portions all in the name of quality control.

Quality control gives this recipe two thumbs WAY up.

I was excited to share it with said bread company, but a little sad because it wasn't going to be available to all of you until after Thanksgiving.

Then...dun, dun, dun...(that is my foreboding soundtrack)...

The said bread company, in light of it's current situation decided to put a halt on the campaign.

Sad news...I didn't get to write for them.

Good news...You get this recipe before Thanksgiving.

This dessert has a perfect pumpkin pie flavor but has the added benefit of a little more density.

Warm out of the oven with a dollop of whipped cream it is just marvelous. Room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream it is again, just marvelous.

This Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding was a HUGE success in this houseful of eaters.

I think your household will like it too.

You will like it because it is easy and it will give you plenty of holiday acclaim.

All you need is 12-14 slices of white sandwich bread that has been left out part of the day.

After the bread has set out to get a little of it staleness on, tear it up into pieces.

Place the bits of bread into a large bowl.

Add the milk.

Then add the secret ingredient, some Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer.

Eggs in their beaten form will be needed.

Can't forget the good stuff. The vanilla. The brown sugar. The pumpkin. The pumpkin pie spice.

Gently stir everything together. The mixture should look like oatmeal.

Pour into either a 9x13 pan or you can split it between a two different smaller containers. I chose to use a pie pan because, well it is Pumpkin PIE Bread Pudding.

Next roll out one package of premade crust and cut it into small strips.

Sprinkle the crust strips over the top of the bread pudding.

Bake. Wait. Smell. Wait. Peek. Wait.

Done.

Dish it up.

Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of more pumpkin pie spice.

Dig in.

Lick your lips.

Clean the dish.

Go back for seconds.

Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding
Just Another Day in Paradise

Print Recipe

12-14 slices of white bread
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk
2 cups pumpkin pie spice flavored creamer
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 roll of pre-made pie crust

heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
pumpkin pie spice *optional*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. After letting the bread set out on the counter for several hours, tear up into small-medium pieces. Place the torn bread into a large bowl.

Add the eggs, milk, creamer, brown sugar, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla to the bowl. Gently combine all of the ingredients until it has the consistency of oatmeal.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish (or split between two smaller containers).

Unroll pie crust. Cut into small rectangular strips. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the bread pudding.

Bake for 1 hour, until it is set but still slightly moves when jiggled...yes I said jiggled.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

While the bread pudding is cooling make the whipped cream.

In a chilled bowl add 2 cups heavy cream, 1/4 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.

Serve up the Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice.

Happy Holidays.

Harvest Fruit Salad: Give Thanks

Today I am over at Whatever DeeDee Wants for her Give Thanks series sharing a recipe for Harvest Fruit Salad. This salad is an awesome and easy side to add to your Thanksgiving meal.

Head on over say hi and check it out.

Give Thanks Guest Post: Thanksgiving Banner

Today I am over at Whatever Dee-Dee Wants sharing my tutorial on this Thanks Banner as part of her Give Thanks Series. Head on over and say Hello!

I have been doing several other Thanksgiving projects and am I hoping to share them with you next week. I have also had some extra energy the last few days and have gotten started on some Christmas presents...BUT Thanksgiving first! Don't want that sweet holiday feeling neglected!

I also still have the wrap of of our Superman party to share with you...if I keep my energy level, next week should be a busy week here on the blog!

Thanks for reading everyone!

Thanksgiving Menu: Salads

I love Thanksgiving. The last several years I have gotten to play host and I LOVE it...I know shocking, right? Haha.

So I figured for Recipe Thursdays this month, plus an extra day each week I am going to showcase a Thanksgiving recipe I use and then list some other options of the same menu item that I have used or that simply sounds yummy.

So break out your pen and paper.

Start jotting down and formulating your Thanksgiving menu.

Oh and make yourself the cutest and EASIEST Thanksgiving Day hosting apron ever...

tutorial tomorrow 

because Thanksgiving is only three weeks away.

Today lets plan our SALAD menu.

Salads are a great part of your Thanksgiving menu. There are SO many kinds of salads that if you pick a couple you are sure to please everyone's tastes.

Today's feature salad recipe is one I have posted before, but honestly it is my favorite salad for fall so I am posting it again. It is DE-lish and it is lovely to look at...just like me..hehehe.

Apple Spinach Salad with Sugared Pecans

Ingredients:

Salad


1 bag of baby spinach
3/4 cups craisins
1 cucumber, sliced
1 red apple, sliced and diced
1 cup of pecans, sugared ( 2 tablespoons of sugar)


Dressing

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp Worcestershire 

1 TBS poppy seeds

1/2 cup light flavored olive oil

Sugar pecans by heating with 2 T sugar in small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly. Sugar will melt and coat pecans in a delightful little sugar crust.

Combine all salad ingredients except pecans in large bowl.

Combine all dressing ingredients BUT poppy seeds and olive oil. Blend ingredients in blender/food processor/magic bullet. Slowly add in the oil. Add poppy seeds last.

Top with pecans just before serving. You can pour the dressing over the salad just before serving OR what I do is serve them separate and let the eater decide how much dressing she wants. Plus this way if there is left overs they store better.

Here are some other ideas for Thanksgiving salad recipes:

*note don't hate the jello salad, it can be made beautifully and it is a definite kid pleaser

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

this is a family favorite

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 T, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 package of cream cheese
1 8 oz container of whipped topping
2 3 oz packages raspberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2 10 oz packages of frozen raspberries
whipped topping for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

CRUST: mix pretzels, butter, and 3 T sugar. Press mixture into a 9 x 13 pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

CREAM CHEESE: In bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar. Fold in the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.

JELLO: In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the raspberries. Pour over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time. Cut and serve with whipped cream.

Winter Spinach Salad from Your Homebased Mom

Honey Lime Fruit Salad from My Kitchen Cafe

Romaine Salad with Chicken and Cranberry Vinaigrette  from My Kitchen Cafe 

Hopefully this list will help with your Thanksgiving Menu. If you have any salad favorites I would LOVE to hear about them.

Next Thanksgiving Menu installment: Breads/Rolls