Fresh Cranberry Sauce

This is the best cranberry sauce!  I got the recipe from my sister Heather.  It only has 4 ingredients and you don't cook it at all!  What could be more simple!  We're not big cranberry sauce eaters normally but this one is so good and fresh and so different that we all eat it up.  Be sure to make it the day before so the flavors can blend.  You're supposed to chop all of the fruit in the food processor but I don't have one.  I just use my Pampered Chef chopper.  Heather also recommends chopping each type of fruit individually to make sure it all gets chopped, then add it together and stir.  This is what I did and it was perfect.  You can chop it as much or as little as you prefer.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 large orange
1 large apple (crisp red variety works best)
1 c. sugar

Sort and wash cranberries.  Chop in food processor.  Cut up apple and orange and chop in a food processor.  Mix fruit together with sugar and let stand in refrigerator overnight.  Stir before serving.

Cranberry Crumb Bars

Since it's still the holidays, you can take advantage of the great sales on canned cranberry sauce and make these.  I like to stock up so that I can make treats like these during the year.  I found this recipe in a Taste of Homes magazine 8 years ago and made them for Tory and I for our first Christmas together.  We loved them and have been making them ever since.  They have a crust that is like shortbread, a cream cheese layer,  a cranberry layer, and then a crumb topping.  Delicious together!

Cranberry Crumb Bars

Crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. cold butter
Filling:
1 (8 oz.)  package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 (16 oz.) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
Topping:
1/3 c. flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 c. cold butter
3/4 c. finely chopped walnuts

-Combine flour and powdered sugar; cut in butter until crumbly.  Press into a greased 9x13 and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min. or until edges are lightly browned.  Reduce heat to 325.

-In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add milk and lemon juice; mix well.  Pour over crust.

-In a bowl, combine the cornstarch and brown sugar.  Stir in cranberry sauce until combined.  Spoon over cream cheese layer.

-For topping, combine the flour and brown sugar in a bowl; cut in butter.  Fold in walnuts.  Sprinkle over filling.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 min. or until topping is golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cover and chill ofr 3 hours before cutting.

Corn Pudding

I decided to try a new corn recipe.  Adapted from this recipe.  It's got a lot of "rich" ingredients so I'd probably only make it for special occasions but it was very good!  Optionally you could blend all 4 cups of corn instead of leaving one cup whole for texture.  I guess it depends on what texture you like your corn pudding.

Corn Pudding

4 cups frozen corn kernels (about 19 ounces), thawed--set aside 1 cup
4 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Blend all ingredients but 1 one cup of corn in processor or blender until almost smooth. Pour batter into prepared dish. Stir in remaining 1 cup corn.  Bake pudding until brown and center is just set, about 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; serve.

Cranberry Slush

I found this recipe on This Week for Dinner and had to try it for Thanksgiving.  It was sooo good!  We're definitely going to be making this each year.  I might try to figure out how to halve the recipe next time though.  It made a ton!  So yummy though.  The cranberry flavor was perfect for dinner.  I have to post the recipe here so I'll always have it.  You'll need a fine wire/mesh strainer for this recipe.  You can find one at Wal-mart for just under $3.00.  There's a reason I know that... :)

Cranberry Slush

There are two versions – the original and the quick. I did the quick version and it’s fantastic.  This is the one she usually uses, too.


Quick Recipe:


- 4 cans whole cranberry sauce
- 3 quarts cranberry juice cocktail
- 2 quarts ginger ale

Run 4 cans of whole cranberry sauce through collander. Discard cranberry skins (or save them for something else.)  Add 2 quarts cranberry juice. Freeze. When ready to serve, mash up frozen cranberries with 1 quart cranberry juice and 2 quarts ginger ale.

*Hint:  When combining the juice and ginger ale with the frozen mixture, do a little at a time so it stays slushy otherwise it won't be as slushy.  You kind of have to mash the frozen mixture with the liquids as you go.

You'll have to push the sauce through with a spoon, leaving just the skins behind.  These can be discarded.
Original Recipe:


- 1 lb cranberries
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail
- 2 quarts ginger ale

Cook cranberries, sugar and water until thickens. Run through collander. Add 1 quart cranberry juice. Freeze. When ready to serve, mash up frozen cranberries with 1 quart cranberry juice and 2 quarts ginger ale.

This is what the cranberry sauce looks like after you run it through the mesh collander.

Buttermilk Pancakes

If you ever have some leftover buttermilk you HAVE to make these.  They are very light and fluffy.  Must be made with buttermilk.  So good!

Buttermilk Pancakes

3 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.


Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

White Chip Pumpkin Spice Cake

I've been wanting to try this recipe for awhile now.  I found it on Heather White's blog.  Tory had a group of young men coming over to do some woodworking and I thought it would be the perfect excuse to make it.  Guys need food right?  It was so yummy and very easy since it uses a cake mix.  The only thing that seemed different was her glaze seemed much "whiter" and thicker.  Maybe that's because she didn't have 3 little boys snitching the white chocolate chips.  Or maybe I put it on when the glaze was too warm?  Not sure.  But regardless of the lack of whiteness...it tasted so yummy!

White Chip Pumpkin Spice Cake
1 pkg. Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix
3 large eggs
1 C. pumpkin
2/3 C. evaporated milk
1/3 C. vegetable oil
1 C. white chocolate chips

White Chip Cinnamon Glaze:
3 T. evaporated milk
1 C. white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup bundt cake pan. Combine cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Beat at low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes; stir in chocolate chips. Pour into bundt pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 25 minutes; invert onto wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle HALF of glaze over cake; serve with remaining glaze.

For White Chip Cinnamon Glaze:
Heat 3 T. evaporated milk in a small, heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat just to a boil; remove from heat. Add 1 C. white chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Stir in 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.

Cream soup of pumpkin

Velouté de potimaron parfumé

Préparation : 20 min
Cuisson : 45 min

Ingrédients (pour 6 personnes) :
- 1 potimarron
- 3 carottes
- 1 pomme de terre
- 1 gros oignon
- 6 tranches de bacon
- marjolaine, sauge, sel, poivre
- 20 cl de crème fraîche
- 150 g de fromage râpé (cheddar ou comté)

Préparation :

Préparer les légumes, les couper en morceaux et les mettre dans une cocotte avec le bacon, 1 branche de marjolaine (ou de thym), 4 ou 5 feuilles de sauge et couvrir d'eau à hauteur.

Laisser cuire environ 45 min.

Mixer les légumes et le bacon, en ajoutant au fur et à mesure l'eau de cuisson afin d'obtenir une consistance onctueuse et assez épaisse.

Saler et poivrer et éventuellement mettre un peu de muscade en plus.

Ajouter le fromage râpé et la crème fraîche, bien mélanger et servir bien chaud.

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Cream soup of pumpkin (‘potimaron’)

Ingredients :
- 1 pumkin ou ‘potimaron’
- 3 carrots
- 1 potato
- 1 big onion
- 6 slices of bacon (or ham or larding bacon)
- Marjoram (or thyme), sage, salt, pepper
- ¾ cup of liquid cream
- 5 ounces of cheese (cheddar or comté or whatever cheese you can have in US, that is tasty)


Prepare the vegetables, cut them in pieces and put them in a pressure-cooker with the bacon, 1 stick of marjoram (or thyme), 4 or 5 leaf of sage and cover with water.

Let it cook for 45 minutes.

Mix the vegetables and bacon, and add the cooking water progressively to obtain a creamy and thickly consistency.

Salt and pepper and you can add some nutmeg, if you want.

Add the grated cheese and the liquid cream, mix and serve it warm.

Peach Pie

I found some giant peaches at the grocery store that were calling to me.  They were saying "Peach Pie, Peach Pie" so I had to get them and I had to make a peach pie.  It's not like I make peach pie...ever...but it just sounded really good.  Let me tell ya, the pie tasted really good, too!  I peeled and sliced my peaches, stirred in the lime juice, and set them in a colander to drain as I prepared the rest of the pie.  That way they would be nice and drained and not so soggy.  Another tip I picked up is brushing a bit of beaten egg onto the bottom crust before placing the peach filling.  This is to help eliminate the "soggy" crust you sometimes get.  I did a lattice top but you can also roll out a top crust and just make sure you cut vents so the steam can escape.  Make sure you bake on a cookie sheet because it will most likely bubble over!  Top with a little vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself some yumminess!

Peach Pie

1 egg, beaten
5 cups sliced peeled peaches, I used 6 HUGE peaches and it was maxed out
2 Tbsp. lime juice (You can also use lemon but I've read that so many people prefer lime.  They say the flavor blends with the peach flavor better.)
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
pastry for 9" pie and top (I made my own.  Recipe HERE.)

Place sliced peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle with lime juice.  Mix gently.  Set in colander to drain off any extra juices while preparing the rest of the pie. 

Line bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts.  Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Pour over the peaches, and mix gently.  Pour into the pie crust and dot with butter.  Cover with the other pie crust or lattice crust.  Fold the edges under.  Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork.  Brush the remaining egg over the top crust.  Sprinkle with sugar, optional.  Cut several slits in the top crust to steam if not doing lattice. 

