Honey-Wheat Rolls

A world without bread would be all misery. So, if you are tired of trying to make homemade bread because it takes days and endless amounts of kneading, try again. This recipe requires no kneading and takes less time. They're pretty to look at too.

Ingredients:


1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water, divided
2 egg whites
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus some for flouring your work surface
melted butter


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. While yeast is dissolving, beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until foamy.

2. Add yeast mixture, honey, oil, salt, whole wheat flour and 1 cup warm water. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Stir in all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Dough will be sticky. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

4. Punch dough down with a fist. Turn out onto a floured surface. Dust dough with a small amount of all-purpose flour so it doesn't stick to your hands or knife. Cut dough in half. Then cut each section into 10 portions to form balls.

5. Roll each ball into a 10-inch rope and tie into a loose knot. Tuck the ends under so they don't stick out. Place rolls on greased baking sheets, leaving 2 inches in between rolls.

6. Cover baking sheets loosely with cling wrap and let rise for 50 minutes, or until rolls have doubled in size. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden brown.

7. Remove from oven and immediately brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Enjoy!

Butternut Cupcakes

All my stepdad could talk about for a Thanksgiving dessert this year was butternut cake. He remembered eating it years ago, so here's to him. Hope these rich cupcakes live up to his expectations.

Ingredients:


4 eggs
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla butternut flavoring


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. With an electric mixer, beat eggs and oil together. Once well combined, beat in all other ingredients on medium speed for 2 minutes.

3. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with the batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. Cool completely and then frost with the following Cream Cheese Butternut Frosting:


Ingredients:


1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla butternut flavoring
4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped


1. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2. Add in butternut flavoring and confectioners sugar, 1 cup at a time. Beat until smooth; add more confectioners sugar if frosting is too thin. Stir in pecans and frost cooled cupcakes.

3. Refrigerate frosted cupcakes until 20 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce

Ditch the jar. Take homemade cranberry sauce to your Thanksgiving dinner and everyone will be impressed.

Ingredients:


4 cups fresh cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed is best)
1/4 cup 100 percent cranberry juice (NOT cocktail)
1 cup honey


1. Wash the cranberries. Make sure there aren't any soft ones.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the orange juice, cranberry juice and honey over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then reduce to medium-low heat to simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add the cranberries and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cranberries will burst and the mixture will thicken. Do not cook for more than 15 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the sauce into a small mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or until sauce is set and firm.

5. To unmold and serve, immerse the bottom of the bowl in hot water for about 10 seconds and run a warm knife around the edge of the sauce. Turn upside down onto a serving platter or plate. Enjoy!

Creamy Baked Pasta

I think I've discovered a new staple pasta dish. Only takes 20 minutes to bake and can be assembled in advance to bake later. You can make this dish any night of the week.

Ingredients:


3 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1 jar (14 ounces) marinara sauce
2/3 can (7 ounces) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese


1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cook pasta in a large saucepan as directed on the package. Remove from pan and drain pasta.

3. Meanwhile using the same pan, cook marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir frequently until mixture is well blended and cream cheese is melted.

4. Return pasta to the pan and mix well to cover pasta with the sauce.

5. Layer half of the pasta mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of sour cream and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover with another layer of pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and the parmesan cheese.

6. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through and brown on top.

Creme Drop Fudge

Homemade fudge is as easy as four ingredients. Why use a complicated recipe when you can get the same creamy, smooth, rich chocolate fudge in minutes?

Ingredients:


1 bag (20 ounces) creme drop candy
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, optional


1. Melt creme drop candy in a microwave-safe bowl for approximately 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds.

2. Once candy is melted, quickly stir in peanut butter, vanilla extract and pecans (if using) with a wooden spoon. Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Transfer the mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish or a 9-inch round cake pan. Spread evenly to desired thickness.

4. Let cool in pan. Once cooled and hardened, slice fudge and serve. Enjoy!

Mexican Pull-Apart Bread

A twist on the traditional monkey bread, this pull-apart loaf is spicy, cheesy and easy-to-make. It can be served at breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or as a finger food at your Thanksgiving feast.

