Wow that sounds good, Sherice - that would be a good replacement for my usual Sweet Potatoes with toasted baby marshmallow topping - very few adults appreciate marshmallows as much as I do.

This is simple and probably just a variation of Ambrosia or exactly like it but with cream cheese and baby marshmallows * (optional)

It is quick and easy!

Fruit Salad

1 Large Cube of Cream Cheese
1 Large Can of Fruit Cocktail or Mixed Fruits
1 or more Bannanas

Optional: Baby Marshmallows, Coconut flakes, Chopped nuts of your choice

Combine the cream cheese (room temp) with the juice from the canned fruit;

blend it until it is a very thick liquid consistency (add a little liquid at a time so you don't get too much liquid)

Combine with the fruit and optional ingredients

(hold the bannanas until you are ready to serve - slice in thickish slices)

This goes really nice with meat and the other Thanksgiving foods.

Enjoy!

Here's a great cheese ball that we make every year so folks have something to munch on while they are waiting for dinner.

Goes great with some chilled wine.


GREAT CHEESE BALL
2 pkg. (16 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened.
1 stick (4oz.) of Butter, softened.
Cream together then add 1 TBs. Onion Flakes,
1 TBS. Worcestershire Sauce ,
1 Large jar shredded, low salt, dried beef.
Mix together well and form into a ball,then
place on a dish and cover with plastic wrap
and chill before serving.
Serve with your choice of crackers.


Enjoy

Ooh, I make that same cheese ball every Christmas, Rick! You're right, it is WONDERFUL

I've got to try Patricia's fruit salad - that sounds too tempting to pass up!

Yum!!!

Ok, here's a pumpkin pie recipe I just tried with REAL PUMPKINS. Trick is to get the little "pie pumpkins" and cut the top off like you're going to create a jack-o-lantern. Take all the pulp and seeds out and then roast the pumpkins in the oven at about 325 until soft.

Fresh Pumpkin Pie Recipe - Traditional Pumpkin Pie Desserts Recipes - Sugar Pumpkin Pie - Scratch Pumpkin Pie Recipes

We did that recipe, and roasted the pumpkin FIRST - then took all the meat off the skin (after roasting) and ground that down in the food processor.

The recipe above will tell you to cut the pumpkin in half and use some oil - but if you roast them whole (seeds/pulp removed) with cap on - they come out smelling WONDERFUL! You can tell when they are done by sticking a knife or fork through the shell. If it slides in easy - it's done. Hard? Roast some more.

The recipe with honey included above may need cut to 3/4 cup of honey - because the pie is very sweet. If you like it that way - OK - but after my first trial, I would decrease the honey by a quarter cup, and increase the spices just a bit.

Now, my husband made the "traditional" pie crust out of butter, flour, ice water and sugar - which made for an extremely "elastic" dough. It was good, but HARD. If you have a good pie dough recipe use it for this pie.

If you don't - then BUY ONE from the store. Unless you're up for experimenting with dough - just buy two pie tins full of dough ready made - or even a graham cracker crust - because the recipe above will make 2 pies.

Super homemade pumpkin pie - really we loved it. If only we would have cut down on the honey just a bit, increased the spice a tad - and had a better CRUST!

Thanks!
Michelle

This may not be traditional for Thanksgiving, but for after dinner, whenever you are feeling decadent.

It actually makes a really nice Christmas gift too.

Home Made Irish Cream

1-3/4 Cup Irish Whiskey (or substitute brandy)
3 Eggs
1 Cup Whipping Cream (unwhipped)
1 Can Eagle Brand (sweet condensed milk)
3 TBS Chocolate Syrup
2 tsp Instant Coffee
2 tsp Black Walnut Flavoring (optional)
2 tsp Vanilla Flavoring (I would double this if without walnut)

Blend ingredients until smooth

Bottle it - keep in refrigerator up to 3 months

Optional - sprinkle cinnamon on top when served.

It is good served with a coffee back, or in coffee it is fantastic too.

