NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S POTLUCK

          Back in the 80's while in college I often got invited to church potluck dinners where mid-western grandmas and church ladies brought oven-proof pyrex bakeware filled with "hot dish" or casserole.

This month it seemed timely to bring back the potluck idea.  I asked the ladies of our group to bring a modern twist to the church potluck theme.

We opened with cocktail, this time the tried & true Mimosas.

Next was a fresh take on Spinach Salad with

a sprinkling of Toasted Almonds and 

Pomegranate Blueberry Vinaigrette.

 

For the main course, given that this is November, some kind of turkey hot-dish would be most appropriate, thus we had Turkey Dressing Casserole served with a side dish of Glazed Carrot with Toasted Pecans.

Dessert was a modern take on Pumpkin Mousse adorned with crushed & whole gingersnap cookies, an ending accompanied by earnest prayers from our lips to God's ears.

Recipes

Turkey Dressing Casserole

1 lb. ground turkey

1 medium sweet onion, diced

1 cup diced sweet peppers

1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 box Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing bread cubes

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tbs.butter, room temp

1 tbs.olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Heat olive oil on non-stick skillet, add ground turkey and saute until brown, remove from skillet into a large bowl.

4. Add butter to the same skillet and cook onion and sweet peppers until onion is transluscent.

5. Into ground turkey bowl, add mixture of cooked onion & peppers.

6. Add cream of celery soup, chicken broth & stuffing bread cubes into bowl, mix all ingredients well.

7. Pour into a 12"x8"x4" baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking oil,  spread evenly.

8. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle top with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Glazed Carrots with Toasted Pecans 

1 tbs. olive oil

6 cups diagonally sliced (1/4 in.) peeled carrots

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups toasted pecan halves 

1. Heat oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat.

2. Add carrots and cook, stirring frequently, 4 minutes.

3. Stir in ginger and sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar melts, about 2 minutes.

4. Add pecans and cook until carrots are tender when pierced and mixture is glazed in sugar, 3 to 5 minutes.

Pumpkin Mousse Shooter 

2 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened

1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin

3/4 cup fat-free milk

1 package vanilla fat-free sugar-free instant pudding mix

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

3 cups thawed reduced-fat whipped topping, divided

4 gingersnap cookies, crushed 

1. Beat cream cheese in a medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.

2. Add pumpkin, milk, pudding mix, cinnamon, ginger and cloves and beat about 1 minute or until smooth.

3. Fold in 1 1/2 cups whipped topping.

4. Spoon 1/4 cup mousse into each of the eight 6 oz. dessert glasses.

5. Spoon 2 tablespoons whipped topping over mousse in each glass.

6. Top with 1/4 cup mousse. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

7. Just before serving, top each shooter with remaining whipped topping and gingersnap crushed cookie crumbs.