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Joanna’s Bread Stuffing (10-15 servings)
1 bag Arnold seasoned stuffing
2 medium or large onions
3-5 ribs celery (to taste)
1 lb. white mushrooms (or any kind you like; pre-sliced is fine)
1/8 cup olive oil (more or less to taste)
5 Tbs. butter or substitute (I’m a fan of Olivio)
salt and pepper to taste¼ cup chopped parsley
Chop onions (course is okay). Slice celery and mushrooms. In large frying pan (or bottom of
a large pot) heat oil and butter together over medium heat until butter is melted. Add
vegetables and cook, stirring as needed, until vegetables are tender. (I often cover the pan.
This allows the veggies to cook with less added fat.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in parsley when vegetables are almost cooked. Set aside.
Prepare stuffing as per label directions. (I tend to use a little more water. I also add about
half the butter and some olive oil to help cut saturated fat.). Once the stuffing is ready stir in
the vegetables and mix well. Although there are differing schools of thought on this, I stuff
the bird, add ¼ inch (or more) water to the pan and roast him uncovered at 400 degrees
Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Then I lower the oven to about 325, cover with foil and
allow the bird to roast until done. (Refer to your turkey’s roasting directions for approximate
cooking times.) Occasionally, I fill an oven-safe cup with water and place in the oven to keep
everything moist.
Extra stuffing goes into a baking dish and gets set aside. Once the turkey is fully cooked,
take pan drippings and drizzle them over the stuffing in the baking dish. Cover with foil and
place in oven (toward the end of turkey’s cooking time) until heated through. This is a great
alternative for those who love turkey-flavored stuffing but prefer not to stuff the bird.
Note: this recipe also works well with whole-wheat or cornbread stuffing cubes. You can
also cut any kind of bread you like into cubes and toast in a low oven until crispy.
Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy!
1 bag Arnold seasoned stuffing
2 medium or large onions
3-5 ribs celery (to taste)
1 lb. white mushrooms (or any kind you like; pre-sliced is fine)
1/8 cup olive oil (more or less to taste)
5 Tbs. butter or substitute (I’m a fan of Olivio)
salt and pepper to taste¼ cup chopped parsley
Chop onions (course is okay). Slice celery and mushrooms. In large frying pan (or bottom of
a large pot) heat oil and butter together over medium heat until butter is melted. Add
vegetables and cook, stirring as needed, until vegetables are tender. (I often cover the pan.
This allows the veggies to cook with less added fat.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in parsley when vegetables are almost cooked. Set aside.
Prepare stuffing as per label directions. (I tend to use a little more water. I also add about
half the butter and some olive oil to help cut saturated fat.). Once the stuffing is ready stir in
the vegetables and mix well. Although there are differing schools of thought on this, I stuff
the bird, add ¼ inch (or more) water to the pan and roast him uncovered at 400 degrees
Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Then I lower the oven to about 325, cover with foil and
allow the bird to roast until done. (Refer to your turkey’s roasting directions for approximate
cooking times.) Occasionally, I fill an oven-safe cup with water and place in the oven to keep
everything moist.
Extra stuffing goes into a baking dish and gets set aside. Once the turkey is fully cooked,
take pan drippings and drizzle them over the stuffing in the baking dish. Cover with foil and
place in oven (toward the end of turkey’s cooking time) until heated through. This is a great
alternative for those who love turkey-flavored stuffing but prefer not to stuff the bird.
Note: this recipe also works well with whole-wheat or cornbread stuffing cubes. You can
also cut any kind of bread you like into cubes and toast in a low oven until crispy.
Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy!
Pumpkin Layer Cheesecake (Serves 8)
A teacher-friend handed me this the other day—
incredibly creamy and yummo! Making this at
least a day ahead will give all these wonderful
flavors a chance to really blend together and
save you time, too .)
Ingredients:
2 pkgs cream or Neufchatel (lower fat) cheese,
softened*
½ cup (brown) sugar
½ tsp vanilla (or more to taste)
2 eggs
½ cup canned pumpkin
½ tsp ground cinnamon (or more to taste)**
dash of ground cloves**
dash of nutmeg**
1 8 or 9-inch graham cracker or shortbread
cookie pre-made crust
(canned or freshly whipped cream for garnish)
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric
mixer (medium speed) until well blended. Add
eggs and mix until well-blended.
Remove one cup of batter. Stir pumpkin and
spices into it and set aside. Pour remaining (plain)
batter into crust. Top with pumpkin batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until
center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or
overnight.
*Whipped cream cheese may be a lighter
alternative to try.
**substitute pumpkin pie spice for these
ingredients and add extra cinnamon to taste.
A teacher-friend handed me this the other day—
incredibly creamy and yummo! Making this at
least a day ahead will give all these wonderful
flavors a chance to really blend together and
save you time, too .)
Ingredients:
2 pkgs cream or Neufchatel (lower fat) cheese,
softened*
½ cup (brown) sugar
½ tsp vanilla (or more to taste)
2 eggs
½ cup canned pumpkin
½ tsp ground cinnamon (or more to taste)**
dash of ground cloves**
dash of nutmeg**
1 8 or 9-inch graham cracker or shortbread
cookie pre-made crust
(canned or freshly whipped cream for garnish)
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric
mixer (medium speed) until well blended. Add
eggs and mix until well-blended.
Remove one cup of batter. Stir pumpkin and
spices into it and set aside. Pour remaining (plain)
batter into crust. Top with pumpkin batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until
center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or
overnight.
*Whipped cream cheese may be a lighter
alternative to try.
**substitute pumpkin pie spice for these
ingredients and add extra cinnamon to taste.
