Thanksgiving Treats

Happy Thanksgiving!

Above are some adorable turkey sugar cookies that I made for a Thanksgiving treat using an egg-shaped cookie cutter and a glass. The different flavored candy corn make perfect "feathers," but last year I used Reese's Pieces and thought they were just as fun.
Making sugar cookies during the holidays is one of my favorite things; and I wanted to share some of my other favorite  holiday recipes with you for this season. (Note: the following three recipes can be found at wegmans.com, but here they are slightly altered in the way that I make them.)

Cider-Glazed Carrots

Oh yumminess! This is an easy fall favorite - and doesn't that roasting turkey just make your mouth water? If you like apple cider and carrots, you'll love this recipe!

Ingredients

   2 lbs Baby Carrots
   2 Tbsp Wegmans Basting Oil
   2 cups Apple Cider
   1 Tbsp Clover Honey
   1 Tbsp Wegmans Lemon-Dill
          Finishing Butter
   Salt and pepper to taste
Yields 4 cups.
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Cut baby carrots in half on a bias. Toss with basting oil in large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place (in a single layer) on baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, or longer until desired tenderness.
Glaze
While the carrots are roasting, add cider and honey to large skillet on MEDIUM-HIGH, stirring to blend. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring about 10 minutes, until liquid is a syrupy consistency and mixture has reduced by about half. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon-dill butter until melted.
Mix with carrots until evenly coated.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Everything is better with bacon, right? As delicious as the potatoes on the left look, that's not what I'm talking about; you can find that recipe here. I also think fresh shredded parm sprinkled on top of veggies makes a world of difference in taste.

Ingredients
   6 slices Applewood Smoked Bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces 
   2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered 
   3 Tbsp Wegmans Basting Oil Salt and pepper to taste
Yields 8 servings.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Toss Brussels sprouts with basting oil and season with salt and pepper. Place (in a single layer) on baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes.
While Brussels sprouts are roasting, cook bacon.
Add bacon to the Brussels sprouts and roast another 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese, as desired.

Yam Gratin with Gruyere

I don't have my own picture for this recipe, but here is Wegmans': 

I recommend using at least 1 cup of cheese for this recipe, but I have definitely used more than that before and even mixed cheeses. Gruyere with fresh Parm. is perfect if you're like me and don't like too much "swiss" flavor.

Ingredients

   3 lbs yams, peeled
   2 cups (16 fl oz) Heavy Cream
   1 cup Shredded Gruyere
   1 tsp salt
Yields 6 cups.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir together heavy cream and salt in large bowl. Using a mandoline, slice yams into large bowl, coating slices with cream mixture.
Spray 9x9 baking dish with nonstick spray and place on a cookie sheet to catch overflow during baking.
Layer yams and cheese in baking dish. Pour any remaining yam-cream mixture over top.
Bake, uncovered, on center rack of oven for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes or until desired tenderness. About every 30 minutes press spatula against top layer to allow liquid to flow over "crust." Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.


That's all for today! I want to get over to my dad's and see what he's got cooking. If you want to see some of my other favorite 'side' dishes, check out my pinterest board 'veggipes.'

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!