Submitted by Anne Francis, Vice-President, West Coast

“Being a Texas gal, I swear by my Grandma’s Cornbread dressing. It’s a savory spoonbread casserole that tastes even better the next day (spoon bread is a Southern food that is a cross between a soufflé and a regular cornbread). The key is to make a non-sweet cornbread and to make the biscuits and cornbread a day or so earlier to it can stale up a bit. I’ve also made vegan versions of this stuffing using egg replacers for the cornbread and binding, and vegan butter and almond milk.”

Cornbread:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbls Baking powder
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 2 large egg whites lightly beaten
• Cooking spray

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Combine milk and egg whites. Add to flour mixture and stir just until moist.

Pour batter in a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Dressing:

• 2 hardboiled eggs
• Cornbread
• 8 buttermilk biscuits (or one 12-oz can of refrigerated Pillsbury biscuits – buttermilk is best, not the flaky layered ones)
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 tsps rubbed sage
• 2 tsps poultry seasoning
• 1⁄2 tsp pepper
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 large egg whites
• Another 1⁄4 cup butter cut into small pats

Slice hardboiled eggs in half, remove yolks and reserve yolks for another use. Chop cooked egg whites into small dice. Crumble corn bread and biscuits in a very large bowl with cooked egg whites; set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add celery, onion, and salt; cook until onion is slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add sage, poultry seasoning, and pepper; stir until fragrant for about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add broth mixture to cornbread mixture and stir well until moist. Add uncooked egg whites to mixture and stir well. Spoon mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole dish (use butter or cooking spray). Dot the top with pats of butter. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes and the top is golden brown, adding more broth while cooking if you want a more spoon bready, moist consistency.

 

Aunt Cindy’s Apple Walnut Raisin Bread

Submitted by Shannon Reynolds, Regional Sales & Operations Manager

“This recipe is something my Aunt Cindy makes for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The smell of it wafting around the kitchen reminds me of time spent with family. It’s a delicious bread that can either be served during the main meal or with dessert afterwards. It’s also very good for a “morning after holiday feast” breakfast. Everyone loves this bread with just a little bit of butter!”

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 2/3 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 cup sugar + 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups chopped apples
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 6 walnut halves

Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl and set aside

Mix 1 cup sugar and oil in large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla. Then stir in apples, raisins and nuts. Add flour mixture and stir until mixed.

Grease pan and line just the bottom with waxed paper. Pour batter in pan and smooth top. Bake in preheated over at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

After bread has baked 20 minutes, gently pull out over rack and sprinkle top of bread with 1 tsp. sugar and place the 6 nut halves down the center of the break pressing just slightly.

Return back to oven to finish baking. Test with toothpick to make sure it is finished. Put on rack to cool.

 

Favorite Sweet Potato Pie

Submitted by Kelly Whorton, Ticketing Manager 

Ingredients:

• 3 medium Sweet Potatoes
• 6 Tbl softened butter
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Real Maple Syrup
• 1 Egg, Divided plus 1 Egg White
• 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbl Flour

Steam sweet potatoes until fork can go through smoothly.

Take them out, peel by scraping off peel (I use a grapefruit spoon)

Mash into a Flat Bottomed Pot.

Using hand-blender, blend until smooth

Separate 2 eggs. Add one egg yolk to sweet potatoes

Add all other ingredients except Egg Whites

Blend together until smooth

Beat two egg whites until stiff, then gently fold into well mixed sweet potato filling

Pour into Pie Shell

Gently even out with Spatula

Protect Pie Shell Edges with Foil

Bake at 375 Degrees for at least 1 hour, then check.

Done when toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool at room temperature overnight, then refrigerate or freeze.

 

Judy’s Pecan Pie

Submitted by Brittany Smith, Director of Regional Marketing and PR

“We typically have a large celebration with extended family on Thanksgiving day, which I love but is always very hectic. One of my most valuable memories is the mellow night before Thanksgiving baking pies with my mom.”

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 1/2 C white sugar
• 3/4 C white corn syrup
• 1/4 C maple syrup
• 3 eggs (slightly beaten)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 C pecans
• Your favorite pie crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Cream butter and sugar until light

Stir in corn syrup and maple syrup

Add beaten eggs and vanilla and mix well

Stir in pecans, making sure all are well coated

Pour into unbaked pie shell

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour

Let cool ideally overnight and serve with whipped cream

Note: this has been made successfully with plant based butter