Sweet Potato Biscuits

The sweet potato biscuits were another new recipe for me this year (the stuffed squash was the other new one).  I again cheated and used canned sweet potatoes. Everything else was the same.  These are good, but not great.  They taste best with butter and honey.  I give them an 8.  Not sure if I'll make them again next year.

Sourdough Stuffing With Sausage, Apples, and Golden Raisins

I changed a few things with the Stuffing.  I made this same stuffing last year but was lazy and used dried bread crumbs.  The dish was okay, but not great.  So this year I was determined to used fresh bread as the recipe calls for.  But instead of purchased sourdough, I made corn bread (from a mix, not from scratch).  This made such a huge improvement from last year.  Also, last year, I don't remember doing all the saute'-ing that this recipe calls for, but I followed all the directions this year.  Plus, last year I had bought apples, but they went bad before I could use them, so this year I was able to use all the apples.  The other changes are that I use veggie sausage and veggie broth.  This is really good - a 10!  I'll make it again, maybe even make the corn bread from scratch next year!

Pumpkin Pie With Brown Sugar-Walnut Topping

I had some difficulty with the Pumpkin Pie.  I made this same pie last year and it was very good.  But the filling was not enough for 2 pie crusts.  I decided to double the recipe this year.  But I must have over-filled the crusts b/c it took almost 2 hours to cook through.  It is not as solid as pumpkin pies usually are, but the flavor is very good.  Also, I think so much time in the oven helped turn the topping into a caramel sauce.  So it ended up working out even better than last year!  I give it a 10, and will maybe make it again next year (I'd usually try a different pie every year.)  I accidentally downloaded these pictures in the wrong order, but I don't have time to fix it right now. 

Garnet Yams With Maple Syrup, Walnuts, and Brandied Raisins

I changed a couple of things with the Yams.  First of all, I used canned sweet potatoes.  I know, it's a lazy trick!  Also, instead of soaking the raisins in brandy, I soaked them in pure maple syrup (since the recipe called for it anyway).  Also, I added pecans with the walnuts.  I forgot to take a photo of the pre-ingredients before I started cooking, so that's why that photo is already partially started and the syrup bottle is empty!  These are really good - a 10!  I made them last year too and will most likely do them every year.

Cranberry-Nut Rolls

The only thing I changed with the Cranberry-Nut rolls was that I added dates too. Oh, and I used almond milk instead of "real" milk.  These are good, and always a big hit.  I give them a 10.  I made them last year too, and will most likely be a regular part of my Thanksgiving.

Baby Winter Squash With Spiced Orange-Currant Stuffing

The Thanksgiving cooking marathon began around 3:30 pm Wed. afternoon until about 7:30 pm, and then again on Thurs. 8:30 am until about 12:30 pm.  So I have a lot of pictures to post.  Since I'm a weird-o, I have to post them alphabetically!  This is the stuffed squash.  I used regular size squash for it since the recipe said either could be used.  And I bought 2 bags of diced squash for the filling so I wouldn't have to to so much chopping!  I couldn't find currants, which is too bad b/c currants are better, but I substituted w/ raisins.  And I used veggie broth instead of chicken broth (of course).  I think it may be the first time I've used thyme in a recipe, and I've discovered I'm not a big fan.  I think the dish would have been a lot better w/ less thyme.  It was a lot of work and took a lot of time, but it is a pretty dish.  I give it a 7.  I would probably make it again. 

Gingered Cream Cheese Grapes

After the pizza yesterday, I made "Gingered Cream Cheese Grapes."  My sister gave me this Costco cookbook last year for Christmas & I'm finally getting around to using it.  It has a lot of really good looking recipes in it that I'm dying to try.  So far this week, the pizza & grapes are all I have the money to make.  I spent way too much money on Thanksgiving shopping, but I can't wait to get started cooking/baking on Wednesday after work and Thursday morning.  My favorite part of Thanksgiving is creating the food!  Of course I'll post all 5 or 6 of the dishes that I'll make.  Anyway... I made these grapes yesterday, and they are a 10!  Wow!  They would have to be made fresh and not sit for very long though.  They were in my refrigerator for a few hours ad near the end, they were starting to get a little soggy.  But that wasn't a problem, because I ate the whole pan!  They were so good and addictive.  I do need to make some improvements for next time though.  I used too much cream cheese on the outside and it should have been a better balance between the grape and the cream cheese.  They should have been  more like the photo in the cookbook - round, and less oval like in my photo.  It's the first time I ever used crystallized ginger and I love it - I now know why I'm always seeing it in recipes.  Easy to make and only 4 ingredients.  I will definitely make these again and again. 

