Hope everyone is sharing the day with loved ones and reflecting on family time. Here is a nice cocktail to make the day even better from http://www.cakenknife.com:

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz apple juice
• 1/2 oz cranberry juice
• Champagne (or Prosecco

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add vodka, apple juice, and cranberry juice to a champagne glass or highball glass.
2. Stir and top with champagne. Toast to everything you are thankful for and another great year!

Only two days left and what is everyone looking forward to Thanksgiving Day the pumpkin pie of course! Why not make mini pies and everyone will be extra excited to have their own personal pie. Check out this recipe from Martha and make a few extra toppings for your guest. Trader Joe’s has a few recipes of their own to add to your mini pies:

Ingredients

• 5 ounces Speculoos cookies (about 18 cookies, we used Trader Joe’s Brand)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream, chilled
• crystallized ginger, chopped, for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in center of oven. Place paper baking cups in a 12-cup muffin pan. Process cookies in a food processor until mixture forms fine crumbs, about 20 seconds. Add melted butter and ¼ teaspoon salt and pulse until combined, 4 to 5 times. Firmly press 1 tablespoon crumb mixture into bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Bake in preheated oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside.
• Beat pumpkin, condensed milk, eggs, grated ginger, vanilla, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Spoon about ¼ cup pumpkin mixture into each muffin cup. Return to oven, and bake until filling is slightly puffed and set in the center, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool in pan 20 minutes. Gently remove pies from muffin pan and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. Carefully remove paper baking cups from pies.
• Beat heavy cream with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Dollop pies with whipped cream, and garnish with crystallized ginger.

Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream

INGREDIENTS

• 1 8-ounce carton Whipping Cream
• 3 teaspoons TJ’s Pumpkin Pie Spice (seasonal)
• 3 tablespoons TJ’s Organic Powdered Sugar

DIRECTIONS

Pour whipping cream into a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or whisk, whip until soft peaks form. Add Pumpkin Pie Spice and sugar and continue whipping to desired texture.

Sugar Pumpkin Pie Nuts

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb assorted TJ’s Nuts (TJ’s Raw Cashew Pieces, TJ’s Raw Pecan Pieces, TJ’s Walnut Halves & Pieces)
• 1 cup TJ’s Whole Milk
• 1 1/2 cups TJ’s Sugar
• 3/4 tsp TJ’s Salt
• 2 tsp TJ’s Pumpkin Pie Spice (seasonal)
• 1 tsp TJ’s Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS

Place assorted nuts into a large bowl, set aside.

In a medium pot, combine the milk, sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice and place over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to come to a boil until it reaches at least 235°F but no more than 245°F.

Tip: If you do not have a candy thermometer, a great way to determine if you’ve reached this temperature range is to drop a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed from the water—now you know!

Remove pot from heat, add vanilla extract, stir and pour over the bowl of mixed nuts. Using a wooden or silicone spatula, coat the nuts and lay on a flat surface covered with parchment or wax paper to cool. Once cooled, break apart and enjoy! Use as a topping on a salad, add to a fruit and cheese plate or simply eat by the handful.

The countdown is on so if your menu is not finalized here are a few other options for a missing casserole. Our friends at http://www.loveandlemons.com never lets us down especially for my vegan guest:

Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• 1 heaping cup chopped leeks, white and light green parts, rinsed well
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (or 5 cloves roasted garlic from this recipe, minced)
• Heaping ¼ cup chopped fresh sage, plus about 12 small leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• Heaping 5 cups cubed sourdough bread (1-inch cubes)
• 1½ cups vegetable broth, more if needed
• 8 tiny pearl onions, peeled and sliced in half
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butternut squash cubes on the pan and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and generous pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast 25 minutes or until tender.
2. Reduce the oven heat to 350°F and lightly grease or spray a 7.5×10-inch (or similar) pan with olive oil.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, and generous pinches of salt and pepper and cook until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, chopped sage, and rosemary and stir. Add the wine, stir, and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the bread, then 1 cup of the broth, and gently toss until the bread cubes are evenly coated. Transfer to a baking dish and drizzle on the remaining ½ cup of broth, especially over areas that may seem dry. Evenly distribute the butternut squash, pearl onions, and sage leaves through the spaces between the bread. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top along with a few more pinches of salt and pepper.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on top. Sprinkle on the cranberries and chopped parsley, and serve.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 5 large sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk, more if necessary
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup fresh sage leaves

