Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

8 whole graham crackers, crushed

6 tbsp butter, unsalted, melted

4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup milk

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 cups pumpkin pie filling

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°; grease a 9” spring-form pan.  In a bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter; press onto the bottom of the pan.  In a separate, large mixing bowl beat together the cream cheese and sugar; beat in the milk.  Add eggs and beat into mixture one at a time.  Mix sour cream, pumpkin pie, vanilla extract, and all-purpose flour until completely smooth.  Pour filling on top of crust in pan; bake for 1 hour.  Allow cheesecake to cool completely then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

3 lbs. granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/2 a lemon, for juice

2 cups oats

2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

2/3 cup butter, unsalted, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Place apples in a 9 x 13 baking dish and sprinkle with juice from 1/2 a lemon.  In a separate bowl combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; pour in melted butter.  Stir until a crumbly topping has formed; sprinkle evenly over top of apples.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.  Serve hot or cold… it’s delicious either way!

Classic Green Bean Casserole (with a twist)

This is that classic Campbell's recipe everyone knows and loves, but with a little Melly twist that makes it just that much more delectable! 

Ingredients:

1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp soy sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced, cooked

4 cups green beans, cooked

1 1/3 cup French fried onions, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a bowl, mix together cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, salt, pepper, shredded Swiss cheese, mushrooms, green beans, and half of the French fried onions; pour into a greased baking dish and top with remaining onions.  Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and onions are browned. 

Corn Bread Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 (8.5 oz.) boxes corn bread mix

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup creamed style corn

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp parsley, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp butter, unsalted

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together corn bread mix, eggs, milk, creamed corn, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper; pour into greased corn bread pan or baking dish.  Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean; let cool.  Once cornbread is cool enough to handle, cut it up into cubes.  Place cubes onto a greased sheet pan, sprinkle with thyme and parsley then drizzle with olive oil.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes (remove half way through to turn cubes).  Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat; add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until soft (about 10 minutes).  Turn heat to low then stir in cornbread cubes, pecans, chicken broth, and apple juice; continue cooking until all liquid has been absorbed then remove from heat completely.  Add dried cranberries and season to taste.  Either serve warm or stuff into any bird of choice (it is also excellent with pork) and cook thoroughly! 

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli

Ingredients:

Use a half portion of my recipe for fresh pasta dough

Filling

1 lb. butternut squash, halved and seeded

3 oz. goat cheese

1/2 tbsp butter, unsalted

1/2 shallot, minced

1 tsp parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 pinch nutmeg

Sauce

8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, unsalted

12 sage leaves (1 tsp dried), chopped

1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

For filling

Preheat oven to 425°; lightly grease one baking sheet.  Place butternut squash halved onto baking sheet; roast in oven for 30 minutes.  Let squash cool until able to handle safely, but still slightly warm.  After cooled, scoop out the flesh from each squash; puree in food processor until very smooth.  Add goat cheese to food processor and puree with squash.  Meanwhile, melt the 1 tbsp of butter in a sauté pan; add shallot and cook until softened.  Add shallot and butter to butternut squash mixture along with grated parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. 

Assembly and Cooking Pasta

After rolling out pasta dough to desired thickness (we prefer it to be as thin as a 1 or 2 on a pasta roller), cut pasta into 2 inch x 2 inch squares.  Place about 1 tbsp of the filling onto half of the pasta squares.  Place the remaining halves on top of filled pasta and seal the pasta completely (I use a fork to seal each square).  Add the ravioli to boiling water; cook until al dente (about 2 – 3 minutes for fresh pasta).  When the raviolis are completely cooked they will float to the surface of the water and will be pale in color. 

Sauce

In a large sauté pan, melt the remaining 8 tbsp butter; add the sage and walnuts.  Continue cooking until the butter begins to brown lightly.  Remove from heat.  Either spoon sauce onto cooked raviolis, or lightly toss raviolis in the sauté pan.  Serve warm with some fresh grated parmesan if desired! 

Serves 4, yielding a total of 6 raviolis per person

Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, cleaned, quartered

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

3 tbsp butter, unsalted

1 small orange, for zest and juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat; add walnuts and cook until lightly toasted.  Add butter to the pan and stir until melted; add Brussels sprouts, orange juice, salt, and pepper.  Cook until Brussels sprouts have turned a brighter green and are just tender (6 – 10 minutes).  Remove the pan from heat and add the cranberries and orange zest; toss before serving.  

If you are unsure about how to prep Brussels sprouts, watch this video: http://www.ehow.com/video_2261359_preparing-cook-brussels-sprouts.html 

Honey Roasted Carrots

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) bag baby carrots

1/4 cup honey

1/2 an orange, for juice and zest

1/2 a lemon, for juice

1 tsp parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tbsp butter, unsalted, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.  In a mixing bowl, combine carrots, honey, orange juice and zest, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper; stir until well combined.  Add mixture into an ungreased baking dish; top with diced butter.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until carrots are desired tenderness.  Remove half-way through cooking to stir and allow for even cooking.