An Alternative to Thanksgiving Stuffing: Corn and Chipotle Bread Pudding (and a Tasty Stuffing too)

A few friends asked for our favorite Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. However, the last few years I haven’t made stuffing but rather individual ramekins of Corn and Chipotle Bread Pudding instead. It fits the bill for a starchy side, but it quite unique and delicious. The chipotle lends a warmth and smokiness that contrasts nicely with the sweet flavor the corn provides.

Corn and Chipotle Bread Pudding

6 servings

2 t olive oil

1/2 C finely chopped red bell pepper

1/2 C finely chopped onion

2 C frozen corn kernels

1/2 C thinly sliced green onions

1 jalapeño pepper, minced - remove the seeds for those who don't care for heat

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t salt, divided

1 t ground cumin, divided

1 1/2  C 2% low-fat milk

2 eggs

1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1 T finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

About 10 cups 1-inch cubed day-old firm white bread

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add corn, green onions, jalapeño, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, milk, eggs, 1/2 cup cheese, and chipotle chiles in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in corn mixture. Add bread; stir gently to combine. Let stand 10 minutes. Spoon into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray – or – six individual ramekins. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. 

**These can be made ahead, covered, and refrigerated until time to bake. I'd bring to room temperature before baking.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until pudding is set and lightly browned.

Sourdough Sausage Stuffing
10 servings

3 Italian sausage links
olive oil
2 C chopped onions
2 C chopped celery

2 smallish chopped apples

Few handfuls of fresh cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 T finely chopped fresh sage
1 t thyme
1/2 t salt
1/2 t dried marjoram
1/2 t black pepper
12 C 1/2-inch cubed sourdough bread, about 1 pound – or rosemary focaccia is wonderful in stuffing
2 C fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add sausage and sauté 5 minutes until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, celery, apples, and cranberries and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in parsley and next 5 ingredients (parsley through pepper).

Place sausage mixture in a large bowl; stir in bread and broth. Spoon stuffing into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Uncover; bake an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I've also included what we seem to recall as our best traditional stuffing. Craig swore he hated stuffing. One taste of this one, and he is a convert. As with the bread budding, I like balancing savory and sweet flavors, which this has from the sausage and apples/cranberry combo, and it screams autumn. The texture is lovely, too, slightly crunchy on top, yet creamy underneath.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Nuts from The Taste & Create Blog Recipe Swap

As part of this month's recipe exchange on Taste & Create, I was paired with Mindy from A Balanced Kitchen. Her blog’s focus is clearly on nutrition and the affects various foods have on us. Her post about her recent volunteer experience in the Kibera slums in Nairobi is fascinating (the recycled cow bone jewelry is unique and gorgeous), and like me, she cooks dinner every Sunday. What’s different is that the entire menu, appetizers through dessert, are from one cookbook. Noteworthy idea.

We’re having a dinner party on Saturday, and the pumpkin-pie spiced nuts fit the bill for a sweet-salty munchie with cocktails. I thought a touch of cayenne may add another element of spice that we would enjoy. I was afraid the original recipe would result in a too sweet nut, and I considerably cut down on the sugar. Ditto for omitting the raisins, and added more sea salt. These are super easy and highly addictive. I will make these again, probably without the peanuts, which makes the mix more "casual". They will make lovely hostess gifts for Christmas parties. A keeper.

Pumpkin-Pie Spiced Nuts

(This recipe reflects my modifications.)

NOTE:  Edited on 12/20 to correct the typo in the amount of salt. It should be 2 teaspoons, not tablespoons.

2 egg whites

2 T water

1 C lightly salted peanuts

1 C whole almonds

2 C walnut halves

2 C pecan halves

1/4 C sugar

2 T pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t cayenne – definitely more next time

2 t salt

Preheat oven to 300 Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with heavy duty foil.

In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and water until foamy. Add nuts; stir to coat. Combine sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cayenne, and salt; pour over nuts and stir to coat. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheets.

Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes.  Cool. 

While still slightly warm, remove from the baking sheets and store in an airtight container.

