November Week 2 Group Challenge - Recipe Exchange
jessicakrall8
Posts: 5,458 Member
In the US, we're celebrating Thanksgiving in a few weeks...Canadian friends just had theirs a couple of weeks ago...Wherever you are...what holidays are coming up for you in the next two months?
Let's take a little time this week, to share our holiday plans, a few recipes (bonus points if you share ways to cut the calories), pictures, memories, etc. Just a light-hearted discussion on what's coming up. Uplifting quotes, memes, pictures, cartoons are ALWAYS appreciated...ESPECIALLY PET PICTURES...I just love the pet pics...have to admit it...looking forward to positive reinforcement this week, new creative ideas for evening meals, light lunches, tips on meal planning, great salads, etc. Hope to hear from you this week, in the chat thread!
Jessica
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I'm in! I've been trading administration work for treatment and supplements with a functional medicine practitioner and she's throwing a healthy Friendsgiving Thurday so I'll do what I can to get the recipes and share them here. I'll probably make roasted root vegetables or a harvest blend of some sort for it. Thanksgiving will be at my Mom's friend's house where last year a little boy who wanted to hold my hand and sit by me at dinner was told he had to take a bite of ambrosia and threw up at the table because it had coconut so this meal should be smoother, lol! Not sure what I'll take to that one yet. This is one I'm looking at for Thurday:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220645/roasted-autumn-root-vegetables/
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I am also in. I've got over 8,000 recipes saved and organized in Plan to Eat so I can do this!
Here's a pic of my pups for tax.
Okay...on to the recipe! This one is a favorite for the holiday table. It was given to me by my ex-mother-in-law (one of the only good things I got out of that marriage lol). It's definitely not healthy but I'll give some options to lighten it up at the end.
Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole (8 servings)
1⁄4 pound Ritz crackers
1⁄4 pound butter
16 ounces frozen broccoli cooked and drained
16 ounces frozen cauliflower cooked and drained
1⁄4 pound Velveeta cubed
1⁄2 pound cheddar cheese shredded
Crush crackers to crumbs. Melt margarine and mix with crumbs. Pat 2/3 of crumb mixture into 9"x13" pan.
Layer vegetables with cheeses. Cover with remaining crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until done.
WAYS TO LIGHTEN IT UP:- use reduced-fat Ritz crackers
- use light margarine instead of butter
- use a lil less cheese
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Here's my favorite mushroom gravy recipe, it's an Emeril recipe so you know it's going to be good!
Emeril's Mushroom Gravy (8 servings)
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
1⁄2 medium green bell pepper seeded and finely chopped
1 rib celery finely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1⁄2 bunch green onions green and white parts chopped separately
2 cups beef stock
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1 pound mushrooms
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until milk chocolate-colored roux is formed, about 15 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and the white part of the green onions, and cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the beef stock and heavy cream and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender and golden brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and teriyaki sauce to the gravy and simmer until flavors come together, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.4 -
I really don't go healthy on my holiday meals. But I am welling to try new recipes out. We are having what i call the all American Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, green bean casserole, baked Mac & cheese, stuffing, biscuits, and pie. This is what I fix every year for Thanksgiving dinner.4
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I'm not a great cook, but found this one online and it looked like a great lighter dessert, but still with lots of flavor and hey, it has pumpkin, so it's definitely seasonal...enjoy!
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pumpkin-cheesecake/138a3815-0a58-4ac5-854a-9253538e5958
Jessica2 -
Extra credit to @trooworld for puppy pictures!!! They're adorable...love their little faces...how do you ever say no to extra treats for them?!!!
Anyone have a good (EASY) broccoli soup for the crockpot?
Jessica1 -
I am planning on making only one type of cookie and giving the majority away as gifts. I did this last year with Buckeyes and although the calories per cookie weren’t lowered the amount I consumed was. I am going with Butterballs (Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies) using my Mom’s recipe:
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This was the first night I'd changed to my fall/winter flannel sheets and the pillowcases my aunt made me, makes me pretty popular with the boys!