Crumble Topping

• ⅓ cup whole rolled oats
• ¼ cup pecans, more for garnish
• ¼ cup walnuts, more for garnish
• ½ garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ¼ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush an 8×11-inch baking dish, or similar, with olive oil.
• Use a fork to poke a few holes into the sweet potatoes. Place on the baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 60 minutes.
• Make the crumble topping: In a food processor, place the oats, pecans, walnuts, garlic, maple syrup, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and salt and pulse until just combined. Remove and set aside.
• Scoop the cooked sweet potato flesh out of the skins and place in a food processor. Add the olive oil, almond milk, ginger, salt, and several grinds of pepper and process to combine. Spread the mixture into the baking dish.
• Sprinkle with the crumble topping, additional nuts, and sage. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 20 minutes or until the topping is browned and crisp.

Vegan Stuffing

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cipollini onions
• 3 cups chopped & stemmed mushrooms, mix of shiitakes & creminis
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped sage, plus 8 leaves for garnish
• 2 tablespoons minced rosemary
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 5 cups cubed crusty ciabatta + nine-grain bread*
• 3 lacinato kale leaves, coarsely chopped or torn
• 2 cups vegetable broth, plus more for reheating
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8×12 or 9×13 casserole dish.
• In a very large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper, and let the mushrooms cook until they begin to soften, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Add the garlic, celery, sage, and rosemary, and cook until everything is soft and the mushrooms are golden brown, 8-10 minutes.
• Add the balsamic vinegar, stir, and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the bread and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and toss to coat. Add the kale and cook until it begins to wilt, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the broth and stir.
• Transfer to a casserole dish and pour the remaining 1 cup broth evenly over the stuffing.
• Sprinkle with the dried cranberries, remaining whole sage leaves and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for at least 15 minutes or until ready to serve.

To reheat, add a bit more stock and bake until warmed through and slightly crisp on top.*Crusty bakery bread works best in this recipe. Soft sandwich bread will become too soggy.

Can’t find any sugar skulls for your alter this year make some! It’s really easy just sugar mix and any size skull mold is all you need. Check out the link below to make your:

