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Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

We are all snackers in my house. Whether it be something sweet or savory, we all love to grab a handful of something at some point throughout the day. I like to keep different seeds, and nuts around, but it isn’t too often I purchase Pumpkin Seeds. There isn’t much variety in stores, and I just don’t like all of that salt they are usually packaged in.

That is why I LOVE when Pumpkin season comes along, we often buy several Pumpkins for decoration, and I always scrape out, and keep the seeds to make us a yummy snack!

Pumpkin Seeds can not only be made to taste really good, they are also really good for you! They pack a great deal of Protein, and are filled with different nutrients, and minerals our bodies need!

Give my Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe a try, they would be a great addition to your Halloween bash! Check out the recipe below.

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Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

  • Author: gimmie
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
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Description

Give my Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe a try, they would be a great addition to your Halloween bash! Or, it’s a healthyish snack full of protein and goodness!

Ingredients

Scale
  • Seeds from a Pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • ½ Cup Butter or Margarine
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300*
  2. Wash seeds throughly, making sure to get all of the orange Pumpkin stuff off
  3. Boil your seeds in Water for about 5 minutes in a small pot on the stove, drain & set aside to cool a bit. (Boiling makes them more easy to digest, and helps them crisp better)
  4. Melt Butter for 10-15 seconds in the Microwave
  5. In a bowl mix Pumpkin seeds, melted Butter, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, and Salt together
  6. Make sure all of your seeds are coated well
  7. Spread your seeds in a single layer on a Baking Sheet
  8. Bake for about 30 minutes or until they are golden brown & crispy
  9. Serve & ENJOY!

Notes

If you find your Pumpkin Seeds are not sweet enough or flavored quite enough to your liking after baking, simply toss them around in a bowl with more Brown Sugar & Cinnamon mix again before serving.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 35

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Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

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Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

If you’ve noticed the trending topics on social media, you already know that Walmart Bakery has sold out of singer Patti LaBelle‘s infamous Sweet Potato Pie. If you don’t want to pay $60 for a pie on eBay, you can make your own!

It’s not hard, and so yummy! Who doesn’t love a good sweet potato pie?!

Plus, we include the SECRET to it’s amazing taste, which made fellow review blogger, James Wright, sing!

PHOTO: Patti LaBelle making sweet potato pie in 1999. Courtesy of Broadway Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Ms. LaBelle got the recipe from her best friend and hairstylist Norma Gordon Harris. This pie has a thin layer of brown sugar on the bottom crust. This causes it to blacken and add flavor, as well as keeps the crust from getting soggy. This hearty pie tastes great, like sweet potatoes. It doesn’t have hints of other flavors like pineapple or raisins that sometimes get tossed into pies.

 

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Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

  • Author: Patti LaBelle
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Description

Make-at-home recipe for hot Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie, sold out at Walmart! Don’t pay $60 on eBay, make it yourself. it’s easy and so yummy it made a review blogger sing!

Ingredients

Scale

PIE CRUST

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter-flavored vegetable shortening*, chilled
  • 1/3 cup ice water

FILLING

  • 3 large orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (Louisiana yams), scrubbed
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup half-and-half
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions

CRUST::

  1. Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Add the shortening*. Using a fork or a pastry blender, cut the shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized bits. Stirring with the fork, gradually add enough of the water until the mixture clumps together (you may need more or less water). Gather up the dough and press into a thick disk. If desired, wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.
  2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 13-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Fold the dough in half. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, and gently unfold the dough to fit into the pan. Using scissors or a sharp knife, trim the dough to a 1-inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself so the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute the dough around the edge of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while making the filling.

FILLING:

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel the sweet potatoes and place in a medium bowl.
  2. Mash with an electric mixer on medium speed until very smooth. Measure 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, keeping any extra for another use, and set aside.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Uncover the pie shell and brush the interior with some of the melted butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the brown sugar over the bottom of the pie shell. Bake until the pie dough is set and just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. If the pie shell puffs, do not prick it.
  4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, the remaining melted butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar, the granulated sugar, eggs, half-and-half, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread into the partially baked pie shell, smoothing the top.
  5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until a knife inserted in the center of the filling comes out clean, about 1 ½ hours. Cool completely on a wire cake rack. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve with whipped cream.
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

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Reprinted from “LaBelle Cuisine.” Copyright © 1999 by Patti LaBelle with Laura B. Randolph. Published by Broadway Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

* Always use shortening! If you want a tender, flaky pie crust, you have to use shortening. Some cooks make their dough with butter because they like the flavor, but it bakes into a crumbly crust—and with most pie lovers, flaky is the name of the game. My solution is to use butter-flavored Crisco. Like biscuits, pie crust shouldn’t be overworked. Handle with care. The chilled shortening and ice water will also help pie crust stay nice and flaky. – Patti LaBelle

How to Brine Your Thanksgiving Turkey

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How to Brine Your Thanksgiving Turkey

It’s that time of year again, and I feel my mission in life is to spread the word about brining your turkey.  Do you brine? Are you asking yourself what in the world “brining a turkey” is anyway? Brining is simply soaking the turkey – marinating if you will – in a salty solution before you cook it.  It’s suggested that you soak the turkey in brine 12-24 hours, so you’ll need to plan ahead. Don’t worry, this won’t make it taste salty, and for goodness sakes, don’t TASTE the brine! It’s to soak the turkey in, not eat. 😉

Why brine?  Someone on my local Freecycle cafe told me about brining a few years ago. I decided to try it, and let me say this as eloquently as possible: “Once you Brine, you’ll NEVER go back!” The salt solution breaks down the turkey’s molecular structure, acting as an extreme meat tenderizer.  I’ve never had a more moist, tasty and tender turkey. It is really amazing!

