While I can't take full credit for this recipe (shout out to Martha Stewart), I can tell you just how delicious it is.  I am making a few loaves for my family this Thanksgiving. 

Rebekah's Ginger Pumpkin Bread

12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus room-temperature butter for pan
2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup packed light-brown sugar
1 Can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cups)
3 Large eggs
1 1/2 Cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 375* degrees. Butter and flour a 9 inch loaf pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, pumpkin, melted butter, and eggs; add flour mixture, and stir until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes (or longer). Let cool 10 minutes; invert pan and transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons water until mixture is smooth but thick. Place waxed paper under rack for a quick cleanup. For easy pouring, transfer glaze to a liquid-measuring cup, and drizzle over loaf. Let dry 15 minutes before serving. Makes enough for 2 loaves.

This is a great afternoon snack or a quick/easy breakfast for a crowd.  Enjoy!

This recipe speaks for itself: YUMMY! 

Justin's Brown Sugar Pecan Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

Cupcakes (makes 12)
Nonstick Vegetable Cooking Spray
1 Cup all prupose flour
½ Cup cake flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 ¼ Cup chopped toasted pecans
½ Cup room temp unsalted butter
1 Cup packed golden brown sugar
2 Large eggs, room temp
1/3 Cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 Muffin Cup Liners

Frosting
1 Cup sugar
¼ Cup water
½ Cup heavy whipping cream
2 Large egg yolks
½ Cup room temp unsalted butter
1 Cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 Cup chopped toasted pecans

Cupcakes:
Put rack in bottom third of the oven, pre-heat to 350. Spray 12 cup muffin pan with non stick spray and line with muffin cups.
Whisk both flours, baking soda and powder and sea salt in a medium bowl. Stir in pecans.
Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy – about 2 mins.
Add eggs 1 at a time beating to blend between additions. Beat in sour cream and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients to wet, beat on low speed to just blend.
Divide batter among muffin cups
Bake for approx 20-23 mins until tester inserted comes out clean

Frosting:
Stir sugar and ¼ cup of water in a medium saucepan over a med-low heat until sugar dissolves.
Increase heat to med high boil until sugar starts turns deep amber, swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, 6 to 7 minutes
Remove from heat. Add  cream (it will bubble up)
Stir over low heat until caramel bits dissolve
Whisk egg yolks in a med bowl. VERY slowly whisk the caramel mixture to the egg yolks. Cool to room temp
Using electric mixer, beat butter and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in caramel, add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
Let stand at room temp until thick enough to spread – about an hour
Spread frosting over cupcakes.
Spread pecans on plate, roll edges of cupcakes in nuts.

Can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Store in airtight container.

Now, to my favorite part of any Thanksgiving celebration: dessert.

Mike's Pumpkin Cheesecake

Mix together:

8oz.  softened cream cheese
¾ cup sugar
½ teasp. salt
1 teasp. cinnamon
½ teasp. ground cloves
½ teasp. ginger
½ teasp. nutmeg
3 eggs

Stir in and mix until blended:

1 16oz. can of pumpkin
1 teasp. vanilla

Pour into 9 inch pie shell and bake at 350* degrees (approximately 45mins) until set in middle.

Let cool and then serve.  Good luck having any leftovers of this sweet treat!

With exactly one week until Thanksgiving, it's time for us to give you the recipe you've all been waiting for: the turkey!

Monika's Thanksgiving Turkey

Pre-heat oven to 500* degrees

Place turkey in roaster pan (not on a rack)breast side up
Add 5-8 cups of water (depends on how big your roaster pan is and how much broth you want after cooking)
Rub turkey with salt/pepper/sage/etc.
Slice 1 stick of butter and add to water (you can also put some inside turkey.  I say if 1 stick is good, 2 could be even better!)

Tent roaster pan with heavy duty aluminum foil (seal well at edges of roaster pan so no air can escape.  Sometimes I double wraps with the foil.)

Cook for 1 hour at 500* (To add to the drama, we usually do this from 11pm-12am)
Turn off oven and leave in over for 8-10 hours. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DURING THIS PERIOD. 
(We usually put a sticky note on the oven just as a reminder not to open).