• Both decorative and edible, sugar skulls, or Calaveras de azúcar, are one of the most iconic elements of Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration. These cranium-shaped objects are created in sizes from tiny to life-sized and adorned with brightly-colored icing, metallic paper, sequins, or other decorative details. Often, attached to the forehead is a tiny slip of paper featuring a person’s name—the person creating the skull, the one receiving it, or the person being remembered. The skulls are used both as an offering for the dearly departed on a family’s altar and as a sign of affection to the living when given as a gift (a gentle reminder of our own mortality).Visit any Mexican market in the month of October and you will see entire stands dedicated to the sale of skulls made out of sugar, chocolate, amaranth, gumdrop-like gelatin, and other edible materials.
•  You will need a few ingredients and some special equipment to make your own sugar skulls, some of which you may have in your pantry, like granulated sugar and powdered sugar, and perhaps meringue powder and paste food coloring. The quantity of the granulated sugar will depend on how many sugar skulls you will be making and what size they will be. Approximately 1 cup of sugar should be enough for 6 very small skulls, 4 medium, or 1 large. The powdered sugar is used for the decorative icing, and the paste food coloring—best in bright colors—is to tint the icing. The meringue powder, available in supermarkets and baking supply stores, helps to hold the sugar together. You will also need a large bowl, some water, a flat plate or piece of cardboard, an electric mixer, icing decorator bags, and any other decorations you like such as foil, sequins, or feathers. Having a few disposable cups and some popsicle sticks is also handy. Make sure you have a large, dry area for the sugar skulls to dry undisturbed (once for the sugar to dry and solidify, then later for the icing to dry and harden).                                                                                            
• Prepare the SugarThe first step is to ready the sugar mixture to form the skulls. For every cup of sugar, mix in 1 teaspoon of meringue powder and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of water on top. Work the water into the sugar with your fingers until the mixture feels like cool beach sand. This takes a few minutes, so be patient. The sugar is ready when you can press your finger or thumb into it and the print will stay.
• Fill the MoldFill the mold with the sugar paste and press firmly with the palm of your hand. When the skull is full and pressed into the mold, use the back of a knife to scrape off excess sugar and then even off the surface. Lightly re-press the scraped surface to smooth it.
• Remove From Mold and Let DryPlace a piece of cardboard or flat plate over the sugar skull. Hold the skull mold tightly on the cardboard or plate and flip it over. Remove the mold from the sugar and place the skull—plate and all—in a place where it can dry undisturbed. Repeat these steps until you run out of sugar.
• Make the IcingTo make the icing you will need 2/3 cup water, 1/2 cup meringue powder, and 2 pounds powdered sugar. Beat the water, meringue powder, and powdered sugar with a large electric mixer until the icing peaks, about 9 minutes. Divide the icing into smaller portions (disposable cups and popsicle sticks work well for this) and use the paste food coloring to tint each portion a different color. Place the icing in the decorator bags. Snip the end of each bag when you’re ready to decorate. Start very small with the snip; you can make it bigger if necessary.
• Decorate the Skulls Now you are ready to decorate your skulls however you like. Use the icing to create designs. If you’re adding foil, beads, or feathers, use the icing as a glue to attach them. (If you attach non-edible items to the skull, remove these before eating, or use the skulls only for decoration.) You can also use ready-made royal icing or tubes of colored white chocolate to use for decorating your skulls.Place the decorated skulls in a place to dry undisturbed. The icing will harden as it dries. Once dry, attach the skull halves of any 2-piece skulls to each other, which you can do with the icing. Once both the sugar and icing are completely dry, your sugar skulls can be touched, eaten, bagged, displayed, etc. If you do have trouble getting your skulls to dry and harden, try putting them in a warm oven for 2 hours or so.

One of the most common food for celebrating the Dead of The Dead is the Day of The Dead bread. It can be found in most bakeries and markets during the Month of October until Nov 2. Sometimes if you are lucky they may have sugar skulls also. This year I decided to make my own:

Ingredients

500 grams wheat flour
4 tablespoons flax
8 tablespoons water
3/4 cup brown sugar
15 grams active dry yeast
90 grams margarine
1/2 cup almond milk
1 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Finishing decor
2 tablespoons melted margarine
Refined sugar to cover bread

Directions

1. Mix the flaxseed with the 8 tablespoons of water, let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Place the flour in a bowl, form a hole in the center and pour the linaza, sugar, yeast, margarine, almond milk, orange zest and salt.
3. Mix dough by hand or using the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer, mix on low until dough comes together.
4. Grease a mixing bowl with coconut oil, add the ball dough and cover it loosely with plastic wrap.
5. Place the bowl in a warm spot in the kitchen, let it rise for two hours or until it doubles in size.
6. Once dough is ready, gently punch the dough down to deflate then roll onto floured surface. Knead the dough a few times until smooth. Knead in more flour if dough is still sticky.
7. Preheat Oven 350 F
8. Separate 1/4 of the dough, divide it into three parts, stretch two of these into strips and mark your fingers well to form the bones. Make a ball with the remaining dough and knead to make a large bun.
9. Using a pastry brush and water apply the bones strip to the large bun one going from one end to the other end. Apply the second bone strip on top of first from one end to another end to make an X on bun. On top of the bun place a small dough ball.
10. Place the bread on to oiled baking tray, let stand for 30 more minutes.
11. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
12. Let bread cool for a few minutes and brush with melted margarine and sprinkle sugar over the bread for the finishing touch.