I have a habit of spending so much time making the dinner portion of our holiday meal that I often completely forget about dessert. And in our house, especially come this time of year, forgetting what most of my family considers the most important part of the meal is not advisable. If you’re in need of a yummy dessert you can make ahead of time and pop in the oven right before you sit down to dinner, than this Cinnamon Apple Crisp is for you.

I generally buy sweet Gala, Pink Lady or Fuji apples for the kids to munch on during the week, but this crisp begs to be made with a variety of apple a bit more tart, like Granny Smiths. A spoonful of cool vanilla ice cream or some fresh whipped cream is the perfect accompaniment to the crunchy sweet oat topping of this classic dessert. And even though I doubt I’ll ever break my habit of spending too much time on the dinner portion of our holiday meals, at least this easy to make crisp will always ensure I’ll still have enough time to whip up something delicious for my dessert-mad family — even when I forget!

Cinnamon Apple Crisp (Serves 4-6)

Filling:

3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cored
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

Crisp:

3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
3/4 Cup Flour
8 Tbsp Cold Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

Accompaniments: Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Cut apples into quarters then slice each quarter lengthwise into 4 slices. Your apple slices should be about ¼ inch thick.
3. Melt the butter and sugar in a large sauté pan and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat.
4. Add the sliced apples to the pan, sprinkle in the cinnamon, combine and cook for 10-12 minutes until the apples are soft.
5. Place the remaining crisp ingredients in a bowl and gently crumble together with your fingers until the mixture forms pea-sized lumps.
6. Pour the apples into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover with the crumble topping.
7. Bake for 25 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

Every year I get a little overzealous and buy so many cranberries for Thanksgiving that, without fail, I end up with a whole extra bag in the fridge. While I think of cranberries as being quite tart, after watching Kenya eat a handful of them plain last week and liking the taste of them (or at least pretending to), I figured that a muffin with a big handful chopped up in them sounded like a really nutritious way to use the ones I had left over.

If you’re looking for a special holiday treat to take to school or for a get together over the holiday, these Cranberry Pecan Mini Muffins are an out of the ordinary treat!

Cranberry Pecan Muffin (makes 24 mini muffins)

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Raw Pecans, chopped
1/2 Cup Fresh Cranberries, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and oats in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a standing mixer (or bowl using a hand mixer) for 2 minutes.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla into the butter-sugar mixture and mix for 1 minute.
5. Add half of the flour mixture into the egg mixture and incorporate it, followed by half of the sour cream, followed by the remaining flour mixture and finally the sour cream. Make sure the ingredients combine thoroughly at each stage before adding in the alternate ingredient.
6. Mix in the pecans and cranberries.
7. Place a heaping tbsp of batter in each cup of greased mini muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes ( fill 3/4 full and bake for 22 minutes for regular sized muffins).
8. Cool and serve.

* Refrigerate muffins after 1 day.

I’m an obsessive Thanksgiving cook. There, I said it. It’s part pain and part pleasure, but even with the agony that can at times come with preparing this annual feast, at least it all has a purpose: family togetherness and full bellies!

I’m also an obsessive Thanksgiving eater — it doesn’t have to be the fourth Thursday in November for me either. Frequently in the middle of summer I will go to a local diner for their Thanksgiving platter. That’s how much I love this meal. So, when it comes to the actual day that I’m going to prepare it at home for my whole family, I tend to go a little overboard and make two of everything: two brined turkeys, two dishes of mashed potatoes, two gravy boats….you get the drift. Without fail I always end up with enough left over to feed an army. The past few years I’ve made Potato Turkey Balls and Brazilian Turkey Casserole with the leftovers, which were both big hits with the troops, but this year I’m making Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.

My Aunt made a mean Shepherd’s Pie when I was a kid and my family always looked forward to it at our regular Sunday night dinners, so the idea of marrying Shepherd’s Pie with Thanksgiving dinner seemed like a no-brainer to me. After cooking for days on end and needing (and truly deserving) a break, you have to try this delectable dish that perfectly puts to use all of your holiday leftovers!

Turkey Shepherd’s Pot Pie (Serves 4)

4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Small Onion, diced
2 Stalks of Celery, diced
2 Carrots, peeled and diced
1 Tsp Fresh or ½ Tsp Dried Thyme
3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Milk
2 Cups or 1-14 oz Can Low Sodium Chicken or Turkey Broth
2 Cups Leftover Turkey Meat, chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Salt to taste
2 Cups Leftover Mashed Potatoes
½ Cup Cheddar Cheese, grated


1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add the celery, carrots and thyme and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
4. Melt the remaining 3 tbsp of butter into the vegetables and sprinkle 3 tbsp of flour over them. Stir to make a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables.
5. Add the milk, broth, chopped turkey and peas and simmer over low to medium heat for 10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Add salt to taste.
6. Divide the mixture among 4 10 oz ramekins or one 8 x 8 inch baking dish.*
7. Evenly top each filled ramekin with mashed potatoes and sprinkle 2 tbsp of cheddar cheese on top to cover.
8. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until warmed through and cheese has melted (25 minutes for an 8 x 8 inch dish).
9. Serve.

