Kneaders Lemon Truffle Pie

One of my most favorite pies to make and to take to any occasion! I don't think it matters what time of year! This pie is a crowd pleaser! You will not stop hearing about this amazing pie!   The sweet tangy combination of lemon, cream cheese and white chocolate make this pie a winner! It will be on my Thanksgiving table this year! 

Ingredients:

1 baked pie crust

1 tablespoon sliced almonds

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoon sugar

zest of 1/2 lemon 

1 egg

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup vanilla chocolate chips or coins

8 oz cream cheese. softened

1 cup sweetened whipped cream 

Directions:

Toast almonds on cookie sheet at 350F, until golden brown. Set aside.

In a heavy sauce pan whisk together water, sugar and lemon zest and bring to a boil.  

Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl mix egg and cornstarch. After your sugar mixture has boiled, VERY SLOWLY add sugar mixture to egg mixture in the bowl.

Pour entire mixture back into the sauce pan. Stirring continually over medium heat until thickened.

Remove from heat and add lemon juice and butter. Stir until butter is melted and mixture has slightly cooled. This mixture should be smooth, and shiny. 

Pour 1/2 of the hot lemon filling into a bowl. Set this bowl aside, this will be our lemon layer of the pie. 

Add vanilla chips to the filling remaining in the sauce pan. Stir until chocolate is melted. Add softened cream cheese to hot vanilla chip mixture and beat together. 

To assemble: 

Spread the cream cheese lemon mixture into the bottom of the baked pie shell. 

Pour the set aside lemon filling on top. Chill for two hours. 

Top with sweetened whipped cream and garnish with toasted almonds. Keep refrigerated until time to serve. 

Award Winning Carrot Cake

Looking for something a little different for dessert this holiday season! Award winning is an understatement for this carrot cake recipe! In fact, I took all of the other carrot cake recipes out of my recipe binder and threw them away, don't waste your time anywhere else! For real!  The perfect balance of richness, lightness and creaminess. I can't find one thing wrong with this Award Winning Carrot Cake, another fabulous recipe from Candy Jamamas!

Award Winning Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce (I use unsweetened for recipes)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cup grated carrots (use the bigger grating holes so you don't end up with mush)

3/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

8 oz. can crushed pineapple (drain most of the juice out)

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 stick butter, softened

12 oz. cream cheese (1 1/2 bricks), softened

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugars and vanilla. In a smaller bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to large bowl and mix well. Stir in carrots, pineapple, coconut and pecans. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Knife inserted in center of cake should come out clean. The cake will be very dark on top: it's not burning! Let cool in pans for about ten minutes, then run a knife around edge and carefully turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. When cool, frost with cream cheese icing.

To make icing: Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar about a cup at a time until well-blended.

Peterson's Favorite Green Bean Casserole

Before you turn your nose to green bean casserole, you need to make this one! This isn't the easiest recipe, but you will never stop making it once you start. Not only do my kiddos request it, but this time of year it becomes the request when we attend dinner with family. 

Peterson's Favorite Green Bean Casserole

2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 pound fresh green beans 
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 
24 oz mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 
1 teaspoon black pepper 
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons flour 
2 cups chicken stock 
2 cups half-and-half 

4 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled 
16 oz french fried onions 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Bring a gallon of water and 2 tables spoons of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into the large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside. 

Melt butter in a skillet over medium- high heat. Add the mushrooms, pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begins to give up some liquid. Add garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add stock and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease heat to medium-low and add half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Remove from heat. Place blanched green beans in a 9x13 pan, or your favorite oven safe dish. Sprinkle with french fried onions, and bacon (reserve a little of each to top the casserole) stir to combine. Pour mushroom mixture over the green beans. Top with reserved french fried onions and bacon crumbles. 

Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is bubbly. 

Happy Baking!! 

Tangy Thanksgiving Honey Glazed Ham

"Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse." Henry Van Dyke. 

Since were are a year round turkey kind of family (it's our job)! I will always turn to a yummy glazed ham for Thanksgiving. This recipe came into our family about 15 years ago and ends up on our festive table a couple of times a year. It's easy, low maintenance, and love that it can be done in a crock pot and tastes like I've been in the kitchen all day! 

