<p>Oh my gosh, you MUST try this cake. It is SOOO good. :)</p>
<p>Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pumpkin-cake-with-caramel-cream-cheese-frosting[/url]”>http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pumpkin-cake-with-caramel-cream-cheese-frosting</a></p>
<p>OK–I have never scraped a vanilla bean in my life. How do you do that?</p>
<p>The bad part is PAYING for the vanilla bean! They cost about $5 to $8 APIECE! Haha.</p>
<p>You just cut it down the middle lengthwise and then using the tip of a spoon just scrape it.</p>
<p>This cake looks absolutely amazing to me! I don’t think that I will bother for Thanksgiving though, bc after stuffing, sweet potatoes, and the other high carb dishes, this one won’t be all that appreciated. My family loves traditional pumpkin and pecan pies with whipped cream to top it off. I am making Thanksgiving this year for a smaller crowd than usual, and no little kids, so I can get fancier with my table setting this year. I am looking forward to eating on real china, and serving beverages in with nice crystal goblets (no paper plates with 25+ people this year). Okay, I will miss having a knee high toddler running around in the mix. I have gotten so used to it. I still have one nephew who is 3.</p>
<p>^ I’m a little jealous about the “no little kids” part. Lots of little nephews here. LOL ;)</p>
<p>Weenie-
What time should we stop by for dessert?</p>
<p>Thanks you so much. Every year I try a new dessert, usually something with pumpkin. Must be karma, as I have a glass jar holding a few vanilla beans. And I grew up loving “spice” cakes.</p>
<p>I found a recipe last year for a pumpkin cheesecake that was DIVINE, especially since I did not have time for a dry run. I can share if anyone is interested. The pumpkin flavor was subtle, and I had no leftovers :(.</p>
<p>I am still in need of a new cranberry recipe and a new sweet potato recipe. My mom always brings her conventional recipe of each, and I bring something different to mix it up.</p>
<p>Don’t be jealous. I feel badly for my DH. His sibs have all moved out of the northeast now. We were invited down south for Thanksgiving, but my son, who will not have come home since he left in August wants to go home for Thanksgiving. He wants his own bed, and to visit his hs buddies. I think that my home cooking is important to him too, bc he did ask me what I am making for the holiday :). My son told us that we could go south, and that he would stay home alone, and eat Thanksgiving dinner with a friend from HS, but he stated that he is not going to spend the holiday at someone else’s home, and sleep in a hotel (or our relative’s home). My H said that he understands and we agreed to have Thanksgiving at home. I still think it is pretty lousy for my H though. All of the relatives are from my side of the family this year.</p>
<p>norteastmom</p>
<p>Your H will manage. My son just got home on break and is really enjoying the comforts of home and my raspberry pie. By next year, it might not matter so much.</p>
<p>weenie–you mean you scrape away at the bean until it’s all scraped? That sounds tedious–though I know they aren’t large–and I had no idea they are so expensive.</p>
<p>What do you suppose are those little white berry-things it’s garnished with?</p>
<p>A nonfood decorative item is my guess. Something from the craft store added for “pop” in the photo!</p>
<p>NEMom: We used to always spend T-giving with our friends from Boston (they just squished right in with my family) but now we all have kids in college and, yes, the kids all want to be HOME. So I know what you mean. That’s OK. I feel like it’s been a million years since I’ve seen my eldest as he was at school all summer and then went fly fishing and only spent a little time here at home.</p>
<p>bethievt: I have no idea what that is. Mine was ungarnished. On the bean - you just gently scrape out the seeds is all. It’s quick, one swoop. I think you could cheat and just put in some vanilla extract too. I wouldn’t hesitate to do that.</p>
<p>Sunnyflorida:</p>
<p>Can you deal with a jello cranberry recipe? It’s so old-fashioned but my family LOVES it. Put it in a mold or a bowl, make the day ahead.</p>
<p>2 3oz packages of cherry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 can whole cranberries
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts</p>
<p>Make the cherry jello with the hot water and let partially set in the refrigerator (about 2 hours - keep an eye on it!). Add the cranberries, the sour cream and the walnuts and set completely.</p>
<p>Mmmmmm, yum! the cake sounds delicious. </p>
<p>Our new favorite holiday pie is a variation of pecan pie that my daughter thought she invented–substitute coarsely chopped macadamias for the pecans. Not long ago, I made one for a friend who was hosting a famous food personality (has catered for CA governors hosting heads of state, etc.), and the guest had a big slice and the spouse had two. But it wasn’t a new dish to them, so I guess someone else thought of it before my D.</p>
