WRAL reporter Brian Shrader and our own Lisa Prince feature seasonal recipes in their Got to Be Good Cookin’ segment using ingredients grown and available right here in North Carolina. This month recipes are Thanksgiving favorites submitted by WRAL-TV viewers. Recipes included a holiday salad, cranberry fluff, a creative take on pumpkin pie, homemade oatmeal cream pies and sweet potato and sausage hash.
The first recipe was provided by Clare Turner of Belmont. Brian said, “It’s the dressing that makes this salad so special.”
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw spinach
- 8 spring onions or 1 small red onion
- 5 hard boiled eggs (chopped)
- 8 slices crisp bacon (crumbled)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 fresh mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 cans Mandarin oranges (drained)
Dressing:
- 2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion juice (grated onion or found in the spice isle)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2⁄3 cup cider vinegar
Instructions:
Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large salad bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients and toss with the salad ingredients. Leftover dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Next is a tart recipe that is a throwback to the 1970s. “Mary Wehring from Raleigh says her little sister brought this recipe home from Brownies around 1970 and insisted they make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” says Lisa. “It has been a holiday tradition ever since.” If you are watching your carbs, leave out the marshmallows and the sugar.
Ingredients:
- 1 pack whole cranberries
- 2 red apples (cut in small pieces)
- 2 green apples (cut in small pieces)
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 envelope Dream Whip
- 1⁄2 cup cold milk
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
Chop cranberries in a food processor until very small but not mushy. Mix together apples and chopped cranberries. Add marshmallows and nuts. Refrigerate. (The original recipe says an hour, but this is something we prepare to this point early in the day and finish when holiday prep allows.) Prepare Dream Whip (adding milk and vanilla and blend with hand mixer) and fold into cranberry mixture. (We have tried Cool Whip, Reddi-Whip and real whipped cream, but for our family it must be Dream Whip.) Add sugar to taste. Refrigerate until serving.
The next recipe is no-bake cream pie that is a twist on the traditional pumpkin pie provided by viewer Craig Partin of Fuquay-Varina. “It taste like a little bit of fall,” says Lisa.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 pack 3.4 oz.vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cups frozen whipped topping (thawed)
- 1 cup chopped N.C. pecans (plus 2 tablespoons)
- 1 graham cracker pie crust
- 1 7.25 oz. bottle caramel flavored Magic Shell ice cream topping
- 2 tablespoon regular caramel ice cream topping
Instructions:
In a large bowl, beat together pumpkin, pudding mixes, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg with wire whisk until well blended. Fold in whipped topping and 1 cup pecans. Spoon mixture into pie crust. Pour caramel Magic Shell (entire bottle) over top of pie and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans.
Freeze pie for 1 hour or until firm. Before serving, drizzle regular caramel ice cream topping over top of pie. Store pie in refrigerator.
The next recipe is for homemade oatmeal cream pies by Megan Talley of Fuquay-Varina. Lisa notes that they “have all the flavors of fall and make great gifts.”
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 whole N.C. farm fresh eggs
- 1⁄2 cup molasses
- 1⁄4 cup milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups quick rolling oats
Frosting (for center, as desired) – Megan recommends Pillsbury Easy Frost Vanilla Dream No Fuss Frosting, for ease. We used Pillsbury whipped supreme vanilla.
Instructions:
Cream the butter and sugar; add the eggs, molasses, and milk. Beat well. Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves together. Add to creamed mixture along with the quick rolling oats.
Drop the mixture by heaping teaspoonful’s onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until brown, but soft. Allow cookies to cool. Frost the bottom of one cookie with vanilla frosting of choice, place a second cookie on top of frosting to create a sandwich … or oatmeal cream pie!
The next recipe is provide by Amy Smith of Raleigh and is an entree that is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh sausage
- 2 N.C. sweet potatoes (diced)
- 1 medium red onion (diced)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
- 4 N.C. eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salsa
Instructions:
Break up your sausage and cook it in a pan over medium-high heat. When the sausage is nearly finished, drain some of the grease and add the sweet potatoes and onion. Add the cumin and coriander and mix well. Continue to cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and cooked through, approximately 10 minutes. When the hash is cooked through transfer to a medium serving bowl. Cover the hash with the extra-sharp cheese and cover the entire dish with foil. Wash out the pan and melt one tablespoon of butter. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook over medium-high heat. When the eggs are done (I prefer mine Sunny side up!), remove foil from serving dish and add eggs. Sprinkle the entire dish with salsa and enjoy!