Tangy Thanksgiving Honey Glazed Ham

Ingredients:

1 (10 pound) fully-cooked, bone-in ham

1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup honey

1/3 of a large orange juice and zest

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, pineapple juice, honey, orange juice, orange zest, Dijon mustard, and ground cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside. 

Place ham in slow cooker add a small amount of water (1/2 cup) over the ham, cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours. 

After 4 hours, remove from slow cooker and place in deep oven safe dish. With the oven at 350 degrees, brush ham with glaze and continue to bake for 30 more minutes, brushing generously with glaze every 5 minutes.

Happy Baking!!

Amy's Thanksgiving French Country Stuffing

There isn't a better feeling than when the house is full of laughter and voices. I don't know why, but one of my favorite sights is a big pile of shoes by the front door! Maybe that is why I love the Holidays so much! This is my go to stuffing recipe, no holiday meal is complete without it. 

Amy's Thanksgiving French Country Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 and a 1/2 loaves Kneaders French Country Bread

8 tablespoons butter

salt and freshly ground pepper

4 stalks celery with leaves, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 onion, chopped

10 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from stems

6 fresh sage leaves, chopped

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 quart baking dish and set aside. Cut bread into 1 inch cubes and spread evenly on two baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven until completely dry and beginning to crisp and brown, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, and thyme, cook stirring frequently, until the veggies have softened, about 5 minutes. Add sage and remaining butter. Add chicken stock to skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the bread cubes and toss to combine until the bread cubes absorb the liquid. Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish and sprinkle with parsley. Bake in the center of the oven until heated through and top is golden brown about 40-50 minutes. Remove stuffing from oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving.

Happy Baking!

Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl

When we lived in South East Texas there was this little taped booth seats Thai restaurant tucked in a strip mall. I always ordered the same delicious red coconut curry, and added broccoli, my husband loved one of their noddle dishes. When I came across this recipe it took me right back to the taped booth seats and humid weather. Seriously, this dish is restaurant quality!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Coconut Curry Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
4 tablespoons red curry paste
2 14 oz can coconut milk, Chaokoh
1 tablespoon hot chili paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock

Bowl

12oz brown rice noodles, Thai Kitchen
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups asparagus, chopped
1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
a handful of fresh basil

Directions:

Noodles: Bring large pot of water to boil. Remove from heat. Add brown rice noodles, stirring to separate noodles. Let stand 8 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. Drain well. Set aside.

Sauce:  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add mined ginger, and shallots; allow to soften and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add coconut milk, chili paste, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Allow sauce to simmer at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and scraping down the sides of the pan. The sauce will thicken, add chicken stock to help thin the sauce.

Veggies: In a large pan heat vegetable oil. Add onion and broccoli, allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Add carrots, and asparagus and cook another 5 minutes until asparagus and broccoli are still bright in color.

Assembly: Place noodles in the bottom of your bowl, top with cooked veggies and coconut curry sauce. Finish with shredded purple cabbage and basil.

Easy Hand Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ask my husband, when we were first married I couldn't even boil water! Yes! It's true! I turned to a great website to help teach me how to cook and to find great recipes. All these years later I still turn to them for good recipes! I found these easy and fast cookies here. Soft, warm, sugar covered cookies are my kids favorite! My favorite is the smell and feeling in my house while I bake up memories! 

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

white sugar for rolling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a large bowl cream together butter and 1 1/2 cup white sugar until fluffy and smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla just until incorporated.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Gradually blend dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.

Roll dough into golf ball sized balls, and cover in white sugar. Place on a cookie sheet with a Silicone baking pad.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden brown. Let stand on cookie sheet at least 5 minutes before removing to cool.


Tips:

Unsalted Butter:  I always bake with unsalted butter. Unsalted butter is made from a higher quality of cream, so there is no need to cover the taste with salt. The only exception is rice crispy treats, I always make them with salted butter.

Creaming: creaming butter and sugar together is the most important step in making delicious, soft, fluffy cookies.  I don't ever make cookies and not cream the butter and sugars together.

Silicone Baking Sheets: I think they are miracles sent from heaven! Invest in a good one, you will never go back.