“Oh how I love the foods of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, it is the one time of the year that  I get to spend lots of time with my family and enjoy all of my favorite foods. Everyone has their one favorite dish that they look forward to every year. You know the one dish you cant wait to dig into when it’s placed on the table. Well for me it’s my favorite is Sweet Potato Casserole. Creamy sweet potatoes with a sweet crunchy topping made of brown sugar, butter, pecans and Malt-O-Meal Crispy Rice cereal.”

Ingredients

• 4 -cups cooked sweet potatoes
• 3/4 – cup butter or margarine (softened)
• 1 – egg, beaten
• 1 – cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 – tsp cinnamon
• 1 – tsp nutmeg
• 1 – tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 – cup sugar
• Topping:
• 1 – cup brown sugar
• 1/2- cup margarine (softened)
• 2 – cups malt o meal crispy rice cereal
• 1 – cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Boil sweet potatoes whole with the skin on until the sweet potatoes are cooked and fork tender. 
2. Remove from water and cool completely so you can remove the skin.
3.  Add cooked sweet potatoes, butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, vanilla and spices together.
4.  You can blend everything together with a hand mixer.
5.  Pour into a greased baking dish. I used a 8 x 4 inch round baking dish. Set aside and prepare topping. 
6. Mix brown sugar, butter, pecans and crispy rice cereal togehter.
7.  Add the topping on top of the sweet potato mixture.
8. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Let cool for at least 25 before serving. 
    

This wonderful family recipe was contributed by Malt-O-Meal Facebook Family Member, Tina Butler. Tina is also the Owner and Author  of her own blog! Find her at: www.mommyskitchen.net. Do you have a favorite Holiday recipe to contribute to one of our Facebook Family Cookbooks? Go to: www.facebook.com/MaltOMealFanPage to become a Fan Family Member and  get the full details. Enjoy!

• 4 pieces bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 cups sweet potatoes, thinly sliced (1/8-inch thick)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons creme fraiche
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• parmesan cheese, grated, to taste

Instructions

1. Lightly grease 2 individual baking dishes (I used a bowl that holds roughly 1 1/2 cups).
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a small saute pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from heat, and toss with onion and garlic.
4. In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, and cook until the mixture is well combined but still pale.
5. Stir in the milk and the creme fraiche.
6. Reduce the heat to low and bring the bechamel to a simmer. Stir in nutmeg, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
7. Layer 4-6 slices of potato at the base of each of the prepared baking dishes. Top with a few tablespoons of bechamel, and a few spoonfuls of the bacon mixture. Repeat with another layer of potatoes, another layer of bechamel, and more bacon.
8. Top with one last layer of potatoes, and spoon remaining bechamel over the top.
9. Finish with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese.
10. Bake the gratins until they are bubbly around the edges and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
11. Let cool slightly before serving.

Serves 2. For a 4 person serving add about 10 minutes extra cooking time. Stacey gives this  about a 3 of 5 difficulty rating.

This rich and savory recipe was generously shared by Malt-O-Meal Facebook Family Member, Stacey Noble. Do you have a favorite Holiday recipe you’d like to contribute? Go to: www.facebook.com/MaltOMealFanPage and become a Fan for more details on how to have your recipe featured in one of our Facebook Family online cookbooks!

“These are not your typical Thanksgiving treat, but they’re always a big hit! You could put an orange-colored hard candy shell chocolate or a candy corn on top of each bar for more Thanksgiving flair! Enjoy!” -Sally

Ingredients

Bars:

• 6 Cups rice cereal
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 1 Cup white corn syrup
• 1 2/3 Cup peanut butter

Topping:

• 1/2 bag butterscotch baking chips
• 1/2 bag chocolate baking chips

Instructions

1. Lightly grease 9 x 13 pan and set aside
2. Add corn syrup and sugar to a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat
3. Bring ingredients to a gentle boil for one minute without stirring
4. Remove mixture from heat after exactly one minute (overcooking can lead to hardened bars)
5. Add peanut butter and mix until fully incorporated
6. Add rice cereal
7. Press the mixture down into the greased pan until just held together, but do not press too hard.

