Stuffed Belgian Endive

Here is a simple recipe that is a crowd-pleaser. You can serve them up on a cocktail buffet, or as first course. If you manage to have any leftovers, put the filling in a pita and stuff with some spinach for a tasty healthy sandwich.

Stuffed Belgian Endive
by Tracy

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 links Bilinski's Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage, diced
1/2 cup Granny Smith apple, diced
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup parsley chopped
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4-6 Belgian Endives, washed, ends trimmed and leaves separated

Garnish
4 Tablespoons pomegranate seeds
2 Tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the feta, sausage, apple, pecans and parsley, set aside. In small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise, thyme and salt. Pour the whisked ingredients over the sausage mixture and toss to coat.

Using a Tablespoon, scoop the mixture into the endive leaves. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, crumbled feta and parsley. Serve.

Pancit "Bi"hon

As you might know, I was in the military and one of the best benefits ever to serving our country was traveling to others. My travels included some fantastic places where I learned to love other cultures and FOOD! I have a lot of recipes that I make and try to re-make almost weekly. One of my loves is for Filipino food. I am enamored by rice noodles and fresh vegetables. That is why this dish came to mind instantly. Pancit Bihon is made with rice noodles, any vegetables you want and basically any protein or seafood you can imagine. I, of course, would love for you to try it with Bilinski's Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage, but to be honest, they have a multitude of wonderful all-natural, casing-free and gluten-free sausage that would be absolutely perfect with this dish.

Pancit Bihon
by Traci
Adapted from my travels

6.75 ounces rice stick noodles
Warm water
2 Tablespoons oil, divided
1 12-ounce package Bilinski's Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage, sliced into rounds
1/2 cup carrot sticks
1 cup medium sliced celery
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
4 green onions, medium-sliced
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 to 1/2 Tablespoons sesame oil (personal taste)
1 cup julienned cabbage

In a large container, place the noodles in warm water to soak while you start the rest of the dish. They will loosen up and you will need to move them around a bit.

In a small frying pan with 1 Tablespoon of oil, add your sausage and cook until just heated through. Set aside.

In a large frying pan on medium heat, add remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil. Add carrots and celery. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add in your garlic and half the green onion. Let it just cook through. Add stock, soy sauce and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer.

Drain your rice noodles.

Add cabbage, rice noodles and Bilinski's sausage. Toss to combine all ingredients. When the cabbage has wilted down a bit you are complete.

Plate with extra green onions on top. I also roasted some kale chips as a side...you should ask the other 36 about their ideas for kale chips. They are amazing.

You are going to be so excited about this dish. Try it with the other varieties of Bilinski's sausages. I know I am!!

#beewell

Chicken Sausage Purple Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Breakfast, brunch, snack, or dinner, it's the perfect time for these quesadillas. When choosing a recipe for this challenge, I wanted something fresh, healthy and vibrant.

A good friend of mine awhile back told me about these magical purple sweet potatoes he had had while in Hawaii 2 years ago. I've been on the lookout for them ever since and FINALLY came upon them at the store last week. Unlike many vegetables that have a tendency to fade when cooking, these keep their deep purple color. They do take a little longer to cook, so keep that in mind. But, if you can't find these beauties, a good ol' classic sweet potato will work just fine.

I decided to pair this quesadilla with a fresh fruit salsa. I wanted one that could hold up a few days and not get mushy. If you've never tasted an Asian pear, they're more like an apple in consistency than a pear. So you can sub your favorite apple variety if you can't find these, as well.

I also used the golden pineapple variety because of it's natural sweetness and smoother texture. If you use a regular one, just make sure it's more on the extra ripe side. Finally the yogurt dip. Either you love or hate Greek yogurt. If you don't like it, use a lighter sour cream. But, I think the addition of the citrus to the yogurt makes it taste very close.

Chicken Sausage Purple Sweet Potato Quesadillas
by Holly

1/2 quart fresh strawberries, finely chopped
1 Asian pear, diced
1 small golden pineapple, finely chopped
1 small lime, juiced
1/2 Tablespoon honey
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (or fresh flat leaf parsley), chopped
Kosher salt

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
Juice of half of small orange (use other half for garnish if desired)
1 medium purple sweet potato (or red), peeled and diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper

Cooking spray
1 12-ounce package Bilinski's Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage, diced
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

6 eggs
6 Mission® Garden Spinach Herb tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

For the salsa:
In a small bowl, gently mix the strawberries, pear, pineapple, lime juice, honey, cilantro and a pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap to avoid browning of the fruit.

