The holidays are often a cause for celebration and, with celebration, often alcohol consumption.
Next time you've got family over, try this recipe for vodka hot chocolate (and, if you're looking for a cocktail spread, this whiskey apple cider recipe is also fabulous).
It will warm you up in more ways than one without making you pucker your lips!
Ingredients:
1 packetHot Chocolate Powder
1 shotWhipped Cream Vodka
Whipped Cream
1Gingersnap
Cooking Directions:
Combine hot chocolate powder with about 4 ounces less water than the package directs you to.
Add 1 shot of whipped cream vodka.
Garnish with whipped cream and crushed gingersnap.
Pies. Oh my. Well, here's the thing about holiday pies... they're big. They're sugary. They're calorie monsters. And yet, sometimes, all you want is a piece of freaking pie (for a big slice, check out this recipe for healthy pumpkin pie).
Never fear, my friends. Now you can serve your guests (or yourself...) the perfect amount of pie. These individual pies have the perfect amount of crunchy crust while still being filled with sweet-yet-fresh cherries and pomegranate seeds. The perfect combination of tang and sweet. Word.
1 can Whole Cherries Cherry Pie Filling (Find one that is organic or read the ingredients list and choose a can that has cherries and water as the first two ingredients -- not corn starch or sugar -- makes a big difference!)
1 whole Pomegranate
Cooking Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Take sheet of pastry dough out of the box and let it thaw for 40 minutes.
Break pomegranate seeds out of prison.
Tip on opening Pomegranates: Cut pomegranate into four parts. Fill a large bowl 1/2 way with water and break apart the pomegranate under water. The seeds will sink while the white "brainey" parts and rind will float. Collect the seeds, drain them, and set aside. Be careful! Pomegranates stain!
Use a roller to make the sheet of dough thinner by rolling it toward the edges.
Cut the sheet into squares about 3 inches by 3 inches.
Place each square into a greased cupcake tin, making sure to fold it down into the bottom without ripping it.
Spoon cherry filling into each mini pie (there should be about 3-4 whole cherries in each, filling about 2/3 of the pastry dough crust).
Add a layer of pomegranate seeds on top of cherry pie filling.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how golden you prefer your crust!
Here come the holidays. Are you ready for the stuffing? Well, hate to burst your bubble and all, but typical homemade or dry box stuffing is anywhere between 400 and 700 calories per cup. And how much were you planning to eat? Yeah, your diet is history...
But wait! Don't cry. I know you love stuffing. That's why this recipe uses low-calorie bread and low-sodium chicken broth, avoiding the calorie overload! Yaaayyyyyyy! The crowd goes wildddd.
Prep time: 10 Cook time: 35 Yield:6-8 servings
Calories per serving: ~150 Calories
Ingredients:
2/3 poundBread (Sara Lee 45 Calories and Delicious)
1 wholeOnion
3 sticksCelery
1 tablespoonOlive oil
1 1/2 cupsChicken broth (low sodium)
2 tablespoonsSage
1 tablespoonThyme
1/2 tablespoonParsley
1 teaspoonSalt
1/2 teaspoonCracked black pepper
Cooking Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Cut bread into small cubes.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, rotating/tossing half way through.
Remove from oven and set aside.
Dice onion and celery.
In a pan, combine onion and celery with olive oil, Thyme, Parlsey, Salt, and black pepper. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl, combine with bread. Add 1 cup chicken broth and mix well. Add additional broth if it's too dry.
I've got a bone to pick with your regular pie. Yes, they are quites tasty, but for me it takes a whole lot of taste to balance out the whole-lotta-calories.
This upside down pie is half the calories of your normal piece of pumpkin pie. By substituting a thin, whole wheat crumble instead of a fat-and-calorie-heavy crust, we are saving hundreds of calories here. Additionally, by using skim milk instead of heavy cream or half and half, we're saving hundreds more and also seriously cutting the fat content.
In short, here's my advice: Print this recipe and save it for Thanksgiving...
Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 55 min Total time:75 min Yield: 8 servings Ingredients:
1 cupWhole Wheat Flour
2 tablespoonsBrown Sugar
2 tablespoonsMelted Butter
1/2 cupSkim Milk
2 teaspoonsPumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoonCinnamon
2 tablespoonsOats
2 cupsPumpkin Puree
8 ouncesCream Cheese
1egg
1 cup granulated
Sugar
2 pinchesSalt
1 teaspoonVanilla Extract
5 tablespoonsRoom temperature butter
Cooking Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Soften cream cheese, then mix with pumpkin puree.
Add egg and melted butter, stir.
Add vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix, then add skim milk and continue to beat/whisk.
Pour into greased/buttered casserole dish. Put in the oven for 25 minutes.
In a new bowl, combine oats, flour, and brown sugar.
Add room temperature butter and work/knead into mixture using your hands.
Take casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle "crust" mixture on top. Put back in the oven for 30 minutes or until the center is hard.
**Got a recipe? Come back tomorrow, "Friday, The 13th Day of Pumpkins," with YOUR OWN pumpkin recipes for a link-up and a chance to have your own page in a pumpkin cookbook!**
Instead of the song “What do you do with a drunken sailor?” my
house has been filled with the tune “What do you do with a pumpkin puree?” But
really. I sang that.
If you’ve been reading my jibberish for a while now, you
know I’ve got a thing for cupcakes. If you’re new, Hi, I’m Carly. I love cupcakes. I love cupcakes with peanut butter
and banana, cupcakes with treats inside, cupcakes filled with mousse, and
cupcakes for holidays. So naturally, just as it is in my nature to say folks
and turn Irish drinking songs into songs about pumpkins, it is also in my nature
to answer the question of pumpkin puree with a delicious cupcake.
What do you do with a pumpkin puree?
What do you do with a pumpkin puree?
What do you do with a pumpkin puree?
Put it in a cuuuup-caaake!
(For bonus points,
sing along if you know the tune. Send me a video and I’ll love you forever).
But really... This just might be the juggernaut of cupcake recipes. It... completes... me. I was just a girl, standing in front of a pumpkin, asking it to love me... Do you get what I'm saying?
Any time I manage to make a substitution for oil, eggs, or butter in a dessert, it's a happy day for me. Pumpkin puree, which has a similar consistency to applesauce, is actually the perfect ingredient to substitute in baking. The end result is an incredibly moist cupcake that has the fiber and health of pumpkin instead of the fat and calories of oil. With such a healthy cupcake, this recipe allows for a slight splurge on the frosting. For a lighter cupcake, go easy on the frosting. For a decadent treat, lay it on!
Prep time: 20
Cook time: 20
Total time:40
Yield:20-24 cupcakes
Calories per serving:~150-200 Calories
Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/2 cupsPumpkin Puree (or canned pumpkin for sweeter cupcakes, pumpkin pie filling for VERY sweet cupcakes)
1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoonGround Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoonVanilla extract
2 tablespoonsButter
8 ouncesCream cheese (low fat)
1/2 cupWalnuts
Cooking Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake molds with paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
Add pumpkin puree. Depending on the consistency of your pumpkin puree, you may need to add anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree. If your puree is fairly watered down, go with slightly less. If you've drained your puree and it is fairly thick, go with more.
Beat in vanilla extract.
Place in cupcake papers and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, then set aside to cool.
In a clean bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add butter and mix well, using an electric mixer, for 3-5 minutes. You will likely need to repeatedly scrape the sides of the bowl during this process.
Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, spoon the frosting into a piping bag and frost cupcakes.
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