Creamy Turkey and Mushroom Soup with Mushroom Ravioli

Thanksgiving leftovers are the best! They're already comfort food. They're also absolutely fabulous thrown into soups, stews, casseroles, and pies. Most years I make a big ol' pot of turkey, or creamy turkey, noodle soup. This year I thought I'd mushroom it up a little - okay, a lot. So I made a pot of Creamy Turkey and Mushroom Soup with Mushroom Ravioli.

This soup is packed with mushroom and roasted turkey flavor. A little bit of rendered bacon, some cream, and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence don't hurt anything either. 😉




The mushroom triple threat in this luxurious soup comes from baby portobellos cooked down with the mirepiox, a can of cream of mushroom soup stirred into the broth, and mushroom stuffed ravioli cooked in at the end. De-lish!




Start by rendering two slices of bacon.




Then, cook the mirepiox in the bacon grease.




Add in the mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid is gone. This concentrates that lovely mushroom flavor.




Turkey broth, cream of mushroom soup, roasted turkey, and seasonings get added to the pot and simmered for 15 minutes. The flavors meld together in a glorious symphony of mushroom and roasted turkey awesomeness.

After that, the ravioli gets stirred in, and then the cream. Lastly, a slurry of cornstarch and broth gets added in to thicken up the soup a bit.

I served this soup with Fluffy Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls. Recipe coming soon!

Enjoy those leftovers everyone!

Creamy Turkey & Mushroom Soup with Mushroom Ravioli

INGREDIENTS
2 strips of bacon, diced
4 cups chopped mirepiox (onions, carrots & celery)
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz sliced baby portobello mushrooms
2 cups roasted turkey or chicken, chopped
1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
8 cups turkey or chicken broth
2 9 oz packages mushroom ravioli
1 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp corn starch

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large dutch oven or soup pot, cook bacon over medium high heat until rendered and crispy.
2. Add mirepiox and cook until veggies are starting to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
3. Add in the mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Add in the broth, cream of mushroom soup, turkey, herbs, and 1 tsp of the salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add ravioli and cook for 4 minutes.
6. Stir in the cream.
7. Taste the soup and add up to 1/2 tsp more salt, or to taste.
8. Make a slurry by whisking together 1 Tbsp cornstarch and a little broth from the soup. Stir the slurry into the soup and bring to a boil. Then cook for 2 or 3 minutes until soup thickens a little.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

Oh me, oh my, it's banana cream pie! Well, actually, it's a Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie... made with Nutter Butters. Uh, yeah!

Meet this Thanksgiving's favorite cream pie - Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie!

This pie is rich and creamy and packed with peanut butter and banana flavor. The pie starts with a buttery nutter butter crust, a layer of fresh and fragrant sliced banana, creamy dreamy banana cream pudding, more sliced banana, crumbled Nutter Butters, luscious peanut butter whipped cream, and more crumbled Nutter Butters. Whew! That's a mouthful.

Okay, let's make the crust.

Put 20 Nutter Butters in a food processor to make crumbs.




Add 4 tablespoons of melted butter and press into your pie dish. Bake for 8 minutes and cool completely.




Whip up your pudding.

Lay down a layer of sliced bananas, pour in the pudding, lay down more sliced banana, and crumble some Nutter Butters on top of that.

Creamy dreamy peanut butter whipped cream tops this decadent Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie.

Now, whip up that luscious peanut butter whipped cream. I used a natural peanut butter, but any pb will do. Heap the cream onto your pie and spread evenly.

Crumble some more Nutter Butters on top and refrigerate a few hours until set.

If you like cream pie on your Thanksgiving dessert table, then this is a must-make!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie
(makes 1 deep dish pie)

INGREDIENTS
16 oz package Nutter Butter sandwich cookies, divided
4 Tbsp melted butter
5.1 oz packet banana cream pudding/pie filling
2 1/2 cups cold whole milk
3 large bananas, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
1 pint whipping cream
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp vanilla pudding mix
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Zap 20 Nutter Butters in a food processor to make crumbs. Mix in melted butter and press into a deep dish pie tin/plate.
3. Bake for 8 minutes and then allow to cool completely.
4. Whisk banana pudding mix with cold milk for 3 to 5 minutes until thick.
5. Line the bottom of your cooled crust with banana slices and pour in the pudding. Top with another layer of banana slices and then crumble about 4 or 5 more Nutter Butters over the slices. Set in the fridge while you make the whipped cream.
6. In a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to whisk together the whipping cream, peanut butter, Tbsp of vanilla pudding mix, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Start low. As the cream thickens, increase to high and whisk until stiff peaks form. Keep an eye on it so as not to over-whip.
7. Pile the peanut butter cream on top of your pie and spread evenly.
8. Crumble a few more Nutter Butters on top.
9. Refrigerate pie for 2 to 4 hours until firm and set.
10. Keep refrigerated.

Carrot Cardamom Pie with Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream

Indian food is my very favorite. When my hubby suggested a carrot pie I turned to my favorite Indian dessert for inspiration - spiced carrot pudding. Ever had it? It's like a rice pudding made with shredded carrot instead of rice. Carrots are cooked down with sugar, milk, golden raisins, and cardamom to make a gorgeous pudding that's garnished with nuts. It's totally delish. These are the fabulous flavors I put into my Carrot Cardamom Pie with Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream.

Take Thanksgiving to the next level with my Carrot Cardamom Pie and Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream.