Creamy Pumpkin Pie
(I've used this ONLY this recipe for more years than I can count, when I happened on it in
a free cookbook given my local supermarket just before Thanksgiving. Of course, I cheat a
little by not making my own crust or pureeing my own pumpkin, but no one--especially me!
--seems to mind :)
Makes approximately 8 servings
1 8 or 9 inch graham cracker crust (or use a pre-made pie dough)
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade, if you’re adventurous!)
¾ cup heavy cream
2 whole eggs
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon (or more to taste)
¼ tsp. ground cloves*/**
¾ tsp. ground nutmeg*
½ tsp. ground allspice*
¼ tsp. ground ginger*
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
*can substitute 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste) in place of these
**since I’m not a fan of cloves, I leave this out and add a little extra cinnamon. This
results in a less pungent—but delicious—flavor.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the pumpkin, ¾ cup of the heavy cream, 2 whole
eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp. allspice, the ginger and salt
and beat until smooth. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake until the filling is set, 35
to 45 minutes. (Note, by adding ¾ cup more pumpkin, ¼ cup more cream and one more
egg, you can double the recipe for an EIGHT inch pie.)
Tip: Make a day ahead to give all the flavors time to really come together. Garnish with
freshly whipped cream (flavored with vanilla and sugar or sugar substitute rocks!) or a
canned real whipped cream
Pumpkin Cookies
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine (1/2-3/4 cup works as well—cookie will be a little spongier)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla (more to taste)
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (more to taste)
¼ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugars and butter with mixer until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla and mix
until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. A little at a time, add dry
ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Drop by teaspoonful on baking sheet, 2-3 inches
apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until light golden. (These cookies are pretty soft, especially upon
removal from the oven.)
Fenuchi—a.k.a. Frosting for Pumpkin Cookies (really tasty, too!)
3 tbsp butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
In a small saucepan, mix butter and brown sugar. Over medium heat, bring to a boil and cover
for one minute. (It will thicken.) Transfer to bowl, cool 10 minutes, add milk and beat until
smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix until desired consistency attained. (You may not need
all the sugar to do so.)
(I've used this ONLY this recipe for more years than I can count, when I happened on it in
a free cookbook given my local supermarket just before Thanksgiving. Of course, I cheat a
little by not making my own crust or pureeing my own pumpkin, but no one--especially me!
--seems to mind :)
Makes approximately 8 servings
1 8 or 9 inch graham cracker crust (or use a pre-made pie dough)
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade, if you’re adventurous!)
¾ cup heavy cream
2 whole eggs
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon (or more to taste)
¼ tsp. ground cloves*/**
¾ tsp. ground nutmeg*
½ tsp. ground allspice*
¼ tsp. ground ginger*
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
*can substitute 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste) in place of these
**since I’m not a fan of cloves, I leave this out and add a little extra cinnamon. This
results in a less pungent—but delicious—flavor.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the pumpkin, ¾ cup of the heavy cream, 2 whole
eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp. allspice, the ginger and salt
and beat until smooth. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake until the filling is set, 35
to 45 minutes. (Note, by adding ¾ cup more pumpkin, ¼ cup more cream and one more
egg, you can double the recipe for an EIGHT inch pie.)
Tip: Make a day ahead to give all the flavors time to really come together. Garnish with
freshly whipped cream (flavored with vanilla and sugar or sugar substitute rocks!) or a
canned real whipped cream
Pumpkin Cookies
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine (1/2-3/4 cup works as well—cookie will be a little spongier)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla (more to taste)
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (more to taste)
¼ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugars and butter with mixer until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla and mix
until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. A little at a time, add dry
ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Drop by teaspoonful on baking sheet, 2-3 inches
apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until light golden. (These cookies are pretty soft, especially upon
removal from the oven.)
Fenuchi—a.k.a. Frosting for Pumpkin Cookies (really tasty, too!)
3 tbsp butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
In a small saucepan, mix butter and brown sugar. Over medium heat, bring to a boil and cover
for one minute. (It will thicken.) Transfer to bowl, cool 10 minutes, add milk and beat until
smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix until desired consistency attained. (You may not need
all the sugar to do so.)
| Thanks to my older son Nicholas for the photos! |
Pumpkin yogurt (Makes a great
snack or dessert. Easy as can be and
perfect for those (like me) who are weight-
conscious!
Ingredients: (All measurements are
approximate. Honestly, I just threw this
all together one morning before work.)
In a bowl combine the following:
1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
¼ cup (or more, to taste) canned or
freshly pureed/cooked pumpkin
½ tsp vanilla (or more, to taste)
1 packet Sugar substitute
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
extra cinnamon (to taste)
Stir until well-blended and color is
consistent. For best taste, refrigerate at
least a day so flavors have a chance to
come together.
Recipe can easily be quadrupled for a
quart container of yogurt. You can also
use vanilla low-fat yogurt, but finding
that sugar-free is often a challenge. It’s
every bit as easy to make it myself! Enjoy!
snack or dessert. Easy as can be and
perfect for those (like me) who are weight-
conscious!
Ingredients: (All measurements are
approximate. Honestly, I just threw this
all together one morning before work.)
In a bowl combine the following:
1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
¼ cup (or more, to taste) canned or
freshly pureed/cooked pumpkin
½ tsp vanilla (or more, to taste)
1 packet Sugar substitute
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
extra cinnamon (to taste)
Stir until well-blended and color is
consistent. For best taste, refrigerate at
least a day so flavors have a chance to
come together.
Recipe can easily be quadrupled for a
quart container of yogurt. You can also
use vanilla low-fat yogurt, but finding
that sugar-free is often a challenge. It’s
every bit as easy to make it myself! Enjoy!