Topping Instructions

1. Melt butterscotch and chocolate baking chips in microwave for 1 minute at a time
2. stirring until all the way melted and combined
3. Pour over cereal mixture. This will harden as it cools.
4. Cool the bars completely, cut into serving size squares and enjoy!

• 2 pkg of tapioca dry pudding mix
• 3 C. milk
• 1/2 bag of miniature marshmallows
• 1 medium can crushed pineapple with the juice
• 2 medium cans of mandarin oranges
• 8 oz. tub of whipped topping

Instructions

1. Boil milk and pudding mix together stirring often to prevent scorching. Mixture should thicken as it cooks.
2. Pour over the marshmallows and beat with a wire whip.
3. Cool and allow mixture to thicken more as it reaches room temperature.
4. Add pineapple, oranges, whipped topping and fold together.
5. Pour into a pretty bowl and refrigerate.

Sally likes to garnish this dish with mandarin oranges. For Fall, she recommends arranging them in a pumpkin shape. For Spring,  arrange them in the shape of a flower. Can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.

This very refreshing recipe was submitted by Malt-O-Meal Family Facebook Member, Sally Day. Do you have a family favorite Holiday recipe to contribute to one of our Facebook Family Cookbooks? Go to: www.facebook.com/MaltOMealFanPage to become a fan and get full details.

Ingredients

• 1 Large can of chilled pineapple
• 1 Two-Litre bottle of chilled lemon lime flavored soda
• orange sherbert to taste

Instructions

1. Mix lemon lime flavored soda and pineapple juice in a punch bowl
2. add orange sherbert (amount used to your liking) with an ice cream scoop 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

The mixture will form a froth as it melts. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cans creamed corn
• 6oz of cream cheese
• Garlic salt to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 of a small can of jalapenos

Instructions

1. Warm corn in medium pan
2. Add cream cheese stirring constantly so doesn’t burn
3. Add in remaining ingredients as needed to taste

Enjoy!!

Do you have a Holiday recipe that you would like to see featured in a Facebook Family Cookbook? Join us at www.facebook.com/MaltOMealFanPage to become a fan and to get all the details!

SWEET POTATOES:

Whatever your favorite recipe is, kick it up with this:

To enough raisins to your liking along and splash a good amount of dark rum over the potatoes.  You can do this at the start or about 1/3 of the way through your baking.  Rum has a natural sweetness to it and combined with the raisins makes an amazing KICK UP from your regular sweet potatoes!!

MASHED POTATOES:

Boil your favorite potatoes for mashing.  I prefer russets.  Add your salt to the water when boiling.  It will better season your taters the way you salt the water for pasta.  DO a quick hand mashing to get them going in a large bowl.

In a saucepan, melt at least one stick of butter for every 5 pounds of potatoes.  For every stick of butter add in about 3/4 cup of WHOLE milk.. and I’d even kick in a little half/half. once the liquid is hot enough to have melted the butter, starte pouring it into the mashed potatoes.  THen, with an hand mixer, start whipping them.  At this point I toss in about 5 cloves of chopped garlic that i’ve sauteeed in about 1/4 cup olive oil.  WHip all this up, spread it into a large baking dish, dot with butter, bake at 340f till it gets nice and bubble on the sides and the top starts to brown.  LIGHT, HOT and FLUFFY!!!!

SOMETHING SEASONAL IN THE AIR:

Instead of throwing away your apple cores and skins this harvest season, put them in a saucepan, cover them with water, and toss in 2-3 cinnamon sticks.  Let it simmer on low.  it’s the BEST aromatic you can get this time of year!  As it simmers, you get an incredible aroma of apple pie all over the house as it creates a feeling of hominess!  Just keep adding water and peels over the days as the water lowers.