<p>Sunnyflorida–
We love a mixed scallop of sweet and white potatoes–such a delicious change from the traditional marshmallow or brown sugar approach. I parboil the sliced white potatoes for about seven minutes, because the sweet potatoes cook faster in the scallop. I subscribe to the everything in moderation theory and use straight heavy cream for my scallop, but a thin white sauce with low-fat milk is another option. Caramelize some sweet onions to throw in, season generously with salt, pepper, thyme, maybe a sprinkling of crushed red pepper…it is really good.</p>
<p>For something lighter and easier, oven roasted sweets are also great. Peel and cut them into small chunks, toss around in a bowl with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or mixed melted butter and oil, same seasonings as above or whatever you like, and bake on a foil covered baking sheet (spread out–you want them to brown, so don’t crowd them) for about 20 minutes at 375-400, turning a couple of times to brown evenly. They turn out crunchy brown around the edges, amazingly sweet with no need for added sugar.</p>
<p>We live in an overseas military community and usually have a houseful for Thanksgiving. I hope this thread stays alive with more favorites added. Thanks for starting it, weenie!</p>
<p>My BIL loves cranberry mold similar to this one (he grew up with it). My family and I love the orange and cranberry mix with sugar (in the past it has been right on the Ocean Spray cranberry bag). Have you tried Ocean Spray’s website? I just had a quick peak there, and their cranberry chutney recipe, as well as the cranberries and wild rice recipe looked interesting.</p>
<p>Every year I plant one pumpkin vine of sugar (pie) pumpkins… I like to have a pumpkin or two for the front door, and usually use one or two pumpkins for pie, and usually my vine produces about 6 pumpkins and I give one or two away. I have no idea what I did this year, but I’ve got 23 sugar pumpkins to give away, cook, throw over the fence and into the blackberries, or whatever. I have an enormous pile of pumpkins by the front door, have made 6 pies (and it’s not Halloween yet), and am carrying pumpkins around in my car, offering them to strangers at traffic lights. Any good recipes for pumpkin are appreciated… so THANKS!</p>
<p>Here is a another cranberry recipe - every time I serve it, someone comes back and asks for the recipe:</p>
<p>Large pkg raspberry jello (with 3.5 cups water)
1 bag fresh cranberries, ground
1.5 cups sugar over the cranberries
2 oranges, peeled and ground - drain juice
2 apples, shredded</p>
<p>Let jello slightly thicken, then fold in fruit.</p>
<p>
That is so funny! Someone did that to us with a watermelon once - at a rest stop along the highway. Best watermelon we ever ate!</p>
<p>DMD-do you like pumpkins soup?
Cook chunks of peeled pumpkin in water, chicken broth, or with water and a ham bone. Add seasonings such as salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, cumin seeds, crushed red pepper, nutmeg, or whatever you like. Take out the bone if there is one, also any whole spices. Then puree the soup and add some cream or evaporated milk if you like.</p>
<p>Someone at work told me about making soup in the pumpkin shell, but I haven’t tried it. She said to cut off the top, take out the seeds and fiber, replace the top and bake it loosely wrapped in foil till it is tender. Then take the pumpkin out, scrape the soft pulp away from the rind, mashing it up but leave it in the pumpkin. Add warm cream or milk and season to taste. I’m going to try this one soon.</p>
<p>Renee, I think you have inspired me to make pumpkin soup this year. I have never made it before, so I might do a trial run.</p>
<p>Hope you like it! Any dark orange winter squash, sweet potatoes, or combination will also work for the soup, and if you like a milder flavor, you can make part of the vegetable combo white potatoes.</p>
<p>sunnyflorida–forgot to ask earlier, but yes, please, I’d like the pumpkin cheesecake recipe.</p>
<p>Sunnyflorida, I was going through some recipes quickly online and found this “new sweet potato” recipe. It has cherries in it, and I don’t know if I would like that, but I do like pineapple and apricots with sweet potato, so who knows. Just don’t know where you find fresh cherries out of season:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.jamaicacooking.com/recipes/Sweet_Potato_Pudding.htm[/url]”>http://www.jamaicacooking.com/recipes/Sweet_Potato_Pudding.htm</a></p>
<p>They also have a pumpking soup recipe without cream/evap. milk:</p>
<p><a href=“http://jamaicacooking.com/recipes/pumpkin_soup.htm[/url]”>http://jamaicacooking.com/recipes/pumpkin_soup.htm</a></p>