Ultimate Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

Out of all of the yumminess of the day this has to be our best find at Budget Savvy Diva.  Steve is my butter and sauce man, everything has to have something on it but not these, he ate them plain!  The other fantastic thing is that we made them in the crock pot which made them so easy.  If they are done early just leave your crockpot on warm and do a little relaxing.  You don't have to soak your potatoes but I read that it helps remove some of the starch.

5 Pounds Russet Potatoes - we used red
1 garlic clove minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter, cut into small cubes chunks
1 1/4 cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup milk, warmed - we left this out, they just didn't need more liquid
2 ounces of light cream cheese

Peel potatoes, optional, and cube trying to get 12 cubes per potato.  This can be done up to 24 hours in advance and soaking them in water.  You can also cut up your potatoes and soak them for 30 minutes and then drain.



Place potatoes in crock pot along with chicken broth and butter.  We used the 8 hour setting but you could also use the high setting and they should be done in 4 1/2 hours.

Roughly mash potatoes – then add garlic, sour cream, salt, pepper, milk, and cream cheese and finish mashing.

Pecan Pie

I am not a pecan pie fan but my brother-in-law is so I found this recipe from Martha Stewart.  I have never made a pecan pie and of course I would want to try and alter it without ever trying it.  Our Thanksgiving party was a whooping 5 people so I opted for mini pies which worked out fantastic but that meant I needed to cut the recipe down.  The top recipe is for the full size pie and the smaller portion recipe is below.

1 pie crust
4 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups pecan halves
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. with rack set in lowest position.

Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang. With floured fingers, fold overhang under itself to form a rim; pinch between thumb and forefinger to form a uniform edge around rim of pie plate. Crimp with fingertips. Transfer dough-lined pie plate to refrigerator.

Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk eggs, corn syrup, sugars, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth; mix in pecans. Pour mixture into chilled pie crust; place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling jiggles slightly in the center when gently shaken, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool pie completely in plate, 5 to 6 hours. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

2 mini pie crust
1 large eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3/4 cup pecan halves
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Bake 30 minutes

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake

This recipe comes from Glorious Treats and I got rave reviews so another keeper for Thanksgiving.  I don't own a fancy mini cheesecake pan (I would like to) so I used foil muffin liners.

Crust-
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling-
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
pinch of cloves
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350*F

Prepare crust by combining crust ingredients in a small bowl. Mix to combine with a fork. Add one rounded tablespoon of moist crust crumbs into each mini cheesecake space. Use a small bottle (such as a spice bottle, or a shot glass) to press down the crumbs, to form a crust.

Prepare the filling-
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, sour cream, sugar and spices. Blend until combined. Add flour and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Pour filling into prepared crusts. Divide batter amoung the 12 spaces.

Bake mini cheesecakes in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool about 15 minutes. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours minimum.

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter

Found this recipe on Pinterest but the link doesn't go anywhere so I can give credit to it's creator.  Served it up with our Thanksgiving dinner.  It may just have to be a new tradition.  I never have unsalted butter in the house so I just used what I had.

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Whip the room temperature butter with whisk attachment for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, honey and cinnamon and beat until completely combined and very smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and turn up speed and whip for a minute or two or until really light and fluffy. Makes about 3/4 cup

Candy Corn Cupcakes

This is such a fun and easy cupcake to make.  The original idea came from Our Best Bites but I used the recipe from Recipe Girl and added my own twist.   I have also made these with red and blue cake and white frosting for election day but the possibilities are endless.  If you haven't noticed the cake mixes are staying the same price but the cake mix is getting smaller.  Using the smaller cake mix and adding in the extra ingredients I can get 36 cupcakes that are moist and tasty.  I have also substituted the white cake mix for chocolate and use chocolate pudding.

1 box white cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites or 3 large eggs - depends on the color you are making
1 large box vanilla pudding

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pans (you'll need approx. 36).

In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and beat with mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended.

Use ice cream scoop to fill prepared cupcake tins- fill about 3/4 full. Bake about 15 - 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Royal Icing

I saw these cute pumpkins on The Sweet Adventures of SugarBelle and wanted to give them a go.  They were super easy and I learned a new trick which only helps to spark my imagination.  Since I am new at this I would highly recommend going to her website for excellent tips and tutorials.  Meringue powder can be purchased at Joanne's and Wal-Mart as well as other places but these two are my only options where I live.

4lbs {two bags} confectioner’s sugar
3/4 c. meringue powder
1 1/3-1 1/2 c. warm water
2-4 tbsp. oil-free extract or flavoring

Add the dry ingredients first. Use your mixer’s whisk attachment to incorporate the sugar and meringue powder.

Add the extract to the water and slowly add it to the dry ingredients while mixing. At first the icing will be very liquid-like.

Continue to mix it at medium-high speed until it is fluffy and stiff peaks form, about 7-10 minutes. Mixing times are approximate, keep your eye it icing and stop mixing as soon as it becomes stiff. Over mixing and oil-containing extracts can keep the icing from setting up, so keep this in mind as you work.

Notes

Royal icing will keep at least a month. I prefer refrigerating it, but it can also be left at room temperature.