Thanksgiving recipes!

Three of the dishes I made for my family's Thanksgiving dinner Thursday:

Caramel-Pecan Pie

From Southern Living 2005 Annual Recipes

Prep. 20 minutes. Bake: 38 minutes. Cook: 7 minutes.

½ (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
28 caramels
¼ cup butter
¼ cup water
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Chocolate dipped pecans (optional)

Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under and crimp. Prick bottom and sides of crust with a fork.

Bake pie crust at 400° for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned; cool on a wire rack.

Combine caramels, butter, and ¼ cup water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until caramels and butter are melted; remove from heat.

Stir together sugar and the next three ingredients. Stir into caramel mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in pecans and pour into crust.

Bake pie at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°, and bake for 20 more minutes, shielding edges of crust with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. Remove pie to wire rack to cool. Top pie with Chocolate Dipped pecans, if desired. Serves 8.

Chocolate dipped pecans:

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
20 pecan halves, toasted

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in microwave on high for 1 to 1 and a half minutes or until chips are melted. Dip half of each pecan in chocolate, then place on wax paper to cool.



Cranberry Granitas

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network

2 cups cranberry juice
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup lime juice

Fresh cranberries, for garnish

Whisk the cranberry juice and sugar in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour the cranberry mixture into a 13 by 9 by 2 inch glass baking dish. Cool completely. Whisk in the lime juice. Freeze until the granita becomes slushy, about two hours. Using fork, stir to blend. Continue freezing the granite until frozen, stirring every hour to form crystals, at least five hours.

Divide the granite into six dessert glasses. Garnish with fresh cranberries, if desired.

Variations: Add 1 shot of Southern Comfort to make a frozen “Scarlett O’Hara”. Or add 1 shot of vodka and ½ shot of Triple Sec to make a frozen “Cosmopolitan”. The original recipe calls for the vodka to be added before freezing, but I prefer to make mine virgin (so the kids can have some!). Ginger ale or any lemon-lime drinks are also good additions.


Pineapple au Gratin

3 cans pineapple chunks, drained, and the juice reserved
1 and a half tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 stacks of Ritz crackers, crushed
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 stick of butter, melted

Place pineapple in a buttered casserole dish. Top pineapple with grated cheese. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar, and juice. Heat until thickened and clear. Pour sauce over pineapple and cheese. Top with Ritz crackers. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned.

This is a delicious side dish perfect for any holiday meal, but it goes especially well with a honey-baked ham. Yum!