Turkey-Pumpkin Meatloaf Muffins with Cranberry Glaze

This is the ultimate November recipe if you ask me - turkey, pumpkin, and cranberries?! I spoke before about my desire to incorporate more pumpkin into heathy dishes, and this recipe does just that. The ground turkey is combined with chopped and sauteed mushrooms and onions, and then with rolled oats, egg whites, and of course pumpkin. Just like the Turkey-Pumpkin Chili, the pumpkin flavor isn't prominent here, if you can distinguish it at all, but rather it adds some moisture. The simple cranberry glaze is a nice addition - a bit of sweet and sour baked on top. I may try playing around with the herbs next time. This time I added thyme and rosemary and may swap the rosemary for sage or another seasoning commonly used with turkey.

I love meatloaf muffins because they are already divided into individual portions, and it's super easy to pack up a couple for lunches. Bob and I were both excited that there was enough leftover for both of us to have a lunch the next day, and then some. I served these with Smashed Sweet Potatoes and roasted asparagus. With how busy we've been lately, I haven't had much time to focus on make truly balanced dinners, so it felt really good to get back to it. This dinner really got us pumped for Thanksgiving!

Turkey-Pumpkin Meatloaf Muffins with Cranberry Glaze

Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 8-ounce package mushrooms, chopped finely
2 cloves minced garlic (or pressed through a garlic press)
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg white
1/3 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, broken into smaller pieces (or sage)

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I just guessed an amount and thought it could use more salt, so you may want to up this to 3/4 teaspoon)

freshly ground black pepper

For the glaze:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

1. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender.

2. Add veggies to a bowl with the turkey, pumpkin, egg white, oats, Worcestershire, herbs, salt, and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin tin. Place in the oven, bake for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine cranberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Spoon onto the meatloaf muffins, and bake for another 15 minutes. Make sure to test the internal temperature of the meatloaves to make sure it registers at a safe temperature for poultry (165F being the absolute lowest, although mine were considerably above and still very moist). Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from Cara's Cravings

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

This is an oooold recipe - meaning that I made it a long time ago. In fact, these photos were taken in my apartment kitchen in Chicago . . . in December 2009! By the time I loaded them on my computer, pumpkin season was pretty much over. I planned to post this recipe last fall but never did. So here we are.

This is a really good bread recipe - just a hint of sweetness and a mellow pumpkin flavor. It's great for the leftover turkey sandwiches that we all love to enjoy throughout the holidays. I plan to make this again this year and follow Annie's example of creating a Thanksgiving leftover panini - yum!

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 tablespoon instant yeast

2/3 cup warm milk

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash of ground cloves

6 1/2 cups bread flour (approximately)

Directions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm water and yeast. Add in the milk, eggs, pumpkin, oil, brown sugar, salt, and spices. Mix briefly to combine.

2. Add 4 cups of the bread flour to the bowl, and mix until a sticky dough has formed. Switch to the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the remaining flour until you have a dough that is smooth and elastic, and not sticky.

3. Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half. Press each pieces into a rectangle about 1 inch thick and no longer than 9 inches long. With the long side of the dough facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing down to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the loaf seam-side up and pinch the seam closed. Place the loaves in two well-oiled 9 x 5-inch loaf pans and press down gently so the dough touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the loaf reads 190F. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally adapted from King Arthur Flour

Honey Butter

Wow, there's a lot of 1's in the date today...and just think about what it will be like in 10 days!

Last year, Bob and I hosted our first Thanksgiving. Because my family's Thanksgiving menu has remained virtually unchanged for 30+ years, I had to be creative with how I would add my personal touch to the meal without sacrificing the dishes we've all come to expect and love. A few years ago, the amazing Annie posted some compound butters that she served at her first Thanksgiving. I thought this was a fantastic idea! No one would mind having a few extra choices to add to their roll, so it was a great opportunity for me to add a little something extra without causing a scene :-)

I found this honey butter recipe of Alton Brown's. I loved that it had cinnamon and some extra flavors. As I mentioned last year when I posted the delicious Herb Butter that these butters were my brother-in-law's favorite part of the entire meal! Either the butters were that good, or the meal was that bad (just kidding! We have our dishes down to a science at this point!)

Compound butters are not only great for holidays but there are nice way to add a little something extra to a dinner party or a small, intimate gathering with friends. Plus, they are so completely easy to make!

Honey Butter

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. To loosen the butter, place butter into the bowl of a mixer (or you may use a hand mixer) and beat at low speed using the whisk attachment.

2. Increase the speed to medium and add the honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined, about 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Remove butter from bowl and spoon onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Alternatively, use decorative tip and piping bag to pipe butter into small dishes, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Source: Alton Brown via FoodNetwork.com

Happy Halloween with Pumpkin Pancakes!!!

