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My gosh you guys, if you like giving out baked goods during the holiday season, you need to add these to your list of things to make. Dried fruits are soaked overnight in Brandy to give a wonderful flavor.

Now if you are familiar with the Williams Sonoma catalog you may be thinking why not just buy a Stollen from them directly. Well for one, they are expensive! $35-$55 per loaf is pretty pricey. Secondly, homemade is fresher and you get three loaves instead of one.


Initially I was afraid the bread might come out dry, but it has such a great texture and best of all it has so much flavor. I had a lot of doubts about how this would turn out and I was taken aback at how delicious and perfect it turned out. Enjoy!



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The new favorite dinner at our house are these delicious pork chops. The combination of onions, wine and dijon make the most amazing sauce. Two quick notes: This recipe makes a lot of sauce, so I prefer making six pork chops so none is wasted. Secondly, I recommend cooking it on low and not high. While it is tempting to save time and cook it on high, the pork chops definitely came out tough. Low and slow is the way to go with this one.


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Cranberry Pineapple Sauce
Makes 6 cups

• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice
• 2 (12 ounce) packages cranberries (fresh or frozen, preferably fresh)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar 
• 1 1/4 cups walnuts, chopped (optional- I did not use)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon clove

1. Drain the pineapple thoroughly in a fine sieve set over a large measuring cup (push the pineapple against the sieve to drain out any extra juice). Add enough water to the measuring cup (with the juice in it) to make 2 cups liquid.

2. Place the liquid in a saucepan. Add in cranberries and sugar. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Continue to boil until most of the berries pop (you might want to keep a splatter screen or a lid over until the berries are finished popping) and the mixture is thick, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes) remove from heat.

3. Add in drained pineapple, walnuts, lemon juice and cloves; mix until well combined.

4. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Recipe from Food.com

• Simmer a few cinnamon sticks, a pinch of cloves and orange peels over the stove. Add more water as it gets low through out the day. It makes your house smell like the holidays. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving just wouldn't be complete without the classic Pumpkin Pie. Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie
Makes one 9" pie

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
• Whipped cream (optional)

1. 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.

3. 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.

Recipe by Libby's Pumpkin

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Sweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Pecan Topping
Makes several servings

• 4 cups cooked sweet potatoes, peeled (approx 5-6 large)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 large egg, beaten or two small eggs
• 1/2  cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crunchy Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal (rice krispies)
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Boil sweet potatoes whole with the skin on. When the sweet potatoes are cooked and fork tender. Remove from water and cool completely so you can remove the peeling. Alternatively, bake them in the oven at --- until fork tender. Let cool & peel off skins.

2. Add cooked sweet potatoes, butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and spices together. Blend everything together with a mixer until smooth. Pour into a greased baking dish. Set aside and prepare topping.

3. Mix all the topping ingredients together. Add the topping evenly over the top of the sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350-f for 40-45 minutes.

Recipe from Mommy's Kitchen.

What can I say about Tuna Casserole? It is rich and delicious, and if you grew up with it like me, it prompts a feeling of comfort. Feel free to omit the eggs or cheese if you prefer, but I highly suggest taking the time to saute the fresh vegetables as they add a nice crunch and flavor. Enjoy!



Cheesy Tuna Casserole with Crumbled Potato Chips
Makes about 8 servings

• 4 cups cooked egg noodles (cook until al dente)
• 1 six ounce pouch Tuna
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 4 oz. diced Velveeta 
• salt & pepper to taste (I used roughly half a teaspoon of Foxpoint which has many different seasonings)
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• splash of milk (optional)
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• dab of butter for cooking onion & celery
• shredded cheddar for garnish
• crumbled potato chips for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375-f degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked noodles, tuna, eggs, Velveeta, soups and a splash of milk. Set aside.

3. In a small saute pan combine the diced onion, celery and a bit of butter and saute for 3-4 minutes until slightly translucent. Do not brown. Add to the noodle mixture.

4. Pour noodle mixture into a large greased baking dish. Top with a handful of shredded cheddar. Then top with crumbled potato chips, as many as you prefer. Bake about 30 minutes, covering half way through so the chips don't burn.

Recipe by me

The time has come for the third installment of my "Tasty Food Blogs You Should Be Reading." I'm excited, are you excited? These are some of my favorite food blogs and I hope you give them a visit and subscribe.

You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here, and there is also a list at the end of this blog post with all the previous featured blogs.

1. Sunflower Supper Club. Recipes you need to see: Creamy Cheese Chicken Enchiladas (I made those are they are super delicious), Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, Chicken Artichoke Florentine Penne Pasta Bake.



2. The Domestic Rebel. Recipes you need to see: Donut Bread Pudding Pie, Eggnog Toffee Twix Popcorn, Biscoff Cookie Popcorn.



3. Mis enPlace. Recipes you need to see: Bayou Pasta, Crawfish Fettuccine, Blackened Bacon Shrimp on Cheesy Garlic Grits.



4. Something Swanky. Recipes you need to see: Pralines and Cream Fudge, Better Than...Christmas Poke Cake, Caramel Caribou Popcorn.



5. Breanna's Recipe Box. Recipes you need to see: Caramelized Onion Burger, Broiled Tilapia  with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce,  Buttermilk Pie.



6. Cookies and Cups. Recipes you need to see: Strawberries and Cream Bars, Fluffernutter Sandwich Krispies, Hot Chocolate Popcorn.



7. Saving Room for Dessert. Recipes you need to see: Cheesy Jalapeno Bread, Lemon Ice Box Pie, Lemon Chess Pie.



8. Jamie Cooks It Up. Recipes you need to see:  Soft Pretzel Bites, Crispy Cheddar Chicken, Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole.



9. Sumptuous Spoonfuls. Recipes you need to see:  Crab Artichoke Dip, Peach, Pistachio & Chicken Salad, Chicken & Blueberry Salad.



10. Lovely Little Snippets. Recipes you need to see: Asian BBQ Chicken, Grilled Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce, Raspberry Coconut Jello Cake.


Previous Ten Tasty Food Blog Features:

• A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
• Amanda's Cookin'
• Anne Strawberry
• Brenda's Candadian Kitchen
• Cozy Little Kitchen
• Culinary Conoctions by Peabody
• Deep South Dish
• Delicious Discoveries
• Farm Chicks
• Get Off Your Butt and Bake
• Lauren's Latest
• Life as a Lofthouse
• Mel's Kitchen Cafe
• Noble Pig
• Plain Chicken
• Rook No. 17
• Shugary Sweets
• Stephanie Cooks
• Veronica's Cornucopia
• Your Homebased Mom

I think we are pretty much ready for Turkey Day. Here is how our menu is shaping up this year. Nothing too wild, just the classic family favorites. If you still need inspiration, hop on over to the Pinterest board I created for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Menu 2012

• Pear Cocktails
• Turkey & Gravy
• Oyster Dressing
• Cornbread & Sausage Dressing
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Green Bean Casserole
• Pumpkin Pie
• Chocolate Pudding Pie

Gouda and Sun Dried Tomato Cheese Spread

Best Spinach Dip Ever

Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage and Bacon

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Cranberry Butter (Great to use up leftover cranberry sauce)

Acorn Squash with Apple & Sausage Stuffing

Sweet Potato Bundles

Sweet Fried Corn

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Dutch Apple Pie

Pumpkin Cranberry Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Apple and Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Caramel Pecan Frosting