Spicy Roasted Seeds

I had leftover seeds from the squash. I dried them out over night and then roasted them.

Mix in a bowl to evenly coat:

Vegetable Oil (I used Grapeseed Oil)

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

I preheated the oven to 275 degrees.

Once they were evenly coated, I spread them on the pan.

Roasted for 20 minutes.

They turned out pretty spicy! I’d probably use less cayenne next time. They roasted nicely and are crunchy and delicious (and eye-wateringly spicy)!

Here’s the recipe for the mashed potatoes we had on Thanksgiving:

Alton Brown’s Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• 3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan

Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.

Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.

Note: We did not take the skin off any of the potatoes. Plus we used half russet potatoes and half small red potatoes. We also used a jar of minced garlic instead of fresh.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Here’s the recipe for the AMAZING stuffing we used on Thanksgiving:

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

• 1 lb. fresh sausage
• 1/4 pound (1/2 cup) butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup red or green bell pepper
• 5 cups dry bread cubes
• 5 cups crumbled cornbread
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning – such as Bell’s® Seasoning
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 can cream of chicken soup

Preparation –
If the sausage is in links, remove the casing. In a large skillet, brown the loose sausage meat. Drain, remove meat from the skillet and set the meat aside. Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the onion,celery, and bell pepper and cook until barely tender; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the Cornbread and the seasonings. Stir in the milk and chicken broth. Add the onion/celery mixture and the sausage and mix well.

To bake the stuffing separately-
Place the stuffing mixture in a buttered casserole dish. Cover and bake at 325º for about about 35 minutes.

Note: We added cashews and it TOTALLY made the stuffing awesome.

I am still craving that stuffing. Damn. It might need to be made on Christmas too!