Ingredients:


2 cans (7.5 ounces each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup canned sliced jalapeño peppers, drained
3/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Using a knife, quarter each biscuit. Dip 1/3 of the biscuit pieces into melted butter and place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

3. Top the biscuits with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup jalapeño peppers and 1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes. Repeat layers.

4. Cover with remaining buttered biscuit pieces, jalapeños and parsley flakes. Top with mozzarella and remaining cheddar cheese.

5. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes after cooking. Invert bread onto a platter and remove the pan. Serve bread warm. Enjoy!

Pilgrim Hat Cookies

These cookies are fun to make, eat and look at. Get the kids in the kitchen and let them help you make these snacks, which are sure to be a hit at your Thanksgiving get-together.

Ingredients:


Striped Fudge Shop cookies
Peanut butter cups
Vanilla icing
Red food coloring (or any square-shaped red candy such as Chiclets gum)


1. Turn cookies upside down so the stripes are facing down.

2. Dollop about 1 teaspoon of vanilla icing onto the tops of the peanut butter cups. Place peanut butter cup, icing side down, onto the center of the cookie and press down so the icing creates a white brim for the hat.

3. Using about 1/2 teaspoon of red food coloring, stir into 1/4 cup of vanilla icing to create red icing for the buckle of the hat. Spoon colored icing into a plastic bag or a cake decorating bag. Snip a small hole at the end of the bag with scissors and pipe a square-shaped buckle onto the white brim of the hats.
*If using square candy for the buckle, simply place candy pieces onto the brims and press down so it sticks to the icing.
Enjoy these festive sweet treats!

Cranberry-Pecan Spread

The perfect combination of creamy, sweet and crunchy. You can serve this spread as an appetizer, breakfast bagel spread or as a party snack. It's so simple to prepare!

Ingredients:


1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, chopped


1. With an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth.

2. Stir in the remaining three ingredients with a spatula until well incorporated.

3. Transfer into serving dish, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for flavors to combine.

4. Serve with whole wheat crackers, bagels or bagel chips. Enjoy!

Emily's Butternut Squash

If you know me, you know I don't eat soup. But I have had some requests for some recipes, so I turned to none other than Emily! She is the queen of making up soup recipes. Here is a go-to recipe for the colder months of the year, and it's vegetarian for all you meat-free eaters.

Ingredients:


1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium butternut squashes, cubed and roasted*
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 stalks of celery (depending on size of stalk) plus any leaves that are on the stalks, diced
2-3 carrots (again, depending on size), diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
4-6 cups of vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste

*To roast butternut squash, peel it, scoop out the seeds and slice it into cubes. Put the cubes on a baking sheet and lightly toss with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the squash in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Once oil is hot (it will slightly ripple), add the onion, celery and carrot. Sauté the vegetables for 5-10 minutes, or until tender.

2. Add in the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.

3. Add in the roasted butternut squash.

4. Add in about 4-5 cups of the vegetable broth and all of the spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 20-25 minutes.

5. Puree the soup either in several batches in a blender or with an immersion blender. If soup seems too thick for you, add in more vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time.

6. Taste soup to make sure spices and seasoning are to your liking. Garnish individual servings with a drizzle of olive oil, shredded cheese, or croutons. Enjoy!

Haystacks

I remember my mom making these for us all the time when I was younger. Mostly, I remember eating the mixture out of the bowl without giving it time to harden because it was so delicious. These are the perfect easy-to-make snack, and they can surely satisfy any sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

2 (12 oz.) bags of butterscotch morsels

1 (12 oz.) bag of white chocolate morsels

1/2 cup chow mein noodles

6 cups corn flakes

2 cups salted peanuts

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butterscotch morsels on high for 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.

2. Stir in white chocolate morsels and microwave for an additional 20 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.

3. Add chow mein noodles, corn flakes and peanuts to the chocolate mixture and stir until all dry ingredients are covered completely. *If mixture seems too runny, add more corn flakes or noodles.*

4. Immediately drop mixture by heaping tablespoon-full onto a sheet of wax paper, at least 1/2-inch apart.

5. Allow to dry completely before removing from wax paper, at least 20 minutes. Enjoy!