The Little Red Cat Pizza

As with the speciality drink I created, I also want to create a whole line of "Little Red Cat" items.  This is "The Little Red Cat Pizza".  I also have ideas for cookies and a sandwich.  I also want to come up with ideas for a hot drink, salad, cake (or some dessert item) and appetizer, and whatever else.  The pizza is homemade crust (I used the crust recipe from the mushroom pizza I made a few weeks ago), red sauce, Italian cheese blend, tomatoes, red peppers, and red beans.  I also added chili powder, garlic, basil, and sea salt.  I know I always say I don't care for basil, but on pizza or other Italian dishes, it's good in moderation.  It was fun to make the design for the pizza.  It also tasted really good.  I give it a 10!  It would possibly also be good w/ salsa on it, but I would want to create my own Little Red Cat Salsa in order to do that. 

Salted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

After the fettuccine, I made the Salted Oatmeal Cookies.  I got this recipe out of "Better Homes and Gardens."  They are pretty good.  I decided (also at the last minute) to used the raisin, date, and walnut oatmeal instead of plain, and added 2 tablespoons of french vanilla creamer.  They took 25 minutes to cook through, and I thought I was going to have the same disaster I had with cornmeal cake last week, but just a few minutes ago I was finally able to take them out of the oven, mostly cooked through (still could be a little less doughy).  Gotta run, I'm meeting my friend Cheryl W. in a few minutes for a girls' night out.  Oh, I'd rate these a 8 1/2, maybe a 9? 

Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto - Again

I decided to try the "Tagliatelle..." again.  As on Oct. 24, I used fettuccine instead of tagliatelle, and instead of pine nuts, I used peanuts (since I couldn't find either of those 2 ingredients.)  Also, again, I decided not to use the veggie bacon.  Last time I made this dish I only rated it a 7 because I'm not a big fan of basil.  This time I sautéd the corn with garlic, salt, and dill.  So much better!  Again, because I don't have a food processor, I couldn't create a pesto sauce, so I used the corn whole.  This time, I decided, at the last minute to add the half a carton of ricotta cheese I had left to the corn mixture, and layered it like a lasagna with the fettuccine and added extra Parmesan cheese.  This time it rates an 8 1/2, maybe a 9.  This is where cooking becomes a joy to me, when I can put my own spin on a recipe and it turns out good.  So I should change the title of this recipe to "Layered Fettuccine with Corn and Dill". 

Shaved Zucchini Salad With Parmesan and Pine Nuts

This morning I made the "Shaved Zucchini Salad..." I took a few liberties with the dish. It's supposed to have olive oil in the dressing. My plastic olive oil bottle somehow cracked last week and leaked oil everywhere (it was a nasty spill to clean up). I thought about using sesame oil, but I really don't even like olive oil. It tastes like it's name, "oil," and I've never been a fan, even though it's very popular. So, I decided to use the left over vanilla yogurt from the cake. I still cannot find pine nuts, so I used peanuts again (toasted). Also, as I've mentioned before, I don't like basil, so I used just a little bit of mint. I used 2 lemons instead of one. And I used 2 kinds of zucchini: the "normal" kind and zucchini squash. Oh yeah, and instead of buying crushed red pepper, I bought an actual red pepper and chopped it small. The Parmesan cheese was supposed to be shaved like the zucchini, but I accidentally bought shredded instead of a wedge. I was not sure this dish would turn out. But it's easily a 9! Very good. Would be good on a summer menu.

Blueberry Cornmeal Cake

Yesterday I made "Blueberry Cornmeal Cake." What a disappointment! I ended up rating this one a 3! I am surprised this did not turn out. The batter was so good and amazing, I thought for certain it would be a 10! But I think the disaster was in the cooking. You can see by the 3rd and 4th photos one of the problems. It overflowed the pie plate and spilled batter all over the bottom of the stove. I had to turn off the stove, let it cool down (so I wouldn't have another kitchen fire), wipe down the stove, then put the cake back in. I'm not sure if that's what ruined the flavor. But then, after I put it back in, it never would cook through. Only the edges of the cake cooked, and the center remained raw. In the bottom photo, you can see it's mostly just the edges. I added a yogurt & honey topping (since both were in the recipe), and that's the only thing that saved this cake. I was going to try making it again, but I'm almost out of flour and I don't think I have enough corn meal left. Maybe the blueberries ruined it somehow, because, as I mentioned, the batter was very yummy. And I tasted a blueberry and I was pretty blah. But I wonder if the batter burning on the bottom of the stove somehow permeated the cake and ruined the flavor. I guess I'll never know. Maybe I'll try it again some time.