While you’re in planning mode, check out Butterball’s conversion charts which include:

*** And don’t miss all our fantastic Thanksgiving (and other) recipes at GimmieRecipes.com

Gimmie’s Brine Recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey

What you’ll need:

  • A day. It’s suggested that you soak the turkey in brine 1 hour per pound* before cooking. You’ll want to brine a non-frozen turkey. If you can buy it that way, all the better since frozen turkeys are often treated with a salt solution.
  • Brining container.  They sell brining bags [amazon.com] [Bed Bath & Beyond] [Williams Sonoma]. Technically, you can use any large food-grade bag (they don’t recommend trash bags, especially those that are scented or treated with chemicals). Or, use a tub, a bucket, a large pot, even a cooler – something that will house your turkey and the liquid brine, AND fit inside your refrigerator. I got mine at my local crash n dent store for $1!
  • Room in the fridge. Refrigerator space is prime real estate the day before Thanksgiving, so plan ahead that you’ll need to soak your bird in a cool spot for a day ahead.  Some use a cooler and pack it with ice. If you’re in a cold weather state, you may be able to keep it outdoors as long as it’s contained inside something critters can’t get to it.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups kosher salt
  • 2 cups sugar (white or brown)
  • 2 gallons water (orange juice or apple cider can be substituted for some of the water)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup of dried herbs and spices (whatever you like: sage, oregano, thyme, basil, cloves, cinnamon, etc.)
  • Orange peels or slices (and/or lemon peels or slices)
  • 1 Tablespoon cracked black peppercorn
  • lemon or orange slices
  • crushed garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS

  1. In large stockpot over high heat, combine half the water, salt, sugar and optional herbs/spices. Stir until sugar and salt have dissolved but don’t let it boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Put turkey in brining bag or container of choice, breast side down, cover turkey with cooled brine and add the rest of the water/juice/cider and orange or lemon slices or peels. You can add ice to cool it down more. Then seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Keep turkey at 40 degrees Farenheit with either ice or by refrigerating for one hour per pound.*  Don’t over brine or your turkey will be salty.
  3. Remove from brine, scoop out herbs, spices and peels and spread on skin. Brush turkey with oil or melted butter and cook as desired (roasted, smoked, baked, etc.) until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Farenheit. Remaining brine can be discarded.
  4. Roast as you usually would

* Brine for one hour per pound.  e.g. a 15 pound bird will soak in brine for 15 hours before cooking.

TIPS: You can store a brined turkey for up to a day before cooking it. Don’t leave it in the brine longer than 1 hour per pound.

An alternative to making your own brine is using a prepackaged brine (which includes a brining bag!), such as Fire & Flavor, which I’m trying out for the first time this year. Check out their how-to video!

Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sure, they’re kind of funny looking, but they taste SO sweet and yummy!  Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and are loaded with antioxidants and even have anti-inflammatory properties. They are a good source of complex carbohydrate, beta-carotene, manganese, vitamin B6 and C as well as dietary fiber. The spinach and cranberries add to the flavor and also to the health benefits!

So, put your microwave to use and bake up some super good and good-for-you Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!  This recipe will take you less than 15 minutes from start to finish and your dinner guests will think you’ve slaved over a hot oven for hours. It’s a very inexpensive meal item, I paid just 69 cents apiece for these, and you can find them at your grocery store all year round.

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Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

  • Author: gimmie
  • Total Time: 1:25
  • Yield: 3-4 Servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 large (or 4 medium) sweet potatoes, peels washed
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
  2. Pierce sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and place onto baking sheet lined with foil.
  3. Bake for 1 hour, until sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork or sharp knife.
  4. Remove from oven and let sweet potatoes cool slightly.
  5. Slice open lengthwise and smush together from ends to force middle to open. Use a fork to mask the pulp.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients, except maple syrup.
  7. Add mixture to sweet potatoes and put back in oven for another 15 minutes
  8. Drizzle maple syrup on top, and serve warm.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe on Walnuts.org

  • Prep Time: :10
  • Cook Time: 1:15
  • Category: Side dish

Nutrition

  • Calories: 454
  • Sodium: 231 mg
  • Fat: 20 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
  • Carbohydrates: 67 mb
  • Fiber: 8 g
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Cholesterol: 20 mg

Keywords: sweet potatoes, maple syrup, side dish, sides,

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