Festive Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese Dip

So, as you can see, I have been missing in action for the last few months. Doesn't mean I haven't been cooking, but it means that life has been crazy!

But, here I am, ready to post this fantastic, very festive appetizer. It's festive because of the cranberries so would be a great addition to an Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas menu, but really, you could serve it all year round :)

It's so easy to make and it just gets better with age, so make it ahead of time and take the stress out of entertaining! The flavours are so fresh, but the ginger, jalepeno, cilantro and citrus juices just give this appetizer extra depth. Oh, and served alongside a block of cream cheese? To die for!

Bacon & Apple Mashed Sweet Potatoes

With the holidays fast approaching, I am always looking for some new, slightly different side dishes to add to our traditional spread.  Some people in my family might argue that we should just stick to the classics, but I think it's nice to mix things up a little and try something new. Who knows? One of these dishes may be so tasty and loved that it becomes a new family tradition!

This time around, I decided to work with the classic mashed or baked sweet potato. Nothing wrong with a good old sweet potato, but no harm in trying to jazz it up a little. So, I thought it would be interesting to add some saltiness, sweetness, and texture to our what might be a fairly simple mashed sweet potato. I did this by adding bacon (I mean, really, who doesn't like the addition of a little bacon?), some chopped apple, and some celery to the mix.

Pumpkin Pie

I've never been a huge fan of pumpkin pie. As a kid, pumpkin pie would always show up at the Thanksgiving table, and I would always pass.

It's a little strange, because I do love pumpkin. I love it roasted, in soup, as a puree or a mash... just not as a pie.

This year, however, is different. It's a year of new beginnings. It's our daughter's first Thanksgiving. It's our first family Thanksgiving in our new house. And it's the year that I give another chance to the pumpkin pie.

Easy Puff Pastry Pot Pie

I previously wrote that you can't have a pot pie without top and bottom crust.

And I really do believe that the best pot pies have both crusts. However, I also understand that sometimes, we are pressed for time and can't make our own pastry to line our pies.  The best option in these cases is usually frozen puff pastry. You just thaw it, roll it out over your pie filling, brush it with an egg wash, and put it in the oven. No fuss whatsoever. The down side? No bottom crust, as the puff pastry will be soggy and doughy.

So, sometimes we have to give a little to take a little. Compromise that crust we love so much for the conveniences of frozen pastry. And while I still believe that both crusts are best, I am okay with the compromise once in a while.

Mom's Best Hashbrown Casserole Recipe- Reinvented

My mom has a staple hashbrown casserole recipe. This delicious side dish finds its way onto every table when she is entertaining, and if it's not there, you can bet that someone will notice.

It's creamy, cheesy and yummy. Oh, and did I mention that it is the simplest side dish around? It is so easy to make and it's a definite crowd pleaser. Can't go wrong with that!

Well, today I decided to reinvent this famous side dish. I wanted to keep it just as yummy, but perhaps a little healthier. Maybe this version will make an appearance at our family dinners without any special occasion at hand!

Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Canadians face this question far before our American counterparts. But regardless of geography, the same question faces us all.... "It is Thanksgiving and I am invited for dinner. What should I bring?"

Normally, there are so many duplications of ingredients at a holiday event such as this. At a Thanksgiving gathering, this equates to all varieties of sweet potatoes, variations on stuffing, and pumpkin laced desserts. So, for those who want a slight break from tradition and who want to ensure that their flavours stand out from the rest, the question becomes:  "What can I do that is still festive but not going to add another level of "same" to the mix?"

The first decision to make was savory or sweet. In this case, I figured that people would choose to bring savory, transporting their family's traditional side dish to the shared table. So, I chose sweet.

How to Cook a Turkey? Happy Thanksgiving!

I first referred to cooking a turkey in one of my earliest posts called How to Cook a Chicken? And in this post, I actually reference turkey as being the bird that introduced me to the method I now use frequently: Breast Side Down.

What, breast side down?? Yes, that's right. Regardless of how you season your turkey, if you stuff it or don't stuff it, cooking a turkey (or a chicken) breast side down is the key to the juiciest bird you will ever eat. 

As I said in my earlier post... "I love turkey, but as a child, I never really liked the breast meat (unless I smothered it in gravy) because I always found it too dry. That is, until one day, I asked my mom to cook the turkey breast side down. My mom asked me why I wanted her to do this. After all, having a nice, golden breast sitting up on a platter is generally how you serve, then proceed to carve, a turkey during the holidays. It's tradition! I explained to her that I thought if she flipped the bird over, the breast would soak up all the juices dripping through the turkey and into the bottom of the pan, and would soak up the flavors of all the aromatics she used to put in the roasting tray. So, she trusted me and she tried it. The result? A very tender, juicy breast and since then, neither she nor I has ever looked back!"

That was probably almost 15 years ago. And every bird I have cooked since then has been breast side down and amazing.