For the yogurt dip:
In another small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and orange juice. Blend well. Keep in refrigerator until ready to plate.

Heat oven to 350°F. Cover a standard sheet pan with parchment paper. Combine the diced sweet potato with olive oil, lightly salt and pepper. Roast for 40-45 minutes until tender, careful to not overcook. Remove from oven.

Lightly coat a medium sauté pan with cooking spray. On medium-high heat, brown the sausage, stirring frequently as not to burn. Cook about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In another sauté pan, add butter and eggs. Cook low and slow until just scrambled. Add the eggs to the sausage mixture.

Quesadilla time! In a large sauté pan, lightly coat with cooking spray. On medium heat, add a tortilla, top with 1/4 cup cheese, 1/3 of sausage/egg mixture, 1/4 of potatoes, 1/4 cup of cheese and another tortilla. Cook approximately 2-3 minutes until lightly browned on underside and cheese has started to melt on the bottom layer. Carefully flip quesadilla over and cook another 2 minutes until golden brown and cheese is completely melted. Slide quesadilla to a cutting board and let cool slightly before cutting into thirds and plating. Repeat the previous steps to make 2 more quesadillas. (NOTE: you will have some potatoes leftover for garnishing the plates).

Place quesadillas on plates or serve 'family style' on a platter. Sprinkle with the fruit salsa and yogurt dip.

Other links to follow:

 -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bilinski-Sausage-Co/122755236792

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/bilinskisausage
-Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/bilinskisausage/
-Instagram: http://instagram.com/bilinskisausage

Small Bites, Big Flavor... Kale Balsamic Chicken Rangoons

When the nice folks over at the Bilinski's offered us a chance to sample a new product of theirs, I was thrilled. This brand is difficult to find in my area, so it was a real treat to work with something that I otherwise might not have been able to locate. Their Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage is very healthy and also very tasty. To me, that's a win-win kitchen situation! I decided to try my hand at an Asian-inspired appetizer, my take on those yummy little cream cheese filled nibbles, "rangoons". My version is much richer (my husband said that the filling reminded him of pate), and quite a bit healthier to boot. Yes, there is a bit of cheese involved, but they also include spinach, tomatoes, and other good things. These can be baked (if you're trying to stay healthy) or fried (if you're feeling naughty.) Either way, they are mighty fine little bites of flavor. They are very rich, so a few go a long way. They can be made ahead and frozen until needed, as well. Perfect for a large group or a quick snack!

Small Bites, Big Flavor...Kale Balsamic Chicken Rangoons

by Chris
Adapted from "Sausage Rangoons" from the Eating Well for One Blog

2 ounces olive oil (for sauteing)
1 Tablespoon onion, diced
1 Tablespoon plus one teaspoon sun dried tomatoes, diced (dry packed, not in oil)
2 Tablespoons frozen, chopped spinach (defrosted and with as much moisture as possible squeezed/patted out)
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
3 ounces Neufchatel cheese (or low-fat cream cheese), at room temperature
1 teaspoon mayonnaise (low-fat is okay)
2 links of Bilinski's Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage, diced
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used Grana Padano)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt, to taste (I used about 3-4 pinches)
1 large package of egg roll wrappers, each cut into 4 even squares/quarters
Parchment paper
Cooking spray or olive oil in a spray bottle

Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet and add the onion and sun dried tomatoes, cooking until both have softened, about 1-2 minutes. Add the spinach and garlic and continue to heat for another minute. Set aside.

Combine the cream cheese (Neufchatel) and the mayonnaise in a microwaveable bowl. Heat for about 20 seconds and stir, mixing well. Add the diced sausage, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice and carefully blend the mixture together. Then add the spinach mixture and gently mix, microwaving for another 20 seconds if necessary. Make sure that everything is well blended, but do not over- work the filling. Also make sure that the filling is not too hot. Warm is okay to work with, but "hot" will create holes in the wrappers when filling them!

Working in small batches (no more than 12 small squares at a time), gently place about 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon of the sausage and cheese mixture in the center of each small square of dough (if you have other squares of wrappers sitting out, cover with a damp paper towel until ready to use them. Leaving them stacked also helps to keep them moist.) Using a pastry brush (or your fingers), moisten the edges of the filled squares. Pull two diagonal corners upward until they meet, and twist them together, closing the top of the rangoon. Gently squeeze the other sides together, closing any gaps where the filling could escape. Use your fingers to create "wings" with the sides, or continue by pinching them upward with the first two corners, creating an enclosed packet of sorts. Again, pinch closed any holes or openings in the wrapper, as to keep the filling inside of the rangoon. Shape as desired.