Homemade Pumpkin Butter, Scrumptious Fall Appetizer

Last night I hosted our neighborhood women for a "hen party" – an old-fashioned phrase, but I love the sound of it – where everyone enjoys a glass of cheer and a bite of tasty appetizers. Judging by the happy noise level, everyone had an enjoyable evening.

I wanted to try something new, not your typical bruschetta or veggie dip, an appetizer that reflected the season, but it had to be easy and make ahead. I recalled perusing a thread on the Cooking Light Community Bulletin Board that referenced a pumpkin butter dip, using Williams Sonoma’s pumpkin butter. With 10 cups of pureed fresh pumpkin in the freezer, I was certain I could find a recipe to make my own – and save $10. The beauty of the Internet. Recipe found and with little effort, I made a batch. This stuff is heavenly. Copiously spiced, thick, pumpkin pie sans crust. I can see countless uses for it – on toast, in yogurt, in oatmeal, in pancake batter, an ice cream topping. And in a dip. Connor cleverly used the leftovers as the spread on his bagel this morning – dairy, protein, vegetables, right?

Pumpkin Butter Dip

8 ounces softened cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat Neufchatel cream cheese)

3/4 cup pumpkin butter (recipe below)

3 tablespoon crisply cooked bacon, crumbled

3 scallions (only the green part), thinly sliced

Beat the cream cheese with the pumpkin butter until smooth and creamy. Add the crumbled bacon and scallion slices, reserving some of both to sprinkle on top for garnish.  Refrigerate. When ready to serve, garnish, and serve with toasted baguette slices.

Pumpkin Butter

29 ounce can pumpkin puree or 4 cups fresh pumpkin

3/4 cup apple cider

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup brown sugar – add up to 1 1/2 cups if you prefer a sweeter taste

Combine pumpkin, cider, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.

Transfer to a sterile container and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

The recipe I based this from was found on All Recipes and indicates that it freezes and cans well. This is assuming it lasts long enough.

Belated Thanksgiving Post - a GREAT Corn Custard

We spent Thanksgiving in Harrisburg, PA and enjoyed a massive dinner (which is always served at 1PM promptly) with my mom's extended family.  I think it ended up being 20 and more if you count those who just stopped in for dessert.

We were assigned to take vegetable dishes.  Since my mom's family has Pennsylvania Dutch roots, I decided to make the Toasted Sweet Corn Pudding recipe that was in an article from the final issue of Gourmet (boo hoo), which focused on PA Dutch cooking.  It was easy to make, with no soaking or grinding required of the dried corn, typical of the methods involved for preparing such.  I used John Cope's Corn, which is produced only in Lancaster, PA  and we brought back five packages of it.  It was a big hit - nutty, sweet, and definitely a "solid" veggie custard.  Now to find other uses for all of this!

Pre-Thanksgiving dinner (and a tasty corn bisque)

We had our family Thanksgiving dinner tonight since we're heading to Harrisburg, PA for the real holiday. We truly have so much to be thankful for and I think (hope) we DO know how blessed our lives are. Our menu consisted of:

Corn Bisque with Red Bell Pepper and Rosemary (Printable Recipe Here), originally a Bon Appetit recipe that I modified to use 2% milk instead of half & half and less butter, olive oil instead. Very pretty, nice contrast of flavors, relatively lowfat, extremely easy and can be made in advance and re-heated. I cut the recipe in half for the four of us and have a bit leftover.

Garlic Mashies (made in advance and heated with the stuffing)

Mashed Sweet Potatoes (made in advance and heated with the stuffing)

Green Beans with Bacon and Red Bell Pepper

Sourdough Stuffing with Apples and (Turkey) Italian Sausage (made in advance)

Sage Roasted Turkey with Sage Gravy

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie with Fresh Whipped Cream - no sugar version (no one missed it), recipe thanks for Alanna here. I would highly recommend foiling the crust while baking. Whit it started smelling burned, I foiled it half-way thru baking, and it was still a bit dark (the pie baked in 55 minutes for me).

The house smelled so good. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite meals, and we're looking forward to the leftovers. If anyone would like any of the other recipes, just ask, and I will provide them.