Don't forget it is alcohol - it tastes like a milk shake and you forget you are going to get snockered eventually. (don't gulp it) lol.

• Cook Time
  
  20 min
• Level
  
  Intermediate
• Yield
  
  20 to 40 marshmallows

Close Times:


Prep20 min Inactive Prep8 hr 0 min Cook20 min Total:8 hr 40 min



Ingredients

• 7 ounces sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 1 recipe Homemade Marshmallow batter, recipe follows
• Confectioners' sugar

Directions

Sprinkle half the toasted coconut in an 8 by 12-inch nonmetal pan. Pour in the marshmallow batter and smooth the top of the mixture with damp hands. Sprinkle on the remaining toasted coconut. Allow to dry uncovered at room temperature overnight.

Remove the marshmallows from the pan and cut into squares. Roll the sides of each piece carefully in confectioners' sugar. Store uncovered at room temperature.

Homemade Marshmallows:

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (I would substitute with ideally setvia (all natural) or splenda)
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.


Not my recipe but I saw her make this on the Food Network - and haven't stopped thinking about it for weeks.

From the Barefoot Contessa Recipes

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/i...pe2/index.html

Pumpkin Soup

1 whole, uncut pumpkin. Remove top, scrape out seed and strings. Make sure you can still put top back on for baking. set aside. DO NOT PUNCTURE SIDE OF PUMPKIN.

Chicken leg/thigh boiled with salt/pepper, garlic, onion, celery carrot. Remove bones after thoroughly boiled.

Yam, onion, garlic, leek, parsley, carrot, thyme, sage, rosemary, green onion, cilantro ( leaf and ground seed ), assorted veggies--add to chicken stock, boil until soft.

fill cavety of pumpkin with chicken broth & veggies, add rice or egg noodles, salt / pepper to taste. balance flavor to palate--( some people add tapito, or other seasonings ) Bake in a dutch oven, or glass casserole dish so that pumpkin has support, for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Remove from oven, scoop out soup and pumpkin shell.

Basic Bread Recipe:

4 cups flour
2 tablespoons yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tab honey, or sugar
1/2 c HOT tap water

Put HOT tap water in metal or glass bowl. Add sugar or honey. Add yeast. Let bubble. Add 2c flour, sprinkle salt on top of flour not touching yeast water. Use WOODEN spoon and mix flour into water. When too thick to mix, allow to set aside for 10-15 minutes until bubbles.

Mix again, then pour out onto floured board. Put a little flour onto bread dough. Make into a ball, fold 1/2 dough, pushing with heel of hand, then turn 1/4 turn and fold again...knead dough until smooth, and springs back when pinched. Adding A LITTLE more flour when sticky. Put back into bowl (washed in hot water so that it is clean and warm). Set on top of stove, with oven on at 350 degrees. DO NOT PLACE IN OVEN, just allow HEAT from stove to keep bowl warm. Cover with a clean cloth, or paper towel until doubled in bulk.

When doubled in bulk, pour out again onto floured board. Knead again. Then mold into shape for baking: rolls, braid, can be molded onto glass bowl and made into a bread basket, you can make braided bread holder, all kinds of things.....imagination! Or just a loaf pan to be sliced into home-made turkey sandwiches.

Let raise until double in bulk again, then put into oven and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. The baking time depends on form of bread. Molded bread tends to have shorted baking time than bulk loaf bread. So, you look for golden brown, that retracts from sides.

If you mold bread over a bowl, or make a "basket", grease & flour the bowl first. If you are using a loaf pan, I always grease & flour it before baking.

This is an excellent, versatile bread recipe...you can add garlic, herbs, nastrium, cranberry & chopped chestnut. You can add brown sugar, and butter to make cinnamon rolls, this is one of those easy do-anything-with-your-imagination recipes that has served me very well for over 40 years.

enjoy!

dorothy

We make homemade bread here all the time that's similar to that recipe but will have to try it with honey and all the other goodies you mentioned. That sounds GREAT