Homemade Classic Cocktail Sauce Recipe

Shrimp cocktail is a simple hors d'oeuvre that is so easy to prepare but will be the biggest hit of your cocktail table or buffet. 

Never let the star of your buffet fall because you used a store-bought cocktail sauce. Use this 3 minute recipe and not only will you know what you put in it, but you can adjust the horseradish and hot sauce to your liking. For us, the more horseradish the better!

Ingredients 

1 cup ketchup

2-3 tbsp prepared horseradish (in jar) (start with 2 then add to your liking)

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

green tabasco sauce

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl add ketchup, 2 tbsp horseradish sauce, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, black pepper and whisk together. 

Taste.

Add more horseradish 1 tsp at a time and a few drops of green tabasco sauce until you reach the flavor you love.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so the flavors will meld. 

Pumpkin New York Cheesecake Recipe with Sour Cream Topping

prep: 20 minutes
cook: 1 hour 10 min + 1 hour cooling

Ingredients   

for filling:                                                              for crust:

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, soft             1 cup ginger cookies (ground)       

1 1/2 cups sugar                                                    1/2 cup ground hazelnuts

5 eggs + 1 yolks                                                   1/4 cup melted butter

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt                                                             for optional sour cream topping:

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon                                   1 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp ground ginger                                          1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
Preheat the oven to 475 f. Butter a springform pan and set aside.

Crust:

In a medium bowl add ground ginger cookies and ground hazelnuts. Stir in melted butter until all crumbs are moistened. Spoon mixture into the bottom of the spring-form ban and spread evenly pressing firmly with the back of your spoon. Set aside until filling is prepared.

Filling

In a large bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, mix softened cream cheese, sugar and flour for 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pumpkin puree, mix until combined. Add cream and mix until combined. 

Pour into spring-form pan and place into oven. Bake at 475 f for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 200 and continue baking for an hour.
Turn of oven and leave cake inside until oven is cool. 

Wrap pan in plastic and chill cheesecake in refrigerator overnight.  

*For Sour Cream Topping (this step is optional)
*When ready to serve,  preheat oven to 350.
*In a bowl mix 1 cup of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Pour over cheesecake and spread around with a rubber spatula. Place in oven for 5 minutes.
*This step can also be done directly after cheesecake is finished cooking and cooling in the oven, before placing in refrigerator.  


Release cake from springform and serve.

Home Fries aka German Style Potatoes Recipe

prep: 5 min

cook: 30 min

Ingredients   

4 large Idaho potatoes

1 tbsp butter

1 large yellow onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika 

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
Start a pot of water boiling on the oven large enough to hold the potatoes and filled with enough water to cover them.

Peel the potatoes and cut in half. Place in boiling water and cook until fork can easily pierce them, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and dice onions and set aside.

Remove potatoes from water and cut into cubes. 

In a frying pan on medium-high, melt butter then add potatoes and saute until soft. Add potatoes, salt paprika and black pepper and saute until potatoes are browned, about 10 minutes. 

Enjoy for breakfast or next to a juicy steak.

Thanksgiving Recipe Contest

Dear Whimmers,

Send us your best recipe for Thanksgiving before Tuesday, November 20th. 

We will test your recipes and choose 3 winners. 

Winners will have their recipes highlighted on our website along with a backstory of the recipe and a link back to your website (if applicable).

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Click Here to Submit Now

Pre-recipe Chestnut Preparation

With the million and one things you have to do in the days before Thanksgiving or Christmas, the last thing you want to do is spend time scoring, cooking and peeling chestnuts. Thats why we prepare and cook our chestnuts weeks before we need them and freeze them. Just take them out of the freezer the night before and place into the fridge and use them however the recipe calls when your ready.  Find out how we do my clicking read more...

Homemade Pumpkin Puree Recipe (for pie, cheesecake, soup, etc...)

To help you get a head start on your Thanksgiving planning, here is a recipe to make pumpkin puree that you can use in your pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin soup or any other pumpkin dish that calls for pumpkin puree. 
You will never use canned again!

                                                                                

prep:10 min

cook: 60 min
yield: 2 lb of pumpkin yields approximately 1 cup of puree
 

Ingredients   

Your choice of size and type of pumpkin, remember 2 lb pumpkin = approx 1 cup puree

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 f and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Clean pumpkin with warm water and cut off stem. Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds (these can be roasted separately)  If pumpkin is very large it can be cut into quarters. 

Place on baking sheet so the inside is facing down and roast for 40 to 60 minutes or until the pumpkin is easily pierced by a fork (start checking at the 40 minute mark every 5 minutes.

Let pumpkin cool completely before scooping out from flesh.
Process roasted pumpkin in food processor until smooth.

You can also let the pumpkin puree sit in a strainer overnight in the fridge to give it a little more concentrated flavor.

liquid released while resting in refrigerator overnight

Pumpkin should be used within 5 days or stored in freezer up to 3 months.

We like measure 1 cup portions and then store in freezer baggies. 

Thanksgiving Hosting Checklist

With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, we are pleased to provide you with a checklist to help with your planning.

We hope our planning guide can simplify your holiday, leaving you with more time to be with your loved ones.

Click here to download our free Thanksgiving planning guide pdf.

Yours truly,
recipeWHIM

Roasted Sweet Potato and Olive Oil Mash Recipe

What is Autumn without sweet potatoes? Where we live, it is hard to find this vegetable before late October, so while it is in season, we cherish it. This simple recipe allows the flavor of the sweet potatoes to take center stage. Bon appétit!

                                                                                

prep:10 min

cook: 40 min
yield: 4 servings
 

Ingredients   

3 large sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs each)                                                       
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for roasting) 
1 sprig of fresh rosemary                                         
salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 f and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Clean and  peel sweet potatoes cut in quarters, length wise.

Place sweet potatoes cut side up on the baking pan, sprinkle with olive oil and rosemary. Roast in oven until tender (about 40 minutes) and a fork inserted into the center easily pierces the flesh.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove rosemary but save a few sprigs for garnish.

Transfer to a large bowl and add olive oil. Mash with potato masher until silky then taste and season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to serving dish and serve with a sprig of roasted rosemary and a drizzle of olive oil. 

photo courtesy of schoolphotoproject.com