…And no winners, either. You see, that’s what happens when no one actually makes the recipe. There were a lot of great suggestions and enticing ideas floating around in those comments, but not a single person followed all of the rules.  More importantly, no one even made their stuffing! How do you know it’s good without testing it out? Sure, we can all guess judging by the ingredients and methods, but come on, cook your damn entry!

Whew, okay, just had to get that off my chest. I still love you guys, but trust me, I’ll never even utter the word “stuffing” again after this fiasco. No “dressing” either, as long as we’re referring to the thanksgiving side dish. Nope, I’m ready to wash my hands clean of this Thanksgiving business already, how about you? If you’re in the same predicament and still have family to host, don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging. For the morning after, here’s a quick recipe that’s sufficiently seasonal but still good for any time of the year, not to mention dead easy to make even after suffering the traditional Thanksgiving feast hangover.

Apologies for the lousy picture; It’s hard to control my appetite first thing in the morning, and before I could snap another shot, this whole stack had mysteriously disappeared.

Yield: 4 - 6 Servings

Cornbread Cranberry Pancakes

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Fluffy yet hearty pancakes stack up with tart fresh cranberries in every bite.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Fine White Cornmeal
• 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Cups Plain Non-Dairy Milk
• 1 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/2 Teaspoon Maple Extract - Optional
• 1/2 – 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

Instructions

1. Standard pancake procedure here: Combine the wet and dry ingredients separately, excluding the cranberries, and then pour the wet on top of the dry. Whisk just enough to combine, being careful not to over-mix.
2. Set a large skillet over medium heat and let it get warm. If you drop a tiny splash of water in, it should scuttle around a bit; not immediately sizzle off, and not just sit around doing nothing. When it gets to that stage, give it a lightly spritz with cooking spray.
3. Ladle about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake, and drop a handful of cranberries into the center of each raw puddle. Wait until bubbles form and pop on the top before flipping, about 2 minutes.
4. Cook for an additional 1 – 2 minutes on the other side, until evenly browned. Serve immediately, or keep warm in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 30 minutes at most.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 370Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 497mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 4gSugar: 14gProtein: 8g

Thanksgiving is just around the corner now, approaching with alarming speed. Everywhere you look there’s another helpful suggestion about what to serve, how to lay out the table with coordinating colors, and even who to invite. There’s a whole lot of pressure here to sneak these ideas in under the gun, before plans are set and put into motion. Hopefully I’m not too late to hop on this train, as some people I know have been planning this event for weeks already, and others who have even begun to cook and freeze their desserts in advance, since the real cooking will be such an ordeal. Yikes, I never thought that such a humble holiday would become this huge production!

So any way, here I am, trying to be helpful, giving you this recipe that quite frankly, isn’t great. It’s a healthy, whole-grain alternative to what is usually a starchy carb-fest with pieces of stale bread, but I’ll admit it straight away- It’s lacking in the flavor department. I wouldn’t want any of you to serve it as is to Uncle Bob or Aunt Helen, who are already suspicious of your vegan ways. Instead, I thought I would offer you this recipe as a challenge; What would you do to remedy this sad stuffing?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to modify the following recipe so that it’s vastly improved from this original state. The only restriction is that you may not change the grain (I will make exceptions for quick-cooking barley though. I would have used it myself if there was any on hand!) Just do me a favor and link back to this post on your blog, and email me directly to let me know that you’re entering this contest. You have until November 20th to submit your variation, and I’ll do a round up that same day. The winner will be awarded a prize, to be announced later since I have no idea what it will be right now. Just trust me, it’ll be good, so get to work and turn this wreck into an awesome Thanksgiving side dish!

Lack-Luster Barley Stuffing

1/2 Cup Pearled Barley
1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Bay Leaf
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Diced
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
1/2 Cup Chopped Mushrooms
1 Zucchini, Diced
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
Salt and Pepper

Rinse and drain your barley, and set aside. Place the stock in a medium pot, and bring it to a boil. Add in the washed barley and bay leaf, and let simmer for 30 – 45 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the barley is al dente. Remove the bay leaf.

While the barley is cooking, you can start on the other components so that it comes together quickly. In a saute pan, heat up the oil over medium-low and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the onions start to take on a golden brown color, and add in the garlic. Saute for an additional 3 minutes or so to get some color on the garlic, and then toss in the rosemary, mushrooms, and zucchini. Mix everything around and cook just until the zucchini look somewhat translucent and are tender. Add in the peas at the last minute just so that they can defrost.

Toss the barley and veggies together in a large bowl, and mix in the nuts, plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to get a good distribution of everything, and serve warm.

Now tell me, what will you do differently?

The way that a handful of plain old sugar can catch the light and glitter like diamonds is just remarkable. Such tiny crystals seem incapable of such beauty, and yet somehow they can shimmer and shine right alongside the finest jewels when the sun hits those sweet granules.

“All that glitters,” the latest theme for Sugar High Friday, is a particularly creative idea, forcing participants to really open their eyes and seek out those lovely highlights that might otherwise be overlooked.

The sparkled ginger cookies from VwaV immediately came to mind after reading the title, but of course I put my own little spin on them. Switching them to sparkled chai cookies, I simply substituted agave for the molasses, added in some cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and a pinch of black pepper, and these cookies possessing some sweet heat were born.

Easily catching my eye from across the room, there’s no way a pile of these gems will go unnoticed, or uneaten, for long.

-That’s the next Daring Baker Challenge!

I’ve got to admit, when this theme was announced, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Sure, pizza is delicious and fun to make, but really… Where’s the challenge? For as long as I can remember, my parents have made their own pizza dough, and even as a wee little pup, I would get in on the act and help out. It’s not a daily occurrence, but it just didn’t excite me. Of course, that’s until I read the catch; These pizzas were to be made “like a real pizzaiolo,” requiring that we toss the dough around like a frisbee.

Okay, not exactly like a frisbee, but I had about as much finesse when I went to do this task. Warming up for a moment, stretching the dough between my hands, I wound up, let it fly… and folded it right in half. The poor blob of dough collapsed and sank into itself like a deflated tamale, sealed tightly to itself for fear of being flung into the sky again. How I wish I could have let that dough just lie there, but no, there was a Daring Baker challenge to be done. Rolling it back out, I perched it upon my knuckles again, and… Punched a hole straight through it. What had this pizza ever done to deserve this abuse? Feeling terribly about my destructive attempts, I decided that the dough had already suffered enough, and the tossing requirement should be considered fulfilled.

With that, trusty rolling pin in hand, it was no time before a beautiful pie came out of the oven.

Check out that smooth tomato sauce, the crumbled cheese, those spicy peperoni… Wait, what?

Kidding, of course! Spread with strawberry jam and topped with white chocolate curls and pieces of fruit leather, it only looks like a savory meal. Wanting desperately to return to sweets and pastries for these challenges, I took the liberty of turning this challenge into just that. Fruity, crispy, and gooey all at the same time, it was definitely worth the anguish of manipulating that dough. The crust was ultra-thin, just the way I like it, and made for excellent textural contrast with the topping.

Having plenty of extra dough on hand, I made a second, less convincing dessert pizza as well. Spread with a thick layer of crunchy peanut butter and then drizzled with chocolate and caramel, sliced almonds complete this decadent, nutty concoction. It certainly wouldn’t fool anyone, but it may be more well received by those with a serious sweet tooth.

Although I wouldn’t have chosen this one myself, I’m glad that we got the chance to approach pizza making in a different way, if only for the experience. Oh, and that extra dough I still had after those two pies were done…?

Sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar, roll ’em up, drizzle them with icing, and call them cinnamon buns!