Cranberry Gingerbread Cookies

These delicious gingerbread cookies are soft will still having the gingerbread dry-texture. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Cranberry Gingerbread Cookies
from Hy-Vee Seasons Magazine

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1.5 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In another medium (or large) bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with a mixter until smooth. Beat in molassas, egg, and orange peel.
3. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and beat until just combined. Fold in walnuts and cranberries.
4. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 7" log, wrap in plastic wrap, and refridgerate for 1.5 hours (or freeze for 45 minutes).
5. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Unwrap logs, cut into 3/8" slides, and place 2" apart on an un-greased cookie sheet (use a silicon pad if you have one). Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, until light brown on the bottom. Lightly sift powdered sugar over cookies.

Apple Onion Cheese Gratin

This pairs well with a hearty salad and a glass of white wine. The apples I used were from my family's trees at home, so the brown sugar wasn't necessary. It ended up being quite sweet naturally. Thank you fall for your bounteous goods!

Apple Onion Cheese Gratin
from Erza Pound Cake (originally from Moosewood New Restaurant Classics)

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
4 cups apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups cheddar (or Gruyère), grated
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. brown sugar (optional)

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a 11" x 7" (3 qt.) baking dish.
2. In a small pot, scald milk over medium heat, just before boiling but not after.
3. In another small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Then whisk in flour until fully combined.
4. Slowly whisk in the scalded milk. Add nutmeg, salt, and cloves, and whisk continuously until the sauce starts to thicken.
5. Spread apples and onions evenly in prepared dish. Sprinkle the grated cheese over, and then pour the sauce on top.
6. Sprinkle over the pecans, bread crumbs, and sugar (if using). Bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp.

Sweet Potato Schupfnudeln with Brown Butter and Thyme

 These delicious little things are basically sweet potato gnocchi, rolled long and pan-fried. Definitely worth the work. You could probably serve these with simple olive oil and grated Parmesan.

Sweet Potato Schupfnudeln with Brown Butter and Thyme
from 1 big bite

Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet potato
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
5 Tbs. flour + more (I used quite a bit more)
2 tsp. ghee (or oil) + more as needed

for browned butter:
5.3 Tbs. butter
5 sprigs thyme

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450F. Pierce sweet potato all over with a fork, and bake on a lined baking sheet (or I used my bread pan) and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a fork slides easily through the flesh.
2. After sweet potato has cooled for a bit, mash with a fork and add yolk, salt, nutmeg, and flour. Once thoroughly combined, add just enough flour to get a dough that comes together nicely (may be a little sticky)
3. Dust hands and cutting board with flour. Form a log, and cut into ieces until each piece is finger-length and thick.
4. Heat pan to medium-high heat, and melt ghee. Cook schupfnudeln until golden brown, rotating so at least 3 sides of each are browned.
5. Garnish with browned butter and leaves of 2 thyme sprigs.

for browned butter:
1. Add butter and leaves of 3 springs of thyme to sauce pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, stir until little brown specks form at the bottom. Take off heat, and drizzle over schupfnudeln.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

This was one of the main dishes in Sunday brunch, and it was absolutely delicious. Make sure to make the cream cheese syrup to go with it!

Carrot Cake Pancakes
from Cooking Classy

Ingredients:
1.5 cups finely grated carrots (about 3 medium)
1 cup buttermilk (or substitute)
3 Tbs. sugar
1 cup flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 recipe Cream Cheese Syrup (recipe here)
chopped pecans, to garnish

Instructions:
1. In a medium airtight container, whisk together grated carrots, buttermilk, and sugar. Cover container and refridgerate overnight.
2. Heat 2 skillets over the stove on medium heat (or a non-stick griddle to 300F).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Add egg mixture and carrot mixture to flour, and whisk until just combined.
5. Butter the skillets and pour on 1/3 cups batter onto each, and slightly spread batter out. Cook until bubbles begin to form and bottom is golden brown, then flip, and cook until opposite side is golden-brown.
6. Serve immediately with syrup and garnish with chopped peacans.