“This recipe has been handed down for generations in my family and it’s always a crowd pleaser. The kids love it too! It’s fresh and tangy with just the right hint of sweet to balance a greatThanksgiving meal. Best of all, this recipe is mostly prepared the night before serving. Don’t you just love cranberries?! Share it with your family & enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!”

Mama Mary
Mother to 3  & Grandma to 6

Ingredients

• 1 package of fresh cranberries
• 3 apples, peeled, cored and diced to small pieces
• 1 C. canned crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 Pint of whipping cream
• 1 tsp
• 1 C sugar

Instructions

1. Add cranberries to a blender or food processor and chopp to ground consistency and place in a large bowl.
2. Add diced apples and pineapple and let stand in refridgerator overnight.
3. The  day of: Whip the whipping cream on high speed with a hand-mixer and add vanilla.
4. Slowly add sugar to the whipping cream and vanilla mixture (while whipping)  until mixture is stiff.
5. Add the whipped cream mixture to the fruit mixture and fold in one package of mini-marshmallows.

Serves 8

“You can turned pedestrian muffins into something that looks and tastes like it came out of a bakery. People will think you can actually cook. Family acceptance and parental love is all but assured!”

Ingredients:

• Store brand apple bran muffin mix
• Instant oatmeal, original flavor or apple cinnamon flavor
• Cinnamon to sprinkle
• One can apple pie filling

Directions:

1. Mix and prepare apple muffins according to the directions on the box.
2. Pour batter into muffin cups as per directions. Using a spoon, make a divot in the center of the batter in each muffin.
3. Add about a tablespoon full of apple pie filling to the center of each muffin.
4. Lightly dust each muffin with cinnamon and sprinkle the instant oatmeal on top.
5. Bake as per the instructions on the box, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. They are great at room temperature too!

Added nutritional hint: Johnathan sometimes adds about a quarter cup of soluble fiber supplement (the kind the rhymes with “anyfiber”) to bring more good stuff to the table.

This amazing muffin recipe was submitted by Malt-O-Meal Facebook Family Member, Johnathan. K. Enjoy! Do you have a favorite Holiday recipe that you would like to share in a Malt-O-Meal Facebook Family Cookbook edition? Visit us at www.facebook.com/MaltOMealFanPage to become a member of our family of Fans and to get full details! Enjoy!

“When I was growing up, Thanksgiving meant dealing with horrific traffic from Long Island to Staten Island, getting together with family, watching Mighty Joe Young, the Dallas Cowboys and enjoying the best stuffing on earth compliments of my cousin’s grandfather AKA “Popo” Mikey. Mikey was a cook in the Navy and passed this recipe on to our family. It’s not for the lighthearted—it’s practically a meal in itself. Vegetarians beware.

Ingredients

• 3 onions
• 2 cans of chicken broth
• 7 stalks cut celery
• hand full walnuts
• chicken liver small container
• 1 half pound thin bacon
• 1 Pepperidge farm ground sausage in a roll and Italian sausage
  thyme
• 2 bags croutons (stuffing mix)

Instructions

1. Mince bacon… easy to cut if frozen
2. Mince onions and celery in food processor
3. Boil liver about 5 minutes
4. Sautee bacon until fat is burned, put bacon in container.
5. Sautee onions and celery in bacon oil add chicken broth to moisten.
6. Put cooked ingredients in bowl
7. Cook minced sausage fully.  Add to container.
8. Place croutons in large bowl, add chicken broth to moisten.  When moist, add other ingredients from other bowl.  Mix together until consistency is like dry oatmeal.
9. Add walnuts and thyme.
10. Place in aluminum baking sheet and cook @ 300 degrees for 1 hour or until top is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes prior to serving.

This amazing stuffing recipe was contributed by David Armano. Do you have a favorite family recipe to share in a Malt-O-Meal Facebook Family Cookbook? Visit: www.facebook.com/MaltOMealFanPage to become a fan and get all the details. Enjoy!