Line a wire baking rack with a sheet of parchment paper (cut to fit the rack.) Preheat the oven to 350°F, and spray the parchment lightly with your cooking spray/olive oil. Place the rangoons carefully on the oiled paper (do not crowd them), and lightly spray the tops as well. Bake at 350°F WITH the convection feature turned on for about 9 minutes. If your oven does not have a convection setting, it will take another 1-3 minutes to completely cook the rangoons. Watch them carefully so that they do not burn.

If you would like to make the rangoons ahead of time and freeze them, be sure to remove them from the freezer at least 2-3 hours before cooking. I do not recommend keeping these in the refrigerator for more than a day or two, as the chicken sausage is pre-cooked and is perishable. Also, the wrappers do not do well in the refrigerator once they have been filled, but not cooked. They are best eaten fresh out of the oven, either alone or with a sweet and sour dipping sauce or a fruit chutney/other sweet sauce on the side (to cut the richness of the filling.) Any that are baked, but not eaten may be refrigerated and reheated the following day in a conventional oven. They do not reheat well in the microwave.

“Portuguese” Kale Soup

Did you make a New Year resolution to find a few healthy recipes this year? I sure did! Here in the Northeast, we are in the midst of another cold winter. It isn’t looking like we will get the same snowfall we experienced last year, but we are still dealing with below average temps and looking for comfort food to keep us warm. Keeping my New Year resolution in mind along with winter comfort food, I always turn to soup. Soup is warm, filling and satisfying. When I received the soon to be introduced Bilinski’s Organic Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage, my first thought was to create a “Portuguese” Kale Soup. While the soup is traditionally prepared with linguica sausage and potatoes, my version is light, healthy and full of flavor!

“Portuguese” Kale Soup
by Susan R-H
Serves 6-8

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon course sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes)
1 12-ounce package of Bilinski’s Organic Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage, sliced into 1/4” coins

1/4 cup dry white wine
6 cups unsalted organic chicken stock
2 15.5-ounce cans of organic cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained but not rinsed
8 ounces organic baby kale

Heat the olive oil until shimmering in a heavy bottomed 6-quart pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to release the fragrance, but do not let the garlic start to brown as it will become bitter. Add the salt, black pepper and Aleppo pepper. Now add the sausage and white wine, stirring frequently, allowing the sausage to absorb the flavors of the onion and garlic. Continue stirring until the wine has cooked off. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the beans and lower the heat to medium low. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the baby kale and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Let the soup stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread or soup crackers.

Chicken Vitellus

This challenge could not come at a better time. We all try to eat better as a new year rolls around. I’ve made it my mission to eat healthy all year, but then there are donuts. I mean Krispy Kreme is just heaven to taste buds. Right? Not so much to your hips and arteries. Right?

I love this challenge because it gave me the opportunity to come up with a dish that I could make again and again while continuing to eat healthy and starting the year off with a new, fresh recipe. This recipe is found in Huckleberry. It doesn’t originally have meat in it, but I knew Bilinski’s Organic Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage would be the perfect, healthy addition.

I had never had quinoa. I love it! I can’t believe I went this long with never having it before. The texture of this meal was great with the Bilinski’s Organic Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage. The flavors in the sausage combined with the quinoa and sweet carrots worked very well together. The creamy-ness of the fried egg yolk on top is just the perfect touch.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Chicken Vitellus
by Rebbekkah
Adapted from Huckleberry (Original recipe named Quinoa, Baby Carrots, Sprouting Broccoli and Eggs)

1 small bag of whole baby carrots
2 1/2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Dash of garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons water, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
2 cups frozen broccoli
1 12-ounce package of Bilinski’s Organic Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage
2 to 4 eggs
Fleur de sel for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Toss carrots in 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil, a dash of garlic salt and pepper. Spread on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and roast until brown and soft, about 35 minutes.

In a medium saucepan heat 1 Tablespoon of butter over medium heat until fully melted and sizzling. Add your onions and sauté until lucid, about three to four minutes. Add the quinoa and salt. Sauté for a minute. Add 2 cups of water and simmer over medium heat until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest, set aside.

