Just thought I’d share a few pics from our family thanksgiving yesterday.  I tried a bunch of new recipes, but only a few really stood out as keepers.  I made the Pioneer Woman’s soul sweet ‘tators.  I also made a recipe for cranberry shortbread out of Bon Appetit magazine.  My favorite new recipe of the day was the buttered apple cider from Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade magazine!  I’ll include these three recipes in this post.  I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving day.  Other than the fact that my husband was sick all day, we had a wonderful day as a family and I felt blessed all day long.
GIVE THANKS
WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
GIVE THANKS
TO THE HOLY ONE
GIVE THANKS
FOR HE’S GIVEN
JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON

AND NOW LET THE WEAK SAY
I AM STRONG
LET THE POOR SAY
I AM RICH
BECAUSE OF WHAT
THE LORD HAS DONE
FOR US
GIVE THANKS…

Buttered Apple Cider:

Mix 1 stick of softened butter, 1/4 cup light brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves until combined.  Put the butter on a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a 1-inch thick log.  Wrap and chill 1 hour.  Pour 3 cups of apple cider into a slow cooker, cover and heat on high for 1 hour.  Divide 1 cup bourbon among 6 glasses.  Top each with hot cider and a slice of the spiced butter…YUMMY!
Cranberry Shortbread

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/4 t. salt

1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into slices

1 – 10 oz bag fresh cranberries

1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice

1 t. grated grapefruit zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8×8 pan.  Whisk flour, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Using your fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until mix resembles coarse meal.  Transfer to prepared pan, press evenly onto bottom of pan.  Prick dough with fork.  Bake shortbread until cooked through and golden pale, about 25 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Bring remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups cranberries and grapefruit juice to a simmer in a small saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally until cranberries burst and mix is syrupy, about 8 minutes.  Stir in remaining cranberries and cook until skins begin to split, about 3 minutes.  Let cool.  Spread cooled cranberry topping over shortbread.  Scatter zest over.  Cut and serve.  MMMMM…

Soul Sweet ‘Taters

4 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup white sugar

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 t vanilla extract

1 t salt

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup flour

6 T unsalted butter at room temp

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put the sweet potatoes on the oven rack and bake until fork tender, about 1 hour.  When potatoes are finished cooking, let cool slightly.  Slice them open lengthwise and scrape out the flesh with a fork into a large bowl.  Increase oven temp to 400 degrees.  Add the white sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt to the bowl with the potatoes.  Mash the mix with a potato masher until combined and slightly lumpy.  In a separate bowl, mash the dark brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter until crumbly.  Spread the potato mixture into a large baking dish, sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  AWESOME!

I pulled this out of Everyday Cooking Martha Stewart.  Finally found a nice pineapple at Costco today and it reminded me of this recipe.  Time to try it out!  When I tasted the batter before cooking, I was a little nervous.  This is not a very sweet cake, great for those of you that do not like overly sweet frosting.  But when I took it out of the oven and tried a piece, YUM!  It is so good.  Enjoy!

Jamaican Spiced Pineapple Upside-Down Cake:

9 T butter, divided

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced

1 can coconut milk

3 large eggs

2 T lemon or lime juice

2 t vanilla extract

1 T baking powder

2 t ground allspice

1 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt 5 T butter and pour into a 9″ square baking pan, tilting to coat bottom.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of sugar and arrange pineapple slices in rows.  In a microwave safe bowl, microwave coconut milk and remaining 4 T of butter until butter is melted, but not too hot.  Mix in remaining cup of sugar.  Add eggs, lemon or lime juice and vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder, allspice and salt.  Mix until smooth.  Pour batter over pineapple and spread.  Bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Let cool for 1 hour.  Invert onto platter before serving.  Serve warm.