Spinach & Sun-dried Tomato Ravioli

This ravioli was so easy to make, there's hardly an excuse any more to buy store-bought ravioli. This recipe makes 6 servings (2 servings of about 10 ravioli each shown above), so plenty left over to save and freeze for later! Read instructions below for freezing.

Spinach & Sun-dried Tomato Ravioli
from Call Me Fudge

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
10 oz. fresh spinach
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped, oil reserved
2 eggs
15 oz. ricotta (recipe here)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. water
1 package wonton wrappers

Instructions:
1. Heat the olive oil and oil reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach, and saute until wilted and most water has evaporated.
2. Drain spinach, and add to mixing bowl with sun-dried tomatoes, ricotta, 1 egg beaten, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well until completely combined.
3. Beat the remaining egg in a bowl with the tablespoon of water, and set aside.
4. On a clean, dry surface, lay out a wonton wrapper, put about a teaspoon of filling on one half of the wonton wrapper, centered. Dip a brush in egg wash, and brush 2 touching edges of the ravioli, and then bring the corner farthest away from the filling towards the opposite edge to make a triangular shaped ravioli. Gently press the sides together with your fingers, and then use a fork to again gently press the sides together that you just brought together. Repeat until all filling is used up (I ended up with about 1/4 cup extra filling)
5. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Gently add each ravioli, and cook until they float to the top (2-3 minutes). Remove with spoon and serve with grated Parmesan (and perhaps toss in olive oil to prevent sticking)

To store extra ravioli:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and tessellate the ravioli to maximize space usage. Place sheet in the freezer, and once ravioli's are frozen, you can transfer to a freezer-safe container and user later. When using later, do not unfreeze before using. Pop the still-frozen ravioli in a pot of boiling water and wait for them to float to the top before removing.

Gnocchi

Gnocchi
from bon appetit

Ingredients:
1 lb. white potatoes (old if possible)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2.5 oz. grated Parmesan
1 cup flour, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp. salt
2 dashes (1/2 tsp) nutmeg

Instructions:
1. Boil potatoes for 25-30 mins, or until tender throughout. Drain and let cool for a bit.
2. Peel potatoes and using a ricer, rice the potatoes (if you don't have such a thing, mash them as well as possible, getting ALL lumps out.
3. Whisk egg and the yolk together, then add all other ingredients to the potatoes, combining with your hand.
4. Onto a well-floured counter, kneed the dough for a bit until not sticky on the outside. Then divide into 4 parts.
5. Keeping the other parts of the dough covered while working with one part, roll into a 2-ft long strip, and then cut a gnocchi into 1" pieces.
6. Hold a gnocchi with your thumb, and then with a thin-tined fork, push your thumb up against the gnocchi in a rolling motion. (Good tutorial here) Place finished gnocchi on floured surface (baking sheet, cutting boards, whatever you have that's large and flat)

Now there are two paths:
7a. Using gnocchi immediately:
use in 0-4 hours from making, keeping out. Set a pot of water to boiling, and throw gnocchi 12 or so at a time, . Take them out when they begin to float, adding more and taking out while floating until completely finished.

7b. Saving gnocchi
Place the long flat board where the finished gnocchi where put and place that in the freezer. Once completely frozen, you can transfer to a bag and keep them until read for use. There's no need to un-thaw before cooking, and cook as described in step 7a.

Mushroom Sauce Pasta

Mushroom Sauce Pasta
adapted from lemons and anchovies

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz. mushrooms, sliced
pinch nutmeg
1 cup cream
1/2 cup white wine
3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lb. pasta
Parmesan for grating

Instructions:
1. Soak 1 oz. of the mushrooms in hot water for 10 minutes, reserving 1/2 cup of liquid.
2. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
3. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat, add dry mushrooms. Cook until they start to wilt. Add soaked mushrooms, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Add wine and reserved mushroom liquid, and turn up heat cooking liquid down to half.
5. Add cream, nutmeg and parsley. Bring down to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Remove from heat, combine with pasta, and sprinkle grated Parmesan over.