* Cover and freeze after this step. Defrost and bake as directed in step 7.

Kenya would eat an entire jar of homemade cranberry sauce on its own if given the chance — he actually tried to do it once last year when I wasn’t looking. I didn’t have to worry about him getting his share of antioxidants for a while because he basically got a month’s worth in that one sitting.

When I was growing up, my mother always used to make a cranberry dish for Thanksgiving. This is my twist on her recipe which includes bite-sized pieces of celery, apple and onions.

With grated apple to give extra texture and a whole cinnamon stick for added flavor, my little guy has had sights on this new cranberry creation from the moment I started working on it. I am happy to report that Kenya would happily eat this Cranberry Apple Chutney all on its own with relish (get it? Chutney? With relish?), but with all the turkey testing I’ve been doing recently, he’s been enjoying it the way I intended: alongside a nice slice of turkey.

Cranberry Apple Chutney (makes 3 Cups)

1 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
2 Celery Stalks, diced
1 12 oz Bag Fresh Cranberries
1 Green Apple, peeled and diced
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cinnamon Stick

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onions and celery for 5 minutes or until tender.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally while cooking.
3. Serve.

Finding just the right recipe and cooking time for turkey can be tricky, so I’ve tested a turkey every week for the past month and a half in order to get to the moist juicy bird for this recipe. I was a little concerned that by the time Thanksgiving Day arrived the kids would look at the turkey and say, “again?!”, but so far I haven’t heard any protests from them (they both adore sliced turkey topped with tons of cranberry sauce, but you never know with kids).

Even though my father-in-law declares in his charming New York accent that my Brined Turkey is “the best turkey ever,” I just wasn’t sure if I could deal this year with the over-sized stock pot filled with brine and a 16 pound bird. Last year, I nearly threw out my back lugging the pot around and the year before, 1/2 of the turkey brine poured out ALL over the floor when I tripped over it trying to answer the phone. I thought I would never do a brine again, but alas, it’s so delicious I can’t resist. Oh, the joys of the holidays!

This is the easiest method of brining I’ve ever tried. Just rub the brine all over your bird and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for one to two days to dry out — easy peasy and no rivers of turkey juice running all over. Tender and juicy inside with crispy herbed skin outside, this turkey will be as delicious on Thanksgiving Day as it is in your leftovers all weekend long!

Herb Brined Roast Turkey (Serves 10-12)

One 12-14 Lb Turkey
2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
2 Tsp Dried Sage
2 Tsp Dried Thyme
2 Tsp Dried Rosemary
2 Cups Turkey or Chicken Stock

Accompaniment: Cranberry Orange Sauce, Turkey Gravy

1. Remove the giblets from the turkey (to save for the gravy), wash and pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
2. Whisk the salt and herbs in a bowl until combined.
3. Rub the salt/herb mixture all over the turkey, inside and out.
4. Place the turkey on a rack on a large plate or baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered, for 36 hours-2 days.
5. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before cooking to bring to room temperature.
6. Preheat oven to 450 F.
7. Tuck the wings behind the neck to avoid burning and place the turkey on a roasting rack, breast side down, pour 2 cups of chicken or turkey stock into the roasting pan and reduce the cooking temperature to 350 degrees.
8. Cook the turkey for 30 minutes.
9. Turn the turkey breast side up, roast the turkey an additional 2 hours minutes – 2 hours and 15 minutes, basting every 30 minutes and turning the turkey pan halfway through the cooking time (if the breast becomes too dark cover with foil).
10. Place a meat thermometer in the deepest part of thigh, but being careful not to touch the bone, until you have an internal temperature of 165-170 F.
11. Allow the turkey to rest for 30 minutes before slicing (this allows the juices to redistribute, making the turkey super juicy).
12. Serve.

What better way to spend Thanksgiving then making Pecan Pies with your little turkeys!

Every year during the holidays my parents used to get sent an enormous box of pecans from Georgia. For my mother, a major pecan lover, this was as good as the first present a kid opens on Christmas morning. We would all munch straight from the box until Mom stopped us so that she would have enough left over to make pecan pies and her famous holiday cheddar wafers topped with a pecan halve.

This Pecan Pie recipe is a variation on my mother’s heavenly, caramel-flavored version, but instead of the corn syrup she uses in hers, I use a somewhat brown rice syrup. My pie has the same creamy center as my mom’s with a tons of pecan pieces in every bite. But don’t just take my word for it, watch Kenya and his friend August make ‘em fresh this Friday in the Pecan Pie program. The two of them had the best time pouring, stirring and baking they’re own pies….and an even better time gobbling them up!

This pecan pie is the perfect simple Thanksgiving recipe to get your kids involved in the kitchen so they can take part in preparing your wonderful family feast!

