Thanksgiving Day Recipes

Thanksgiving Day Recipes 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

This recipe is from www.pillsbury.com however, it's also very popular on Pinterest. 

Makes: 1 pie

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese

3 ounces cream cheese

1 ¾ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3 eggs

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

1 tablespoon milk

*Note: This recipe lists 1 refrigerated pie crust however, because of an incident we’re not going to mention, I chose to omit the pie crust. I’ve made this twice and no one has ever missed the crust.

Directions:

Set your oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour and all of the cream cheese using an electric mixer until smooth.

Separate half of the cream cheese mixture into another bowl and set it aside.

Add to your large mixing bowl the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and eggs. 

If you’re like me you’ll want to crack the eggs into a smaller bowl and whisk them together before adding them into the pie mix. This helps distribute them so you won’t get a layer of egg in between your pumpkin pie.

Mix all of your ingredients until you have a smooth pumpkin colored mixture.

Pour your pumpkin mix into the pie plate.

Going back to your reserved cream cheese mix, add in the milk and stir until it becomes more like the texture of icing.

Drop the cream cheese mixture in spoonfuls evenly over the pumpkin mixture.

Using a knife, swirl the two mixes together without blending them too much.

Bake for 35-45 minutes until the edges brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool 30 minutes, cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Gordon Ramsay’s Lemon, Parsley and Garlic Butter Turkey

This recipe was featured on Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Christmas cooking special on BBC America but it's perfect for any holiday turkey. 

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (softened)

salt & pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 tablespoons lemon juice (2 lemons)

1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic (3 cloves)

dried parsley

1 turkey (we used a 12lb Butterball)

Directions:

You’re going to want to thaw and wash your turkey ahead of time before using this recipe. 

Also, it’s a good idea to lift the skin and cut any connections so that the butter is easier to apply.

In a large bowl, place the softened butter.

Sprinkle each stick of butter with salt and pepper until evenly coated.

Add the olive oil and mix well. 

I find that by slicing the butter with a sharp knife it blends with the other ingredients easier.

Add the lemon juice, garlic and parsley, mixing until combined. 

It’s okay if the butter is still a little chunky at this point.

Pour the butter mixture into a large Ziploc bag and seal it.

Using your hands massage the bag until the ingredients are well combined.

Push the mixture to one of the bottom corners of the bag and twist it to form a piping bag.

Cut off the corner tip of the bag and begin to spread the mixture underneath the skin of your turkey massaging it in.

Apply the herb butter under and on top of the breast, legs and wings.

Feel free to add sliced onions and celery in the turkey cavity like we did.

Bake your turkey according to your directions. 

We baked our turkey at 350 degrees for 2 ½ hours until golden.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Simply Quick Macaroni and Cheese

Lately I’ve been craving some good old-fashioned macaroni and cheese. 

There’s just something about that warm and creamy comfort food that calls to me, especially during those late nights curled up in front of the television. Tonight I decided to give in to my craving but only if I could find a simple recipe that used ingredients I already had on hand.

I found this recipe on www.campbellskitchen.com 

which strangely enough doesn’t use any Campbell’s ingredients.  

At first I was put off by the comments, but shush, don’t listen to them. 

In fact don’t even look at them yet. We’ll get to that later.

Simply Quick Macaroni and Cheese

Makes: approximately 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups chicken broth

¼ cup all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup milk

5 slices American cheese (the prepackaged kind)

3 cups pasta noodles (cooked and drained)

*Note: this recipe claims to serve 6 but being cautious I cut it in half and it barely made 2 servings. However, I still used all 5 slices of cheese.

Directions:

First, if you’re like me, you’ll need to boil water and mix your bouillon cubes to make your chicken broth. This was all I had on hand but using already made broth works just as well. Also, you’ll want to start your noodles now, unlike me who waited until the last minute. Drain them and set them off to the side. 

In a small saucepan on the stove combine your broth, flour, black pepper and milk. Stir together over medium heat until the mix starts to thicken and boil.

Next, add in your cheese, tearing the squares into smaller pieces to help them melt faster. I started with 3 slices but after a taste-test I decided to use all 5 slices. Stir until the cheese is completely melted into the mixture.

Next, add your drained pasta noodles to the mix and stir until all noodles are coated, scoop into a bowl and enjoy this warm, cheesy and simple snack.

This recipe is perfect for those late night cheesy cravings, when you want something warm without fuss. What I love about this recipe is that it’s simple and uses ingredients most of us already have in our pantry. 

