Group Blog Thursday: Thanksgiving Recipes

It's Stephanie's Group Blog Thursday again!

I'm really looking forward to visiting everyone else's posts this week because we're talking Thanksgiving recipes. And since I LOVE to eat--

(Seriously. A doctor once asked me if that was my favorite hobby.)

(Yes. Really.)

--I was pretty excited about this Group Blog.

My family is pretty normal when it comes to the Thanksgiving meal. You know, we're all about the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes and homemade gravy.

(And I totally ROCK at making homemade gravy.)

I also LOVE cranberry sauce. My brother and I are the only ones at our family feast that actually eat the stuff, but I always insist that my mom gets it for us. And, because she loves us and is the best mom in the world, she always remembers to pick up a can.

About two years ago, I decided I wanted to make Thanksgiving dinner. And I didn't want any of it to be from a can, a jar, or a bottle. Including the cranberry sauce. So, I learned how to make it myself, using a recipe I found at simplyrecipes.com.

I was totally shocked at how easy it is, too. Here's what you need:

4 Cups of fresh or frozen cranberries (I recommend NOT trying to find some the day before the holiday...)
1 Cup of white sugar
1 Cup of water
Optional: Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice (I like it with pecans.)

And here's what you do:

1 Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.

2 At this point you can add any of the optional ingredients. We typically mix in a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans with or without a few strips of orange peel. You can add a cup of raisins or currants. You can add up to a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice can be added too.

3 Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Cranberry sauce base makes 2 1/4 cups.

**Just a little tip...um...not that I learned this the hard way or anything, but when you are boiling the cranberries and waiting for them to burst, make sure you watch the pot. Because, well, sometimes they get a little carried away and might end up ruining your mother's white dish towel. Maybe. I've heard of that happening to someone before.

Anyway, so I love that recipe. Super simple and awesome.

And here's another recipe that I just absolutely love. And, for those of us trying to be good, this one is actually love in fat AND calories. And it's delicious.

Ready?

Here are the ingredients:

1 Box of Angel food cake mix
24 oz of Pumpkin Pie filling

This is where it gets complicated:

Stir the pumpkin pie filling into the angel food cake mix. Pour into a 9X13 pan, and bake at 350 degrees for something like 20-25 minutes, depending on how hot your oven really gets.

That's it. I usually top mine with whipped cream. Super yummy. Enjoy!

And if you want to join in the Group Blog fun, go see Steph in the City. You won't regret it!

Oops! I almost forgot my Twilight Week entry for the day! It's one of my favorite Twilight parodies. I think you can appreciate it whether you're a fan of the series or not!