This Carrot Cardamom Pie is just as creamy and sweet as any ol' pumpkin or sweet potato pie. Roasting the carrots brings out their natural sweetness, and the cardamom adds a happy surprise of exotic autumn flavor to the custard. Oh, and the pistachio cardamom whipped cream? It really is something special. You may end up squirting half the piping bag down your throat. Save some for the pie, will ya!




Start by roasting yourself about 8 large carrots.




Once cooled, zap them in a food processor until pureed. You may need to stop your machine and push down the contents a few times.




I used a sourdough pastry shell for my pie, but a regular one will do just fine - just make sure it's deep dish. I blind baked my crust for 15 to 20 minutes to avoid a soggy bottom.

Mix up your carrot custard and pour into your cooled crust. Wrap foil gently around the edges of the pie and bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake another 25 to 30 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Get foodie fancy with this Carrot Cardamom Pie and Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream.

When your pie is completely cool, make your whipped cream and pipe pretty swirls all around it. Or, you can just heap it all on top like a cream pie. This recipe makes a stabilized whipped cream, so you don't have to worry about it turning into a puddle as it sits on your dessert table.

Pretty swirls of Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream top this foodie fabulous Carrot Cardamom Pie.

Go "foodie" this Thanksgiving by serving this spin on the classic pumpkin pie and amaze your guests with the delectable flavors of cardamom and pistachio.




Carrot Cardamom Pie with Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream
(makes 1 deep dish pie)

INGREDIENTS
For the Carrot Cardamom Pie:
about 8 to 10 large carrots
olive oil to coat
1 deep dish single pie crust (I used sourdough pastry)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
12 oz evaporated milk

For the Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream:
1 pint whipping cream
1 Tbsp pistachio pudding mix
1/3 cup powdered sugar
a scant 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp cardamom

another 1/4 tsp cardamom to garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, line a large baking sheet with foil and lightly grease.
2. Peel and cut carrots into similar sized pieces so they roast evenly. Toss them with a little olive oil, dump onto baking sheet, and roast for 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife easily slides into the chunks.
3. Allow carrots to cool and lower oven temp to 375 degrees.
4. Blind bake your crust. Line the crust with foil, fill with 1 lb dry beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans, push down any puffiness, and bake another 5 minutes. Allow crust to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Raise the oven temp to 400 degrees.
5. When carrots are cool enough, put them in a food processor and process until you have a puree. I had to stop the machine and push the mixture down several times.
6. Weigh out 15 oz of carrot puree (or about 1 1/2 cups) and place in a bowl.
7. Beat the eggs into the puree and then beat in the rest of the pie ingredients using a whisk.
8. Pour the custard into your cooled crust and lightly wrap the edges with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the edges look too brown as the pie bakes, cover them again with foil.
9. Allow pie to cool completely.
10. Beat all of the ingredients for the whipped cream until stiff peaks form.
11. Pipe rosettes or simple puffs all around the pie, sprinkle a little cardamom over the cream, and serve with any leftover whipped cream. You can also just pile all of the whipped cream onto the pie at once for a more cream pie kinda look.

Easy Thanksgiving Garland

Thanksgiving is my favorite. I'm sorry to say that the discipline of gratitude isn't always on my radar throughout the year - except for the month of November. In November the weather is grand, the anticipation of an amazing feast with the ones I love fills my mind and heart, and my home is warm with good ol'-fashioned comfort food and the sweet faces of my little family. I admit, it's much easier for me to have thoughts and feelings of gratitude at this time of year.

So, my goal each November is to take advantage of a thankful disposition and usher our little family into a season of gratitude in whatever way fits us best. This year I've incorporated my boys' love for decorating with a discipline of gratitude in this easy Thanksgiving garland.

This garland is fairly simple to make. No sewing, no gluing - just a few thumb tacks here and there.

Here's what you'll need for this craft to line a descent sized archway:

6 yards wide orange wired ribbon
2 dozen felt leaves (mine came already cut)
4 to 6 dozen mini clothespins
8 to 10 sheets of card stock to print the thankful cards
a printer
sissors
chalk
a handful of push pins




Print out about 8 copies of the thankful cards using the template below. I thought a chalkboard design would be cute and we could write out our thanksgivings in chalk. My printer printed them best in the black and white setting. You can have kids cut them out.

Measure out where you want to hang your garland. When I say that, I really mean, kinda hold it up and try to picture where you want it to start and end. 😉 It can go around an archway, doorway, or just draped along a wall. You could also twirl in some little white twinkly lights. That would be so pretty.

Our Easy Thanksgiving Garland hangs in our dining room as a daily reminder to give thanks.

I thought it would be fun to have our garland hanging in our dining room where we'll be enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.



Hang the ribbon by pushing a thumb tack into one end and pinning it to the wall. I had two 3 yard long ribbons to work with, so I started them both at the top middle of my archway to get the most even hanging on either side of the arch.

Twirl the ribbon like a streamer bending the wire a little, if you need to, to get it to stay twisted. Press a tack through the ribbon and into the wall wherever you see fit to secure it.

This Easy Thanksgiving Garland sports the most adorable chalkboard thankful cards for us to write our thanksgivings on throughout the month.

Once your ribbon is secure, have kids use the clothespins to hang up leaves and thankful cards. If you have small children helping, you may need to rearrange some of the decorations. Just say'n. 

Throughout the month, the whole family can grab a card and write something they're thankful for with chalk. Have fun talking about new additions to the garland at dinnertimes. You can also share your favorite thanksgivings at your Thanksgiving feast.




Aren't these chalkboard cards just adorable? Happy crafting!