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This is Sparky inspecting my Dad's car. Car would not start
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@jessicakrall8 I can't say no to a pumpkin cheesecake! re: pups...thank you so much! I cannot say no to extra treats when they look up at me with those eyes lol. I don't have one for the crockpot but I do have an excellent one for the Instant Pot, if you have one of those: https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/best-pressure-cooker-broccoli-cheese-soup/
@p8m6bwghh9 I am from Ohio so I love buckeyes! I love that you have a well-loved copy of your Mom's butterball recipe. Those will make great gifts.
@Katmary71 Awwww! They look like they love them. Thanks for sharing.
@purple1butterfly I love it! He looks like he would be a good assistant.
Violet, going for a ride.
Okay, today, I have my favorite EASY salad. It's a copycat recipe of the Olive Garden's salad. I use grape tomatoes instead of Roma, my preference. I also make homemade croutons (I'll include that recipe, too, I make them in the air fryer).
Olive Garden Salad https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/spiralized-cucumber-salad-with-olive-garden-dressing-copycat-video/
Air Fryer Croutons https://copykat.com/homemade-croutons-made-in-an-air-fryer/4 -
my furbabies watching the kids outside playing.
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Ice cream bread
Easy and delicious. Use any flavor that you like. I have used chocolate, chocolate mint, and strawberry. Thinking of making some for Thanksgiving. Thinking maybe Moose Tracks.4 -
@alleykat69 I have done beer and soda pop bread but had never thought of ice cream, thanks for that.
Another part of my eating plan is portion control (still working on it). I’ll be using the top plate.
Memory from 1990 “After the presents are opened” besides DD it features our dog Max and our manx cat Slinky, who did not get a tail for Christmas! They are both missed.
Also if this Tshirt goes on sale I am so getting it!😂
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Love love love seeing all the pets, kids, etc! Here's a fun November Things To Do List:
Here's a cat hanging out by pumpkins at the building I have a community garden at, does it scream Fall or what?
My table, I've been harvesting seeds and have them under the ceiling fan along with some holy basil:
I harvested holy basil both at home and at the food bank farm I volunteer at and made this tincture, hopefully it will help keep me strong through winter:
Last here's a soup I made a couple weeks ago, it's Skinnytaste's Roasted Butternut Squash and Feta soup https://www.skinnytaste.com/butternut-squash-feta-soup/
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We don't have a lot of extended family in the area, so we'll likely just have a meal with my mom for Thanksgiving. Our goal is to make ONE dinner, with not a lot of leftovers that we'll be munching on for a week afterward. We really don't go out of our way to make it healthy as it is one day to splurge a little.
Here's a recipe for zucchini and carrot muffins that I just made, though maybe not holliday-ish. My picky 3 year olds love them and don't realize they are eating vegetables. And in my opinion, they are perfectly okay!
https://thenaturalnurturer.com/whole-wheat-carrot-zucchini-muffins/
And here is a picture of my little guys from Thanksgiving 2 years ago.
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Today's picture: I live in San Diego, home of the world-famous San Diego Zoo. We have a membership and go quite often. This is a pic of an aardvark being walked through the zoo for exercise. It was when they first opened so not too busy to walk an aardvark through the zoo!
@alleykat69 So cute!
@p8m6bwghh9 I love the idea of using a smaller plate. Good plan! Great picture, it really tells a story. Love the t-shirt, I hope you got it!
@Katmary71 You are really doing fall right. I love the pics. I need to try that soup.
@Zaxa2021 Cute babies! Good idea to hide the veggies in a muffin.
Okay today, I am sharing my favorite stuffing recipe. Before I share it, I have to say that I don't really lighten up my Thanksgiving recipes. I tried that one year and nobody (including myself) was pleased! lol So, lesson learned.
Bread Stuffing (serves 8-10)
1 pound hearty white sandwich bread cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter cut into 16 pieces
2 onions chopped fine
2 celery ribs chopped fine
2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
7⁄8 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Use a hearty white sandwich bread, such as Arnold Country Classics White Bread (our taste-test winner).
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes, stirring bread and switching and rotating sheets halfway through. Cool completely on baking sheets, then transfer to large bowl.
Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is nutty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Reserve 3 tablespoons browned butter in small bowl. Add onions and celery to skillet, increase heat to medium, and cook until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add vegetable mixture to bowl with toasted bread.
Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Add 2 cups broth to now-empty skillet and cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits, until reduced to 1 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Combine remaining 4 cups broth and reduced broth with vegetable-bread mixture and let sit for 10 minutes, stirring once. Transfer stuffing to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and press into even layer. Drizzle reserved browned butter evenly over top and bake on upper-middle rack until golden brown and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.
Make Ahead: Stuffing without butter topping can be refrigerated in baking dish, covered with aluminum foil, for up to 1 day. To finish, remove foil, drizzle with melted reserved browned butter, re-cover, and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake until stuffing is heated through and top is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
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My buddy Earl.
My brother likes to host Thanksgiving. I will bring harvest bread and pies. Probably apple, pumpkin and cherry/cranberry pies. No doubt he'll make each of us take a big plate of food home with us, and I usually divvy it up into smaller meals and freeze. If I have to bring home pie, I'll save a piece for Rich and bring the remainder to work to get rid of the extra.
I don't Lighten Up any of my holiday recipes. Baking = Love
ARTISAN HARVEST BREAD
Easy to make; cooked in a dutch oven.
3 cup bread flour
2/3 cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries, or currants, or raisins, or apricots...)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned, not quick oats or instant oatmeal)
1 TBSP flaxseed
2-1/4 tsp instant yeast (one package).
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
MIX THE ABOVE DRY INGREDIENTS TOGETHER
1 cup water
1 cup pumpkin puree
MIX TOGETHER, MICROWAVE IT TO BE ABOUT BATH WATER TEMP
1/3 cup honey
1 TBSP olive oil
STIR INTO THE WATER/PUMPKIN MIX
ADD THE PUMPKIN MIX TO THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Just mix it up until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
COVER THE BOWL WITH PLASTIC WRAP, LET STAND AT ROOM TEMP UNTIL DOUBLED (about 2 hours)
FLOUR YOUR WORK SURFACE. TURN OUT THE DOUGH AND KNEAD BRIEFLY (ABOUT 8 TURNS/FOLDS)
LINE A BOWL WITH PARCHMENT PAPER. PUT THE DOUGH IN THE BOWL, COVER WITH PLASTIC WRAP, AND A TOWEL WARMED FROM THE DRYER. LET RISE UNTIL FULLY PROOFED (about 1 hour). You should be able to poke your fingers into the dough about 1 inch, and the indentation won't bounce back immediately.
While the dough is proofing, heat the dutch oven (with the lid) in the oven (start in a COLD oven) set to 425. Heat it for about 30 minutes. MAD HOT - HANDLE WITH CARE. Take the dutch oven out of the oven, remove the lid, and lift the dough using the parchment paper and transfer it to the hot dutch oven. If you want to be a bit fancy, brush the dough with a bit of water and sprinkle some rolled oats on the top before baking. Put the lid on, and bake it at 425 for about 25 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake another 8-10 minutes. The top should be golden. Once again grab the parchment paper to lift the bread out of the dutch oven and transfer to the cooling rack. LET IT COOL COMPLETELY before cutting.
This bread is SOOOO good. And it's wonderful toasted too.
-Mica2 -
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Megan_smartiepants1970 wrote: »
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I have put in my grocery order for pickup on Friday...am getting the makings for a big pot of chili and will enjoy that all next week. I'm making it with a mixture of mild chili beans and hot chili beans, which should give it JUST a little kick to it. I'm also putting thin spaghetti in it, just like my mom used to do...Ohio Valley thing (from Kentucky). Hoping it will be a nice hot concoction to enjoy with a grilled cheese or cheese and crackers on a few nights.
I don't have an Instant Pot @trooworld, but thanks for the recipe...I never really use my crockpot much so thought an Instant Pot would just sit around unused. I LOVE my air fryer and use it at least 5 times a week...nothing fancy, just great for frozen things...
Made a great batch of baked chicken over the weekend...using Kentucky Kernel seasoned flour...you simply coat your chicken with, then bake at 400, skin side down for about 40 minutes, turn the pieces and bake another 30 or to your crisp liking...I like mine really crispy. It is simply delicious...that coating mix sells at Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, Food Lion...great combination of spices, garlic, onion powder, black pepper, really great flavor and not too heavy on the salt. Couldn't be easier...just love it. Will likely bake another batch on Sunday as well. Makes it easy to come home, just fix a veggie and reheat the chicken in the microwave...yum!
