Cranberry Sauce with Mandarin Orange Slices and Walnuts @DonnaFaz #recipes #foodie

On the fourth Thursday of November, families all over the United States gather together to eat delicious food, laugh with and love each other, and express gratitude for their blessings. This year, I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my house, and this is one of my tried and true side dish recipes. 

Cranberry Sauce With Mandarin Oranges Slices and Walnuts   

2 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup orange juice (or water)

2 15-ounce cans mandarin orange slices, drained

3/4 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted.

1. Toast walnuts in a 350° F oven for 6-10 minutes until fragrant and just turning golden. Do not burn the walnuts. The smaller the walnut pieces, the shorter the oven time. Set aside.

2. Add cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and juice to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. The berries will pop and break down during the cooking. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.

3. Gently stir in the walnuts and mandarin orange slices, being careful not to break down the orange slices. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours! 

The Perfect Thanksgiving Pie! #Recipe @DonnaFaz

Happy Thanksgiving! I wish you a day filled with family, fun, and feasting. Here's a nice pie recipe to help you celebrate this Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Streusel Pie

1 – deep dish pie shell, unbaked

For the pie filling:

1 16 oz can pumpkin puree

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

For the streusel topping:

½ cup dark brown sugar, packed

½ cup flour

¼ cup butter, chilled and cubed

⅓ cup chopped pecans

Instruction:

·        Pre-heat oven to 400º.

·        Mix together the pie filling ingredients until well incorporated. Pour filling into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes.

·        As the pie bakes, make the streusel topping by stirring together the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or use a large fork). Stir in the nuts. The streusel topping should be about the size of small peas.

·        Lower oven temperature to 350º. Bake pie for another 25 minutes.

·        Remove pie from oven and distribute the streusel topping evenly over the pie. Return to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes. Topping should be golden brown and filling should be set.

·        Serve with whipped cream.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Wishing You a Peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving

There is nothing more delicious or more southern than pecan pie. Add a bit of chocolate and you have… HEAVEN in a pie tin! Here's what you'll need:

1 9-inch pie shell

For filling: 

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light corn Syrup

½ cup butter

4 large eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼  teaspoon salt

6 ounces of good semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, the syrup, and the butter, and stir over low heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the sugar/syrup/butter mixture. Add the chocolate and the pecans, mix well.

Pour filling into the pie crust and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until filling is set and golden. I cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil for the first 40 minutes of baking; remove foil for the final 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.