Gingerbread Houses

I know gingerbread cookies are traditional at Christmas time, but to me they have always seemed to have more bark than bite. It other words, they make your house smell great, but really don't taste all that wonderful. Until now...because I have found THE best gingerbread recipe. Not only does it smell delicious, but it tastes wonderfully spicy too! I think the secret is the use of black pepper. Try it! You will be in a spiced heaven, I promise.

Thanksgiving Dinner - Texas style

*Fully Cooked Mesquite smoked Brisket from HEB (just has to be heated)
*Cajun Roast Rabbit
*Sweet Potato Biscuits
*Macaroni and Cheese
*Herbed Broccoli & Tomatoes
*Smashed Potatoes (requested by Leah)
*Green Salad (spinach and arugula w/ persimmons, maple pecans, and manchego - simple balsalmic vinegar and olive oil dressing)
*Orange Ginger Pecan Cranberry Sauce
*Orange Fluff Salad
*Maple Pumpkin Pie
*Pecan Pie

Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup

We tried this lovely recipe from 101 cookbooks this week and I seriously couldn't get enough. The Thai curry and coconut milk show off the pumpkin so well! I happened to have a sugar pie pumpkin from Halloween decorations that was begging to be used so I made the puree for this one - I imagine it would be fine using pumpkin out of the can as well. Roasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top added the perfect final touch - a bit of crunchiness to contrast the creaminess of the soup.

Spinach Lasagna

Another of my mom's great recipes - with an added twist. This is the lasagna I grew up eating and loved... after making a batch of stuffed shells one day I decided it would be much easier to adapt this recipe by adding the spinach and fennel seeds. The fennel is what puts this recipe over the top - it adds a wonderful fresh flavor to the dish. You could easily make this vegetarian by leaving the ground beef out of the sauce or replacing it with mushrooms. This recipe makes two lasagnas, so plan accordingly!

Sauté together:

1 lb. ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

Drain fat and add:

2 – 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 – 6 oz. cans tomato paste

2 tomato paste cans of water

1 Tbsp. oregano

1 ½ tsp. garlic powder

1 ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. dried parsley

In separate bowl, combine:

2 eggs

24 oz. Cottage cheese

1 Tbsp fennel seeds

2 packed cups fresh spinach, chopped in food processor

In another bowl, combine:

1 lb. Shredded mozzarella cheese

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook 1 lb. Lasagna noodles according to directions on package.

In each of two 9x13 casserole dishes, layer the following:

1 ½ cups meat sauce

Noodles to cover meat sauce (usually four or five)

½ cottage cheese mixture

¼ mozzarella mixture

Noodles to cover cheese layer

1 ½ cups meat sauce

¼ mozzarella mixture

Lasagnas can be frozen until needed. Defrost in refrigerator before cooking.

Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.

Turkey Meatloaf

As a kid, I seem to remember groaning at the thought of having to eat meatloaf for dinner - so how is it that it has become one of my kids favorite things to eat??? Not that I'm complaining! I love having a standby that I can hide veggies in when necessary - as you will see from the recipe below...

1 lb ground turkey

3/4 cup quick oats

1 egg

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1 1/2 cup packed spinach, chopped in food processor

1 cup shredded carrots

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well - you may need to use your hands to combine all ingredients evenly. Coat your cooking pan with nonstick cooking spray - we like to use a muffin pan for faster cooking time and portion control. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes (for muffins, a regular loaf pan takes about 1 hour, sometimes longer depending on how many veggies you add as more liquid will have to cook off). Halfway through the cooking time, combine 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning and spoon over the top of each meatloaf.

Twice Baked Broccoli Potatoes

4 medium sized baking potatoes

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Bake potatoes (I did mine in the microwave) and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Slice off one side of the potato lengthwise to make a long opening. Scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl, leaving about 1/4 inch attached to the skins and set the skins aside. Add yogurt, butter, cheese, and spices to potatoes. Run broccoli through your food processor to chop it into small pieces and add to the potatoes. Stir until well mixed, adding milk or more yogurt if necessary. Scoop potato back into skins and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle more cheese on top if desired. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. (NOTE: You will have more potato than fits into the skins - place the remainder in a small baking dish and place in the oven with the potatoes or simply stick it in the fridge to use another day - we like leftovers, so this is what we do.)

Chicken Tangier

Skinless chicken breast of your choice, can be boneless (up to 8 pieces)

1 Tbsp oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 - 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 - 15 oz. can tomato sauce

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

dash tabasco

2 whole cloves

Brown chicken in heated oil in a large frying pan with cover; set aside. Cook onions and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, parsley, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric, Tabasco and cloves; stir to mix well. Add chicken back into pan in a single layer. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low and cook for 45 mins, turning chicken a couple of times. Uncover and cook 15 minutes longer or until sauce is slightly thickened. Sauce is excellent over brown or white rice. Be sure to remove the cloves before serving.