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@micaroo4 Earl is so handsome! I don't lighten up my holiday recipes, either.
@jessicakrall8 I LOVE chili! I'm from Ohio and love Cincinnati chili so I'm all for that. I have all the gadgets (although I shouldn't, I have a small kitchen lol), but instead of a separate Instant Pot, I have a Ninja Foodi which is an air fryer, pressure cooker, dehydrator etc all in one. I love the air fryer function! Have you ever made fajitas in the air fryer? They are great in it. I've never seen Kentucky Kernel around here but it sounds interesting so maybe I'll get it on Amazon. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi all. I am sharing some of my staple recipes today, one is less a recipe and more of an ingredient:
How to roast a red pepper in an air fryer (this is super easy and better than jarred): https://www.simpleawesomecooking.com/2019/01/how-to-roast-a-red-pepper-in-an-air-fryer.html
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes (SOOOO good!): https://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/air-fryer-baked-potatoes/
The Best Black Bean Burgers I've Ever Had: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-black-bean-burgers/
And one more....my favorite chocolate cake (I make a simple chocolate ganache for the top): http://allrecipes.com/recipe/7565/too-much-chocolate-cake/
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So much good stuff here 🙂
Not necessarily holiday but on my to be made list. Don’t know why she named it what she did but it seems pretty versatile and easy to me
https://hungryhappens.net/spinach-and-feta-brownies/
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Almost forgot, friends on vacay so we have visitors
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Today, I have a photo from a professional photo shoot we did of Daisy followed by a holiday recipe. Enjoy!
@p8m6bwghh9 Cute visitors!
Today, I have the best turkey recipe that we've ever made. This will be on our Thanksgiving table this year. Everything cooks evenly due to the turkey being flattened out. No dry breasts!
Crisp-Skinned Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Turkey With Gravy Recipe - https://www.seriouseats.com/butterfiled-roast-turkey-with-gravy-recipe3 -
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Today's picture is of a charcuterie board I made for Christmas last year. Charcuterie boards are actually not really hard to make, they just take a bit of planning and time. Here's a recipe for a simple one, it just tells you what to put on it. I would look at Pinterest or on YouTube for the actual how-to: http://www.bijouxandbits.com/2016/11/rustic-fall-cheese-board/
@p8m6bwghh9 The turkey? Oh, it's worth the experiment...it's my favorite way to make a turkey (but it does require my husband's help to flatten the turkey)! And if that sundae could be made with cauliflower, we'd all be in heaven!
I have for you today my FAVORITE cranberry sauce recipe. It is actually kind of a compote. Before this, I used to use the canned cranberry sauce. Once I tasted this, I never went back to the canned version! I think this recipe is a mixture of a couple of recipes so I just call it my own.
Chris's Cranberry Sauce
12 ounces fresh cranberries washed
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup raspberries frozen
1 whole lemon zested and juiced
1 whole orange zested and juiced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
Combine sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Mix in cranberries, raspberries, cinnamon stick, lemon and orange zest. Reduce heat, and cover partially. Simmer until berries burst, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool completely, sauce will thicken as it cools. Discard cinnamon stick.2 -
I'm so glad everyone had fun comparing and collecting new recipe and meal ideas for fun times at home with family and friends, as well as holiday gatherings! I bought my fixins for chili yesterday and will be making that and some baked chicken tomorrow to last throughout the week for lunches and dinners! Looking forward to it!
Getting ready to post next week's group challenge...see you shortly in the new chat thread!
Jessica1 -
The November Week 3 Group Challenge is open and ready to begin on Sunday, Nov 17th. Please join us for the Color Your Inspiration Challenge...a week filled with great inspiring quotes and creativity to set your health journey on a steadily moving forward path of success!! Here's your link:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10927405/november-week-3-group-challenge-color-your-inspiration-challenge/p1?new=1
Hope to see you in the chat thread! Another great opportunity to share and grow!
Jessica 0
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