Thansgiving Contributions

We joined PE's family at his sister's house for Thanksgiving. Of his six siblings and their families only one niece was missing from the get together--that is amazing. We had a great time hiding in the corner visiting. The kids really enjoyed seeing their cousins. Our contributions to the dinner were Sweet Potatoes, Petite Corn with Wild Rice, Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake, and Honey Butter (in separate post).

The Sweet Potatoes are always a big hit. The leftovers reheat nicely. The Petite Corn with Wild Rice was a new dish and it was a nice change. I will make it again. The Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake was a hit too! The combination of the lemon with the cream cheese was wonderful. It remained moist for several days after.

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Sweet Potatoes
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Print Recipe

4 whole medium sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 whole eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup flour
3/4 stick butter

Preheat oven to 375. Wash sweet potatoes. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into large pieces. Bake until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. Add sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract and salt. With a potato masher, mash them up just enough—you don’t want to be perfectly smooth. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, and butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined. Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Petite Corn with Wild Rice
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Print Recipe

2 cups cooked wild rice
3-4 cups frozen petite corn
1 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp butter
2 whole eggs beaten
1-2 tsp kosher salt
cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 cup milk, for thinning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook wild rice according to package directions until almost done (use chicken broth or a mixture of chicken broth and water). Rice should still have a firm (but not crunchy) bite. Drain rice and allow to cool. Pour corn kernels into a large mixing bowl. Add in cream, butter, beaten eggs, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir together. Add in cooled wild rice, stirring gently. Splash in milk so that mixture is stirrable, but not overly juicy. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or cayenne pepper if needed. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until just turning golden brown on top and the mixture is somewhat set.

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Cream Cheese Cranberry Cake
from Confections of a Foody Bride
Print Recipe

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, room temp
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, tossed with 1 Tbsp flour
Whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray, coating well. Beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Add sugar and turn mixer to med-high and cream for 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time until combined. Add lemon juice and zest, almond extract, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Turn mixer to low and add salt. Add the cake flour in two batches. Fold in the cranberries. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake 60-70 minutes, until the cake has browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Cover tightly overnight and enjoy the next day.