Now about those comments...

despite how often it’s mentioned, I didn’t find this recipe to be bland at all. I actually liked the flavor because I could taste the cheese without it being overpowering. 

Also, a lot of people suggest wonderful ways to spruce up the recipe and even make a meal out of it by adding ground beef and veggies. That’s all lovely but honestly I just wanted macaroni and cheese and it worked for me. 

Enjoy!

Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (and Tea!)

It’s that season again! 

The one where the shelves at your local grocery store are fully stocked with pumpkin flavored everything and we just couldn’t resist trying this recipe that we found on Pinterest. It’s no secret that just about everyone loves this drink at Starbucks but to be able to save some cash and make one at home is exceptionally magical, especially when you realize that those dollars you saved can go towards something more practical…like more scarves for fall!

Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (and Tea)

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (we used Vanilla Silk)

2 heaping tablespoons canned pumpkin puree (we used Libby’s)

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons sugar

brewed coffee (we used Starbucks Vanilla Coffee for the Keurig)

Optional Toppings:

whipped cream

ground nutmeg and/or cinnamon (we used both)

Directions:

Start by brewing your coffee but leave out any sweeteners until the very end.

Next, find a microwave safe bowl or something large with a spout (trust us on this one, you won’t want to waste any of this pumpkin goodness) and mix together your milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and sugar with a whisk.

Now pop your bowl into the microwave for 1-2 minutes until your mixture looks frothy.

Next, pour the mixture into two tall coffee mugs 

(or just one and save the rest for later).

Now, pour your coffee over the mixture and stir. 

If you like a sweeter coffee we suggest using more mixture rather than adding sweeteners.

Add your toppings and enjoy this lovely warm fall drink anytime and anywhere. 

We prefer chilly porches with black cats ;) 

For a slightly sweeter and less bitter take on this fall favorite try substituting coffee for tea. 

We tried this by using Red Rose Black Tea in place of the Starbucks Vanilla Coffee and we can report that it was delicious and warmed us up just as effectively.

Enjoy!

Back From the Dead

Well, it sure has been a while, hasn't it. We are still alive! I guess life got in the way of things and we just haven't had much time to update our blog. We have been cooking, of course, but we always seem to forget to document. Well Buns on the Run is making a comeback! 

This past week we decided to make dinner, dessert, and drinks! We have been in such a fall mood lately, so we decided to pick some recipes to go with it. All of these recipes we found on Pinterest, but we altered them a bit so I will give you our versions. 

Easy Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 pound cubed stew beef

4 cups beef stock

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

5-6 small potatoes

1 bag of sliced carrots

flour

cooking oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

First, season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. 

Put 2 cups of flour in a big Ziplock bag, add the beef cubes, and shake them around until they're all coated. Heat a large pot to about medium heat and add cooking oil to coat the bottom of the pot. 

Add the beef cubes and brown each side, but don't cook all the way through.

Remove the beef cubes from the pot and set aside in a bowl.

Prepare all your vegetables (peel, chop, etc.) and add the potatoes, onion, carrots, and garlic to the same pot we used before. You can add more oil if there's not enough left over.

Saute the vegetables for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Add the beef back into the pot with the vegetables, along with 4 cups of beef stock.

You're going to let this cook for about an hour.

Take photos with your friends while you're waiting!

After you make sure your beef and vegetables are cooked through, add 2 tablespoons of flour and mix to thicken the stew (I added a little more to make it more gravy-like). Add salt and pepper to taste.

We have made beef stew before, which was similar to this, but the Easy Beef Stew recipe seemed to be a lot quicker than the stew we had made before. It was delicious. It had been a beautiful, chilly day and it was just the right thing to warm us up!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

1 box vanilla cake mix

14 oz pumpkin puree

1 cup water

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 block cream cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix everything except the cream cheese in a bowl. We would recommend using a whisk to get the clumps out. 

 

Pose with your bowl of muffin batter.

Spray a muffin tin and fill each section to about 3/4ths full. 

Cut up your cream cheese into little squares and push down into each muffin.

Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when you stab it. :)

These muffins were so yummy. They were super moist and not too sweet. There was just enough pumpkin in it to taste it, but not overpower the muffin. The cream cheese gives it a nice savory aspect. I would definitely recommend these for thanksgiving if you don't feel like making a pumpkin pie!

Stay tuned for our next post to learn how to make a drink that will warm your bones and save you money!