In a separate saucepan heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil with the garlic until fragrant. Add broccoli, 2 Tablespoons of water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover and sauté until soft. Meanwhile, slice your Bilinski’s Organic Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage. Once your broccoli is soft, add the sausage and allow it to heat through. This will only take about five minutes. Stir occasionally. Lower your heat and add in the carrots and quinoa. Mix until well incorporated and cook for an additional two minutes. Take mixture off of the heat and set it to the side with the lid on.

Heat a Tablespoon of butter on medium heat until melted. Crack two eggs (or one at a time. If you do one at a time, you only need 1/2 Tablespoon of butter per egg). Allow the egg to cook until the whites are solid and set but allowing the yolks to be runny. I suggest cooking all your eggs before moving on so it will be easier to plate your food.

Plate with the quinoa mixture and gently lay fried egg(s) on top. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve immediately.

Southern Gumbo with Bilinski's Chicken Sausage

On the way home to Atlanta after visiting friends and family in Texas for the holidays, we stopped in Jackson, MS for the night. It was New Year’s Day and we went in search of dinner. We located several interesting places to try, only to learn that they were all closed. We remembered that the hotel restaurant was open when we checked in, so we returned with low expectations.

The hotel was a Jackson landmark that had been brilliantly redone and the restaurant offered Southern cuisine. Our waiter was adamant that we had to try the great Southern Gumbo, if for no other reason than it was New Year's and the gumbo had black-eyed peas and collard greens, two foods considered to be lucky foods in the South to start the New Year.

After ordering a cup each, we were delighted and could have made a meal of the gumbo. After dinner I immediately set my mind to recreating it for this 37 Cooks challenge. This is not a traditional Louisiana-style gumbo, although it does use some common ingredients. Give it a try, I think you will be surprised!

Southern Gumbo with Bilinski's Chicken Sausage
by Willie

Black-eyed Peas:
1 pound dry black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 quart chicken broth
Water to cover
2 bay leaves

Place soaked black-eyed peas in a slow cooker and add chicken broth. Add water to cover peas by 2 inches and add bay leaves. Cook on high until peas are firm but tender, about 4-6 hours depending on slow cooker. Periodically check water level and maintain at 1 inch above the peas. Remove bay leaves.

Roux:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large finely chopped onion
1 large finely chopped bell pepper
4 stalks finely chopped celery

Place oil in heavy skillet or dutch oven and heat on medium heat. Stir in flour and stir constantly until mixture is dark brown, about 6-8 minutes, being careful not to burn the flour. Add chopped onion, bell pepper and celery and cook until vegetables are soft, constantly stirring mixture. It will be very hot, so carefully add to the cooked black-eyed peas and gently stir so as to not break up the peas.

Gumbo:
1 Tablespoon favorite seasoned salt
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon thyme
1 Tablespoon oregano
12-ounce bag cut frozen okra thawed
12-ounce bag cut frozen collard greens thawed
14-ounce can diced tomatoes
12 ounces Bilinski's Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
12 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp (optional)

Add spices, okra, greens, tomatoes and sausage to the black-eyed peas. Continue to cook for one hour. Gently stir occasionally. Add shrimp and allow to continue to cook until shrimp is done. Serve with rice.

Chicken-Sausage Chicken-Thigh Chicken Noodle Soup

What's better than a steaming hot bowl of chicken soup on a chilly day?

How about a bowl of chicken soup with chicken flavor that's amped up from using chicken thighs, chicken stock, and chicken sausage? But that's not all - vegetables and pasta add even more goodness. This is a filling soup that's nearly a stew - perfect for lunch or even dinner with a hunk of crusty bread.

Homemade chicken stock is always best, but store-bought works in a pinch. If you happen to have leftover chicken you want to use, you can add that to the soup, and skip the chicken thighs. The soup won't be quite as rich, but there's a lot going on, so it will still be terrific.

Chicken-Sausage Chicken-Thigh Chicken Noodle Soup by Donna

1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken thighs
1 quart chicken stock
6 carrots
1 onion
6 scallions
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 Tablespoon minced parsley
Salt, to taste
1 cup dry pasta (I used farfalle, but any shape is fine)
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup corn kernels
12 ounces Bilinski's Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage

Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is nicely browned, then flip the pieces over and cook on the other side until browned.