Pecan Pie (Makes 1 Pie)

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Rice Syrup (you could use corn syrup instead)
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
2 Large Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups Raw Pecans
Unbaked Pie Crust (you can make your own pastry dough or buy prepared crust at the grocery)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a pie dish with pie crust.
3. Place the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and combine.
4. Stir in the pecans.
5. Pour the batter into your crust-lined pie dish.
6. Bake for 45 minutes.
7. Allow the pie to cool completely and serve.

If a worldwide brussel sprout eating contest existed, I guarantee you all that I would win it every year! Brussies are a serious business for me; I eat them almost every day. I buy stalks of them fresh from the farmers’ market when they are in season and have bags of frozen in the freezer at all times. Even when I make a family sized batch for dinner, I must summon my best mom behavior to share with everyone because all I want to do is hog every last one for myself!

The apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree because my son, Kenya, has become an major brussel sprout lover. He asks for them at least once a week, and so I’ve been working on new ways to prepare them beyond my signature Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Lemon and Poppy Seeds, which I make every Thanksgiving. This roasted recipe, with grated parmesan, toasted almonds and a touch of lemon is such a new hit in my house, it may have turned Chloe into the latest brussie fanatic!

Roast Brussel Sprouts (Serves 4)

2 Cups Fresh Brussel Spouts, halved
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Raw Sliced Almonds
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place the brussel spouts, olive oil and salt on a sheet tray and toss to combine.
3. Bake the brussel sprouts, cut side down, for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and top brussel sprouts with sliced almonds. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Place the roasted brussel sprouts and almonds in a bowl, top with Parmesan cheese and the juice of half a lemon.
6. Serve.

Although Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups is my favorite, tried and true dish to serve at Thanksgiving, this year I wanted to try making something a little bit different. These Sweet Potato Cakes are soft on the inside, super crispy on the outside, truly appealing to kids and adults alike and the perfect solution for the members of my family (basically just my husband) who just can’t deal with yet another year of a sweet potato side dish topped with marshmallows.

Sweet Potatoes are so naturally sweet this entire recipe only calls for one tablespoon of brown sugar.

Whether you decide to make these Sweet Potato Cakes for Thanksgiving or any time during the fall or winter, they are guaranteed to be a sure fire hit!

Sweet Potato Cakes (Makes 14-16 Cakes)

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 Large Egg, whisked
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
2 Cups Panko or Bread Crumbs, divided
Vegetable or Canola Oil as needed

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 1 hour.
3. Remove and discard the skins from the potatoes, mash flesh in a bowl and allow to cool.
4. Mix the egg, cinnamon, sugar, salt and ½ cup of panko or bread crumbs into the sweet potatoes.
5. Place the remaining 1 1/2 cups of panko or bread crumbs in a separate bowl.
6. For each cake, coat 2 tablespoons of the mixture with the panko and shape into small patties.
7. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium heat and place the patties into the skillet.
8. Pan-fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden.*
9. Continue to pan-fry the remaining cakes with oil as needed.
10. Serve.

* Sweet Potato Cakes can be kept warm in a 250 degree oven until ready to serve.

A friend of mine who I really admire is an avid cook — and a great one at that. She’s an awesome mom and wife, works full time and makes it all look effortless (a rare feat for most women). One way she likes to spend time with her kids is by getting them into the kitchen, where they make everything under the sun together. We had dinner at her house a while back and she put out a spread for us that would have made the most talented restaurant chef envious. Right in the center of the table was a loaf of fresh, homemade bread. It was warm, soft, made the whole house smell like a bakery and was nothing like the variety you would buy at the grocery in a plastic bag.

I don’t know many kids who don’t like to play with dough, so I decided to make some Honey Wheat Bread and get Kenya involved in the fun. Breads that contain yeast can be intimidating to bake at first, but this recipe couldn’t be easier. Kenya has a blast dumping all of the ingredients in a bowl, mixing it up, watching the dough rise (a magical site for a little kid) and finally kneading and pulling apart the dough to make rolls for us to eat at dinner and use for sandwiches the next day.

Is it possible to be the perfect mom? Probably not, but at least we can have some fun with our kids and give it a try!

Honey Wheat Bread (Makes 2 Loaves or 24 Rolls)

2 1/2 Cups Warm Water
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Package Dry Instant Yeast (you can find it at any grocery)
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
4 Cups Bread Flour (plus 1/2 cup extra to dust your work surface for kneading)

1. Whisk the warm water, honey, butter, salt and instant yeast until the ingredients dissolve.
2. Gradually add the flours into the bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine.
3. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth (it’s done when you poke your finger in it and it bounces back).
4. Place in a large greased or oiled bowl, cover with plastic and place in a warm area (I like to set it on top of my oven) for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. After the dough has risen, place it on a floured work surface. Cut into 2 equal pieces if making loaves or into 24 equal pieces if making rolls.
6. Shape the dough into 2 even loaf shapes and place into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans (or shape the 24 pieces into rolls and place on parchment lined sheet trays).
7. Cover the loaves with greased plastic wrap (so the dough doesn’t stick to it) and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour for loaves, 30 minutes for rolls or until the dough or rolls have doubled in size.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Bake 50 minutes for loaves or 30 minutes for rolls.
10. Serve.