Pumpkin Pie

I just used the recipe off the canned pumpkin label.

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Dutch Apple Pie with Oatmeal Streusel

I had two pie crusts and used one for pumpkin pie, so I decided to make apple pie with crumb topping to use the other crust. The recipe is from allrecipes.com
1-9 inch pie shell
5 cups apples--peeled, cored and sliced (I used closer to 6 cups)
2 T. flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice (I did not use)
2 T. butter
Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. lemon zest (I did not use)
1/2 cup butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fit pastry shell into pie pan and place in freezer.
Apple filling: Place apples in large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 T. flour, sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Mix well, then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.
Remove pie shell from freezer. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 T. butter. (I forgot to dot with butter, and I don't think it mattered.) Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal (I did not cover). Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
While filling is baking, make streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, brown sugar, oats and lemon zest. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.
Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. (This was not necessary in my case.)

This was good, although in places the bottom crust was a little gummy, I suspect because the apple mixture was quite juicy.

Cranberry Jell-o

I didn't serve traditional cranberry sauce with our turkey (I doubt the kids would have eaten it), but they sure like the Jell-o I made. This recipe has been in Sunday coupon supplements. It's also on the Kraft Foods website as Cranberry Pineapple Minis. I didn't make it in muffin tins as suggested, but in one big bowl.

2-3 oz. boxes raspberry Jell-l
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 can crushed pineapple
1 apple, chopped

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add water to make 2 1/2 cups. Bring liquid to a boil. Add to Jell-o in large bowl, stirring 2 minutes until dissolved.
Stir in cranberry sauce, pineapple and apple. Refrigerate 2 1/2 hours or until firm. (I made this the night before.)
The original recipe also calls for 2/3 cup chopped walnuts, which I did not include.

Stuffing

I didn't really follow a recipe to make stuffing for Thanksgiving, but this is what I did:
Melt a stick of butter and saute 1/2 onion and 2 stalks celery
Brown 1 pound bulk sausage
Put package of stuffing cubes in large bowl. Add sauteed celery and onions and browned sausage. Add 3-4 cups chicken broth. Add desired spices (thyme, rosemary, sage, etc.). Mix together. Put in 9 x 13 pan, cover, and bake about 45 minutes.