Cranberry Apple Pie w/ Oat Cookie Crust

Recipe Status: It's like having apples dipped in a cinnamon-sour cream dip and topped on an oatmeal cookie. But better. Much better. Many thanks to my friend Tyffani for sharing this with me.

Crust:

3 cups rolled oats, not instant

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 T brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup butter, melted

Filling:

7 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced (Granny Smith or Jonathan's are best)

1 cup whole cranberries, fresh or frozen

3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 dash of cloves

3 T flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

Combine all crust ingredients until completely moistened. Reserve 1 cup and set aside. Press firmly onto the bottom and sides of a pie dish, forming a thick crust.

Place sliced apples and cranberries in a large bowl. Drizzle and coat with lemon juice. Add spices and mix well. Add flour and mix again. Gradually add brown sugar and sour cream as you mix. Pour into crust, and distribute evenly. Sprinkle on remaining oat topping and pat gently in place.

Bake @ 375 for 45-50 minutes.

Sweet Wassail Potatoes

Recipe Status: I've always passed on the candied yams because they were sickeningly sweet, marshmallows, crushed pineapple, sugar, sugar and more sugar. Blech. But wanted to find a way to still have tasty sweet potatoes without all that sugary nastiness. Today's experiment was a success! (Even though it does have a small amount of sugar.) Smacking my lips...

3-4 large sweet potatoes, cubed (About 6 cups)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp grated orange zest

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 tsp each: nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger

1/4 tsp each: cloves, salt, pepper

Boil the cubed sweet potatoes until just tender. Spread in a 9x13 casserole dish. Combine brown sugar, juices and spices, and pour over potatoes. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes. IF you so desire, you can top with mini marshmallows. But it stands on its own.

Pumpkin Coconut Curry

Recipe Status: Delicious. Just trying to figure out how to make it less runny. Perhaps less broth. Also this doesn't specifically call for Curry powder. The spices that are in this are common spices in a Curry blend. If you have a favorite curry blend, feel free to substitute about 4 T of it for the turmeric, cumin and coriander. Also, I prefer it without the red pepper flakes, but that's just me.

*The Thai Carrots are PERFECT with this, by the way. ;)

1-1.5 pounds chicken breast halves, cut into small pieces

2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 T olive oil

4 pounds pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 T butter

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 (1 inch) pieces fresh ginger root, finely chopped

2 T coriander

2 T cumin

1-2 pinches turmeric

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes (opt)

1 cup canned coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

Salt to taste

Season the chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, or pot. Cook chicken until browned on the outside and cooked all the way through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Melt the butter in the pot over med-low heat. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is transparent. Add coriander, cumin, turmeric and red pepper. Cook until spices are fragrant. Add pumpkin, chicken, coconut milk & broth. Season with salt to taste. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. Do not over cook, the pumpkin will get mushy! Serve over Basmati rice.