Add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer until the chicken thighs are cooked through and tender - figure on 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove the chicken thighs and skim the fat off the top of the stock.

If you prefer, you can do this step ahead of time and refrigerate the stock, which makes it easier to peel off the solidified fat.

Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and remove the meat from the bones. Shred or chop the chicken meat and refrigerate until needed.

Add a quart of water to the stock.

Peel and slice the carrots into rounds. Add them to the stock. Peel and dice the onion and add the diced onion to the stock. Slice the scallions into rounds - using the white parts and tender green - and add them to the stock. Add the poultry seasoning and parsley.

Taste for seasoning. If the stock was salted, you may not need more now, but if it was unsalted, add salt as needed.

Simmer the vegetables in the stock until they are tender.

Add the pasta and cook until al dente, then add the peas and corn.

Slice the chicken sausage into rounds - or slice on a slight bias to create ovals. Add the sausage and the reserved chicken thigh meat to the soup. Taste for seasoning again and add salt, if needed. Cook for another minute or two, just enough to warm the chicken sausage and meat.

Serve hot.

Bilinski's Sausage Company

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We here at 37 Cooks are pleased to announce our latest collaboration. This time we had the great opportunity to team up with Bilinski's, a family-owned company run by Stacie Schonwetter and her father, Steve.

For four generations, the Schonwetter family has been in the food business in the New York State, from Stacie’s great-grandfather Sol’s deli and import shop in Brooklyn, to her grandfather’s meat and cheese distribution company, to Bilinksi’s, acquired in 1983 from the Bilinski family. Joseph Bilinski started his company in 1929, making sausages in his home and selling door-to-door. The Schonwetter’s devotion to time-honored traditions and high quality ingredients was the perfect match for the Bilinski product, and they chose to keep the Bilinski name to honor the company’s history and legacy of providing the finest quality meats and ingredients.

Today, Stacie and Steve’s mission is a simple, but passionate one: To provide a line of the highest quality natural and organic products in order to promote a healthy, flavorful and simple eating regimen. Their commitment to this mission can be seen by simply reading the ingredients list on their product packages. They include no nitrates or preservatives, all of the meat is antibiotic- and hormone-free, and has been raised with integrity in clean, comfortable conditions and fed a 100% vegetarian diet. The sausages have no casing, and are gluten-free. They also purchase their ingredients locally whenever possible. Wow! How many other companies can boast all of that?

It was a true honor to work with Bilinski's, and we all enjoyed creating dishes around their brand new and delicious Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage. It was a tasty product that made us feel good about what we were eating! Many thanks to Stacie, Steve, and Aubree Kammler, Bilinski’s Marketing and Social Media Coordinator. We appreciate their willingness to trust us with their product, and we hope you all enjoy making and tasting these recipes as much as we did!

Pumpkin Monkey Bread with Cranberries and Pecans

Have you ever made monkey bread? Apparently I've been living under a rock, since I didn't even know it existed until about a year ago, but I wanted in on the action!

Monkey bread is a marvelous thing. It’s little blobs of soft dough baked together in a pan. The result is a knobby sweet bread that you can pull together with your fingers. The individual pieces remind me of donut holes.

I based this bread on the sweet potato monkey bread recipe in Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt-In-Your-Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day, substituting pumpkin and warm spices for the sweet potatoes and layering the bread with cranberries, pecans and a syrupy glaze.

Pumpkin Monkey Bread with Cranberries and Pecans

by Lauren

Adapted from Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt-In-Your-Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day by Donna Currie

For the dough:
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 1/2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup room temperature water
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon buttery sweet dough flavor or vanilla extract

For the topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dry cranberries
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter

Line a mesh sieve with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Add the pumpkin and let drain 30 minutes. Discard the liquid.

Combine the pumpkin with the remaining ingredients, adding enough flour to form a thick dough. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until it doubles in size - about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into golf ball sized pieces and arrange in a greased 8-inch pie plate. Scatter the pecans and cranberries between the dough balls. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, heat the oven to 325ºF. Remove the pan from the refrigerator. Melt the brown sugar and butter in a saucepan and pour over the bread.

Bake 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 190ºF. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

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Goat Cheese Stuffed Monkey Bread

Goat Cheese Stuffed Monkey Bread
by Christine

Adapted from Sweet Potato Monkey Bread in Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt-in-Your-Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day by Donna Currie

1 egg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup mashed sweet potato
4 Tablespoons soft butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 cup honey
2 small logs goat cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Non-stick cooking spray

In a bread machine, load load the egg, water, sugar, potato, butter, salt, flour and yeast. Use the dough cycle. When cycle is finished place dough in a oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour.

