Thanksgiving Day recipes from JewishJournal.com

Delicious recipes from Jewish Journal staff friends and family.  Happy Thanksgiving!

From the kitchen of Jeffrey Hensiek (and his father, Barry)

Spinach Souffle

1 package frozen chopped spinach
3 eggs, beaten
1 16 ounce container cottage cheese
4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 stick butter, melted
3 tablespoons flour

Cook down spinach.  Melt butter and mix with flour.  Mix spinach, butter and flour, and the rest of the ingredients and pour into a casserole dish.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes at 375F.

Grandma’s Molasses Cookies

6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 to 1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.

Melt the butter and shortening in a small saucepan.  Allow to cool slightly.  Transfer to bowl of mixer.  Add sugar, molasses and egg and mix well.  Sift flour, cloves, ginger, salt and cinnamon into mixture and mix well.  Chill batter about 1/2 hour.

Roll batter into 1 inch balls.  Roll each ball in sugar and place on a baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 10 minutes.  Transfer to rack or plate.

From the kitchen of Olivia Gingerich

Pumpkin pie martinis

Spiced Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 dash allspice
1 dash ginger
1 dash cloves

(Don’t be afraid to be generous with the cinnamon.)

Simmer everything until all the sugar and spices are dissolved, stirring often. Chill simple syrup. A little bit might settle out to the bottom once it’s chilled, that’s fine, just be sure to shake it well before using it.

Pumpkin pie martini’s

1 1/2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 ounces (1 1/3 shot glasses) Vodka
1 1/2 ounces (1 shot glass) vanilla soy milk or light cream or heavy milk
1 1/2 ounces (1 shot glass) spiced simple syrup

Put everything in a shaker, fill with ice, and shake sharply until frost forms on shaker. Strain into chilled martini glass and garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon.

This is a basic recipe and good jumping off point to get you started. The main spices in the simple syrup are the cinnamon and vanilla, if you don’t have one or any of the others it’s not a big deal to leave them out. For the martinis, you need to taste one after you make it to see how it comes out with the particular milk/cream, vodka, and spiced syrup that you are using. If it comes out too strong, use more milk/cream and a little less vodka. If it tastes bland, use a bit more spiced simple syrup. If it tastes a bit like cough syrup or just too pumpkiny, use less canned pumpkin.

From the Kitchen of Jay Firestone (Courtesy of his mother, Debby)

Broccoli Corn Bake

10 oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli thawed
17 ounce can cream style corn
1/4 cup saltine crackers or Tam Tam’s crushed
1 egg beaten or egg beater equivalent
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 tablespoon instant onion flakes
1 teaspoon salt

Topping

1/2 cup cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons margarine, melted

In a 11/2 quart casserole, combine broccoli,corn, 2 T margarine, 1/4 c crumbs, egg, onion and salt.

Blend topping-crumbs and 2T margarine. Sprinkle over top.  Bake 350 degree oven for 35 minutes

From the kitchen of Ryan Torok (Courtesy of a family friend)

Pumpkin Butter Dip Appetizer

8 ounce cream cheese
1/2 jar pumpkin butter
3 slices crisp turkey bacon, all natural, nitrate free, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons pecans, chopped

Put cream cheese on serving plate. Cover with pumpkin, then turkey bacon, onions and pecans

Serve with pita toasts

Balsamic and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut florets into pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Toss cauliflower, oil, spices. Roast on large rimmed baking sheet until softens and browns on bottom, 20 minutes.  Toss with vinegar and return to oven and roast until moisture evaporates, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Serves 4

Pumpkin Souffle

8 mini pumpkins
4 large eggs
4 teaspoons unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place uncut pumpkins in large shallow dish and add 1/4 inch water, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes or until tender. Let cool.  Reheat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove tops from pumpkins with paring knife Remove and discard seeds, then scoop out flesh, leaving ¼ inch thick shell. Place 4 cups pumpkin flesh in mixing bowl.  Separate eggs, stirring yolks into pumpkin flesh and placing whites in separate bowl.  Stir flour and baking powder into pumpkin mixture, then add salt and pepper.  In clean separate bowl, Whip egg whites into stiff peaks. Fold into pumpkin mixture.  Spoon soufflé mixture into pumpkin shells.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until puffed up.