Great cranberry and pumpkin recipes for this Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is an awesome time to visit, give thanks, and well...to eat! Here are some of my favorite recipes from scratch. I hope you try to enjoy them!

First, let's start with cranberries!

Take 2 cups of water, 2 cups of sugar, and bring to a boil. Then add a 24oz. bag of cranberries. Decrease the heat to low and stir, until the mixture starts to thicken. Cool and serve!

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( I invented this once about 5 Thanksgivings ago, and it was a huge hit!)

Take a medium glass bowl and pour 2 inches of the Trad. Crans. in it. Then smash up a qt. or so of fresh strawberries, leaving one whole one separate. Cook the mashed berries until hot, then add a tblspn of sugar and some preserves (if desired) and stir. Pour 1/2 of that mixture into the bowl for the second layer. Then do another 2 " layer of Cran., then do a layer of the rest of the strawberries mixed with some cran, mashed kiwi ( juice and all), and a 1/2 cup of preserves, then cook until hot, let cool and pour in. Then one last layer of cranberries. You can very this however you like! On the top, I take the lone strawberry and cut 7 slices from top to bottom. The 2 end pieces are used for a stem and leaves on the stem, and the five slices from the inside are used for flower petals.

TIP: Then I put a kiwi slice inside the strawberry pedals so it looks like a flower.

My favorite happens to be only for the brave! Come on, be a brave American and try Cranberry Cheesecake! Sound good? No, of course not. But , it really is good, and its easy too. Just take traditional cranberries, warm them up until they start to steam. Then take a chilled cheese cake (buy one, or use your favorite recipe), and put a thin layer of brown sugar on the top, then pour the warm/hot cranberries on top, cover with powdered sugar, and serve! You can add whatever you want to the cranberries to sweeten them, or even pour some cherry brandy on it instead of the sugar and light it briefly. I dare you to try it!

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Cranberry muffins are also good, but they can be found year round.

I love this part because I grow my own pie pumpkins and make the pie from scratch!

Pumpkin is very good for you and there is so much that can be done with it (I do not have pumpkin chili, soup, or pancakes on here, though they do exist). I grow my own pie pumpkins (I do not recommend baking with Jack O Lantern pumpkins. Though they are a squash, I don't like the mushy, bland tasting "flesh") so, I will give you the recipe from scratch, though you can used canned pumpkin to save time.

To make packed or pureed pumpkin

Pumpkin-

from scratch, take one pie pumpkin and cut it into 1/2s or 1/3s, take out the seeds and "gunk" and bake it in the oven like an acorn squash, until soft. Then, scoop the cooked pumpkin flesh out and place it in a kettle.Mash it on the stove with the burner on medium until completely soft. Unless cooked, pie pumpkin is very hard and will not mash!One pumpkin will give you 2-3 cups of what you need.

I couldn't leave that out of a list of Thanksgiving recipes!

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*Pumpkin/Chocolate Bundt Cake-

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon clove
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions: Set oven to 350 degrees rack set at second lowest position Grease and flour a bundt pan In mixing bowl, blend sugar and oil; add eggs, beating well after each addition Combine all dry ingredients; add to egg mixture, alternately with pumpkin Add in chocolate chips Transfer to a bundt pan. Pour the pumpkin cake mix in first and fill 2/3 of the bundt pan. Then pour in the chocolate cake batter until the bundt is filled. Bake for 60-65 mins, or until done. Then sprinkle powdered sugar on the top or use a sweet glaze.

Pie-

3/4 tsp nutmeg 3/4 cup whole milk 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 3/4 Pureed Pumpkin 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs 1/4 powdered ginger 1 pie shell Mix the eggs and powders together thoroughly, in one bowl , and the pumpkin and milk in other. When both are completely mixed, combine and pour into the crust. Bake for 20-25 mins. at 350.

TIP: You can also add 1/2 cup of honey and call it honey pumpkin pie or honey glazed. I also like to pour in some melted chocolate or a little chocolate cake mix, and swirl it for marbled pumpkin pie.

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*Pumpkin Pudding-

1 (8 oz) vanilla low-fat or Greek yogurt, 1 cup pureed pumpkin, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Mix together in a glass bowl and then refrigerate until serving time! That's it, no cooking! TIP: Use an electric beater to make sure that all ingredients are mixed thoroughly and that the pudding is fluffy.

ENJOY, and tell me what you think!