Spray a baking pan lightly with the non-stick cooking spray. Place honey in a bowl big enough to roll a few balls at a time. Cut each cheese log into 12 pieces. Cut dough into 24 pieces. Poke a hole into a piece of dough and stuff with a piece of cheese. Pinch hole closed and roll in your hands to shape it into a ball. Roll each ball in the honey. Place each stuffed ball randomly in the pan. Sprinkle each layer with walnuts. Drizzle any remaining honey on top and cover pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325°F and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 15 minutes.

Meatball Stuffed Honey Potato Buns

Meatball Stuffed Honey Potato Buns
by Mary
Adapted from Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt in Your Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day by Donna Currie

1 1/2 cups room temperature water
2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (omit if using butter potatoes)
3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 cup non fat dry milk
1/4 cup instant potato flakes (I used a single serve cup of instant mashed potatoes then omitted the butter, since they already had butter in them)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning, plus extra for the top of the buns

1 teaspoon instant yeast
8 ounces tomato sauce
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
12 fully cooked meatballs, diced

On prep day:

I made the dough in a bread maker, first adding all of the liquid ingredients (water and honey, along with butter if using it.) Then add the dry ingredients (flour, dry milk, potato flakes, salt and Italian seasoning. Make a well and add the yeast. Set bread maker to the dough setting and allow the machine to mix and knead the dough. I also let it do a first rise in the bread machine. 

 
Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface, knead lightly then divide into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place onto a parchment-covered sheet pan. Dust lightly with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least overnight, you can refrigerate for 24 hours if needed. 

 
The next day take the pan out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This makes the dough easier to work with. 

 
While the dough is warming up, mix the tomato sauce, cheese and meatballs. 

 
Flatten each dough ball into a circle. Add a spoonful of the meatball mixture to the top of the dough and close the dough around the meatball mixture. Sprinkle a bit of Italian seasoning on each bun. Place back on the sheet pan. When all of the buns are finished, let rest for 10 minutes. 

 
Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes, until the buns are golden brown. Serve with additional tomato sauce, if desired. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Chocolate Yeasted Aebleskivers

I am a BREAD lover!! A year ago, I stopped eating bread altogether because of the gluten and sugar. So when I chose this recipe, I KNEW I was going to be in trouble, because I’d want to eat it instead of giving it away as a gift. Well, that’s exactly what happened. I absolutely love these little delicacies and you can add just about anything in the filling, or just leave them plain and serve with jam.

Cinnamon Chocolate Yeasted Aebleskivers
by Debbie
Adapted from Yeasted Aebleskivers from Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt-in-Your-Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day by Donna Currie

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast (I used bread machine yeast)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup room temperature water
1 large egg
1 cup chocolate chips
Vegetable oil, for the pan (I personally used coconut oil)
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

On Prep Day:

Combine all of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips, vegetable oil and powdered sugar) in a medium bowl and mix well, making sure everything is evenly mixed and there are no dry bits. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

On Baking Day:

Remove the bowl from the refrigerator.

Heat your aebleskiver pan on medium heat until a drop of water sizzles when it hits the pan. Pour a small amount of vegetable oil in a small bowl and use a silicone brush to very lightly oil each well of the pan.

Use a small spoon to fill each well of the aebleskiver pan with batter to about 1/3 full; the buns will rise as they cook. Sprinkle each well with a Tablespoon of chocolate chips and top with a teaspoon more of the batter. Let them cook for approximately 2-3 minutes before turning. You should see bubbles rising to the top as you would with pancakes.

Test one aebleskiver to see if it is ready to turn. Insert a skewer into an aebleskiver and try to spin it in the well. If it doesn't release easily, continue cooking until it does (test again after another minute.) Once the aebleskivers are willing to release from the wells, use the skewer to turn them over in the pan. Some of the batter might “spill” into the pan -that’s fine.

Continue cooking the aebleskivers, turning them as needed, until they are evenly browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside. You’ll have to break one open to check. You might need to lower the heat if the aebleskivers brown too quickly on the outside before they are thoroughly cooked inside.

When the first panful is cooked, remove the aebleskivers and let cool on a wire rack, brush the wells with oil as before and continue cooking in batches until all the batter is used.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.