Happy Halloween! Just a last minute recipe with an idea that turns ordinary pancakes into a festive treat. I have wanted to try pumpkin pancakes for a while now, and I started thinking about how to make them more Halloween-oriented - why not use chocolate chips to make them into jack-o-lanterns? My mom used to make pancakes in Mickey Mouse shapes and used chocolate chips for the face, so this concept is virtually the same.

In my opinion, pancakes should be light and fluffy, but too often the pancakes I order in restaurants are heavy and dense. Like the pumpkin waffles, this recipe uses the technique of whipping up egg whites to fold into the batter; I think this creates a super fluffy pancake. We really loved these pancakes, although they could use more pumpkin spice flavor. Next time I'll probably double the pumpkin pie spice.

Have a spooktacular day!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Servings: 2 - 3

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (double this to bump up pumpkin spice flavor)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin puree, egg yolks, melted butter, and vanilla extract together, whisking to blend until smooth.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing with a spatula until just combined.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until thick and stiff.

5. Gently fold the egg whites into the pancake batter until fully incorporated.

6. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium heat.

7. Lightly spray the pan with cooking spray or use butter or butter substitute (we like Brummel & Brown). Pour batter onto pan in 1/4-cup increments (I like scooping it with a 1/4 cup measuring cup and using the bottom of the cup to smooth out the thick batter).

8. Cook each pancake until lightly browned on each side, about 1 minute per side. Air bubbles will start to reach the surface of the pancake and escape, indicating that it may be time to flip.

9. Transfer each cooked pancake to a warm plate (or one in the microwave to prevent cooling) and repeat with the remaining batter.

10. Serve with your favorite pancake toppings.

Source: Adapted from The Curvy Carrot, originally from Bon Appetit via Epicurious

Some deviled eggs my mom made with black olive spiders on top! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Apple Pie Floats

Do you ever find yourself looking for ways to use up that big container of apple cider? I always buy a big gallon of it at the apple orchard each year and then end up scrambling to finish it. This idea for an ice cream float with apple cider is fantastic! I've never thought of it before. I made one of these for Bob and I to share. Not knowing the name of this recipe, Bob took a sip and said "it tastes like apple pie!" :) He did comment that he would prefer a tad more ginger ale, so I've made a note in the recipe below to adjust to your own taste. Happy Fall!!!

Apple Pie Floats

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup ginger ale, or a little extra depending on personal preference
1 - 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, or any seasonal flavor such as cinnamon or apple pie
ground cinnamon and nutmeg for sprinkling
1 - 2 tablespoons jarred caramel sauce

Directions:

1. Pour apple cider and ginger ale into a glass.

2. Add vanilla ice cream.

3. Sprinkle on nutmeg and cinnamon to taste and drizzle caramel sauce on top.

4. Serve immediately with a straw and a spoon.

Source: Our Best Bites

Crescent Mummy Dogs

After seeing these adorable Mummy Dogs on Picky Palate, I made them for a little pre-Halloween get together last year. I didn't get a chance to post them before Halloween, so I saved the post for this year. I used light crescent rolls and turkey hot dogs to make them a bit healthier. You can even use breadstick dough if you prefer. These were delicious and so festive! They are perfect for a Halloween party - whether as a main dish or as a snack. I think kids would love these as well.

Crescent Mummy Dogs

Ingredients:

1 can of crescent rolls (I used light); you may use breadstick dough if you prefer

1 package hot dogs (I used turkey hot dogs)

mustard

nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

1. Separate crescent roll dough at perforations. Cut into thin strips of dough.

2. Wrap strips of dough around each hot dog to resemble mummy wrappings (as shown in photo), pressing loose edges together so they stick and stay in place.

3. Place wrapped hot dogs on a baking sheet and spray dough lightly with cooking spray.

4. Bake for 13 - 17 minutes, or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are heated through.

5. Use mustard to dot eyes onto mummy faces, and serve with your favorite condiments.

Source: Inspiration from Picky Palate, recipe from Pillsbury

Pumpkin Cornbread

I saw this Pumpkin Cornbread recipe the day before I planned to make the Turkey Pumpkin Chili - score! Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to chili, and what better side to serve with pumpkin chili than pumpkin cornbread?!

This cornbread was fantastic! Some cornbread recipes result in bread that is slightly on the dry side, but this one isn't. It's not moist like a cake, but in cornbread terms it's definitely moist; I think the olive oil helps keep it from getting dry. This recipe is simple and quick to throw together. We both loved this cornbread and will be making it again soon!

Pumpkin Cornbread

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup cornmeal
2 whole eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon molasses

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400F and grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish (or spray with nonstick cooking spray).

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, brown sugar, and cornmeal.

2. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir in the pumpkin, oil, and molasses.

3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined, and then pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top as much as possible.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Source: Tasty Kitchen