Take turkey out of oven at 8am and place in fridge until time to serve.
Reheat when ready to serve.

The meat will be falling off the bones when you remove the foil. It is usually really moist, and you can just transfer directly to a serving plate.

As you can tell, it’s kind of a loosey-goosey recipe. The main thing is to seal the foil tight – the turkey essentially steams to cook.
REMEMBER – this is NOT a pretty turkey at all!  But is sure is delicious.

Just like his mama (and Campbell's Kitchen) used to make.

Chris's Creamed Onion Bake

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm® Cornbread Stuffing
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
3 large onions, cut in half and sliced (about 3 cups)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup milk
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

Heat half the butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until melted.  Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Add the stuffing and parsley and mix lightly.

Heat the remaining butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir the soup, milk and peas in the skillet.

Spoon the soup mixture into a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese and the stuffing mixture.

Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Come back tomorrow for the most important recipe of all: the turkey.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you Jeremy's award-winning cranberry butter recipe!

Jeremy’s Irresistible, Can’t Contain Yourself Cranberry Butter

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
½ cup soft margarine
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup honey
1 cup finely chopped cranberries (I chop them up super fine in a mini-food processor)

Mix room temperature butter and margarine together in bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until whipped.

Add brown sugar and honey, and continue thoroughly mixing at high speed until smooth.

Add cranberries and mix on low speed until evenly distributed.

Viola!

I make this the night before Thanksgiving every year, and put it in a fancy little crystal bowl, covered with plastic wrap in the fridge overnight.

Pull it out a hour or two before dinner, and serve on warm dinner rolls, holiday breads, alongside the jello-fruit salad, on top of your sweet potatoes, spread on toast the next morning and if by some miracle, there is any left, brush your teeth with the stuff until it’s gone.

Now, I am normally not a huge fan of dressing at Thanksgiving, but this recipe may very well change my mind!

Kendra’s Sausage Dressing

1 pound ground pork sausage
2 onions, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (and toasted in a dry skillet if you have time)
8 oz herb seasoned stuffing mix
16 oz package cornbread stuffing mix (or one recipe of cornbread)
2-5 cans chicken broth (totally depends on how dry you like it)
2 t. poultry seasoning
Sage to taste
½ t. salt and some pepper
A couple beaten eggs (as a binder)

Cook first 4 ingredients in a big pot (hopefully ovenproof) over medium high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well and return to the pan, or put in glass dish if pan isn’t ovenproof. Stir in nuts and remaining ingredients.

As far as broth, add enough so everything is moist but to your texture preference. It always seems to take more than you think, but take care not too stir too much, or it will get mushy.

Now you can either stuff this in the turkey or cook it in a pot. If you cook it in a pot, you can cook it between 350* and 425* (depending on what else you have in the oven at the time) for between 45 minutes and an hour and a half. Taste to see if it has the consistency you like. You don’t want it to be too wet when you serve it.

If you cook it in a turkey, you’re on your own. That’s a Yankee thing.

Have a happy and restful thanksgiving!

This is probably the most authentic family recipe I received for this series, and it sounds incredibly delicious!

Jessica's Golden Carrot Souffle

1 Pound carrots, peeled & sliced
1/2 Cup margarine, melted
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cook carrots until tender in small amount of boiling water, drain.

Combine carrots & margarine in a blender and blend until smooth.  Add eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and vanilla, blend well.

Spoon mixture into greased one quart souffle or casserole dish.

Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until firm.

Sounds like a great Thanksgiving side dish to me!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and if you're like us you are beginning to gather up your old family recipes to make again this holiday season.

This year, our team wanted to share a few of our family favorites with you!  Please enjoy the next few days filled with Wright Strategies family recipes.

Aaron's Clam Dip

Half cup sour cream
Half cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Can chopped clams
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
3-4 drops Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain clams reserving 2 tablespoons of clam juice.  Mix it all together, cover and let refrigerate overnight.

Since we come from a family of fisherman, this is the perfect hors d'oevre to get Thanksgiving started around our house.