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes in a preheated oven.  Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents.  If the edges brown too fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking.  Cool before serving.  This tastes better warm than hot! 

Fall Snack

I had almost forgotten about this fun snack until I saw it on my cousin's recipe blog. I made this for my family last year as we snuggled up outside on our patio and watched Disney's animated "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by the fire for Family Home Evening. For a movie snack we had a mix of candy corn and salted peanuts. There is a little story that goes along with how I found this "recipe". I was at the grocery store a few days earlier and helped a lady reach something off of the top shelf. Turns out she was looking for candy corn. After I helped her out she said, "Our family's new favorite snack around Halloween is candy corn mixed with salted peanuts. It tastes just like a Payday candy bar!" Well, I was curious so I thought I'd give it a try. Tory normally doesn't like candy corn (I do like it) so I usually don't get it. He actually liked this combo! And it tastes EXACTLY like a Payday candy bar! Give it a try if you need a snack mix for some party coming up.

Candy Corn & Salted Peanuts

1 bag candy corn
1 can salted peanuts

Mix together in a bowl and eat!

Pumpkin Bread

This is the pumpkin bread that I often make. I love the spices in it and of course I always have to add chocolate chips! (First I make a couple mini loaves without chocolate chips for my husband since he doesn't like them in his pumpkin bread and then I add the chocolate chips to the rest of the batter.) I made some this morning to give to a friend and it makes the house smell so yummy! I usually bake mine in mini loaf pans but sometimes I do large loaves or a combination. Today I even put some in mini muffin tins because I knew I wouldn't have enough time for the bread to cook before I had to leave. No matter how you bake it...it tastes delicious and makes a lot! I can get about 8 mini loaves out of this recipe! Today I made 6 mini loaves and 24 mini muffins! Plenty for everyone!

Pumpkin Bread


1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1 cup oil (or 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup oil which is what I usually do)
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
1 cup chopped nuts, optional


Beat pumpkin, oil (applesauce), water, eggs, and sugar. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Gently fold in nuts and chocolate chips if using. Bake in pans that have been greased and floured. (For muffins I just spray with nonstick cooking spray but for any loaves I grease and then flour.) Bake in 350 degree oven for recommended time below. All times approximate. Check tops of loaves before removing from oven. When done baking, let sit in pans for 10 minutes then loosen sides with a knife and remove from pans.

Large loaves: 50 minutes
Mini loaves: 25-30 minutes
Mini Muffins: 12-15 minutes

Favorite Pumpkin Recipe Challenge

Attention All "La Bonne Cuisine Cooks"!

In an effort to re-invite you all to post some recipes on here...I am challenging YOU to share one (or more!) of your most favorite recipes that include pumpkin.

They can be sweet treats, warm soups, dinner in a pumpkin...anything goes!

I love pumpkin and I'm always looking for new recipes to include it in.

If you'd like to see some of the pumpkin dishes we have so far just click on the "pumpkin" link over in the sidebar on the right (or on the word pumpkin here). If your recipe is similar to one already posted...post it anyway! If you don't have a picture that's OK, too. And if you're not a pumpkin fan (*gasp*) you are welcome to post any other Fall recipe!

I can't wait to try some new recipes!

Thank You!

P.S. If you wish to be a "La Bonne Cuisine Cook" and contribute to our recipes, please leave a comment!

Taco Soup

Here's another delicious soup recipe. It has all the good stuff of tacos in a warm bowl of soup. I serve it with Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos-a little secret I learned from my sister Amy. She made taco soup for us when we were visiting once and it was soooo good with the Doritos. They really make it taco-y! It's the only time I ever buy Doritos. Buy a small bag if it makes you feel better but don't leave them out! This is actually Amy's recipe that I've changed just a little. Basically I added more beans, tomatoes, sauce, and water to make it stretch further for our family. Oh and I did change the tomatoes to the chili ready flavor. You can also put sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions or olives on top. This soup will fill you up and it's so easy!

Taco Soup


1 lb. turkey burger
1 small onion, chopped
2 (16 oz.) cans chili ready diced tomatoes + 2 cans water
2 (16 oz.) cans kidney beans
1 (17 oz.) can corn
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning (I use the 30% less sodium kind by McCormick)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
Nacho Cheese Doritos, NOT optional!


In a large soup pot, cook burger with onion. Drain off fat. Add all ingredients except Doritos. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve over crumbled Doritos chips or sprinkle Doritos on top with any other toppings you like.