Cooperative Living November/December 2015 - 36

READER RECIPES
Since our nation's earliest harvest celebrations, foods featuring pumpkins and cranberries
have figured prominently. Try these reader-submitted recipes at your next holiday meal.
And in the coming year, look for our new " Commonwealth Kitchen " column featuring a
fresh take on seasonal ingredients. For 2016, readers are invited to submit healthful and
innovative recipes featuring sweet potatoes, fresh herbs, collards and other greens, tomatoes
and corn, and summer and winter squash. We'll dedicate May's column to National
Barbecue Month, June's to watermelon and strawberries, and our final issue of the year
to Virginia seafood and shellfish. Mail your contributions to Commonwealth Kitchen, P.O.
Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058, or email commonwealthkitchen@co-opliving.com. Be
sure to specify the measurement for each ingredient, along with complete instructions
and your contact information. If your recipe is published, you'll receive a $20 gift card!
Pumpkins and Cranberries for the Holidays
CRANBERRY
AMBROSIA
CHEESE BALL
Sonja Brown of Lynch Station
INGREDIENTS:
2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese,
softened
¼ cup powdered sugar
15.5-oz. can crushed
pineapple, well drained
3.5-oz. pkg. shredded
coconut
1 cup chopped pecans,
toasted
6-oz. pkg. dried cranberries
DIRECTIONS: Mix cream cheese
and sugar until well blended. Add
pineapple, coconut, pecans and
dried cranberries, reserving a few
cranberries and pecans for garnish.
Cover bowl and chill in refrigerator
until firm. Take mixture out,
form into a ball and garnish before
serving with crackers.
STUFFED PUMPKIN
Patricia Harbin of Louisa
INGREDIENTS:
1 small pumpkin
1 cup rice
1 lb. hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green or red bell
pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can condensed cream soup
(any type), undiluted
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to
350 degrees. Cut the cap off
34
pumpkin and reserve. Clean
out seeds and pulp. Butter the
inside of the pumpkin. Cook
rice as directed. In a skillet,
cook hamburger until slightly
pink with onion, pepper and
garlic. Drain well and mix with
rice and soup, adding salt and
pepper to taste. Without packing,
fill the pumpkin and set in a
baking dish or cookie sheet
lined with foil. Add cap and
bake about 3 hours. When
done, slice the pumpkin in 2inch
wide sections from top to
bottom. Trim off the skin, butter
the pumpkin meat, top with
some filling and dig in.
CRANBERRY CREAM
SALAD
Ann Ferguson of Madison
INGREDIENTS:
3-oz. pkg. cherry-flavored
gelatin
1 cup hot water
16-oz. can whole berry
cranberry sauce
½ cup diced celery
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sour cream
DIRECTIONS: Dissolve gelatin
in hot water. Let chill until slightly
thickened. Break up cranberry
sauce with a fork and stir into
gelatin, along with celery and
walnuts. Fold in sour cream, pour
into a 1-quart mold and chill until
firm. Unmold and garnish before
serving.
ORANGE-GLAZED
CRANBERRY
PUMPKIN BREAD
Carolyn Cronk of Richmond
INGREDIENTS:
3½ cups all-purpose flour
12
⁄3
cups sugar
2 t baking soda
2 t pumpkin pie spice
¾ t salt
1 t baking powder
16-oz. can whole berry
cranberry sauce
16-oz. can solid-pack
pumpkin
2⁄3
cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
¾ cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS: In a large
bowl, mix dry ingredients. In
a smaller bowl, stir together
remaining ingredients until
well mixed. Pour this mixture
into bowl with dry ingredients
and stir until all ingredients
are well moistened. Pour batter
into two greased 9 " x 5 "
loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees
for 65 minutes or until
bread tests done with a
toothpick. Cool in pans for
10 minutes, then remove to
cooling rack. When completely
cool, drizzle a glaze
made from 1 cup powdered
sugar, ¼ cup undiluted orange
juice concentrate and
1
⁄8
t allspice. Can also be
baked in eight mini-loaf pans
for 35-45 minutes.
Cooperative Living/November-December 2015
PUMPKIN COBBLER
Wendy Lankford of Red Oak
INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs, beaten
15-oz. can pumpkin
12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1
⁄8
t salt
1½ t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1 T vanilla
15.25-oz. box yellow cake mix
1¼ cup margarine,
melted
1 cup chopped nuts
DIRECTIONS: Mix all
ingredients together except for
cake mix, margarine and nuts.
Pour into ungreased 9 " x 13 "
baking pan. Sprinkle cake mix
over the top and drizzle with
margarine. Bake at 350
degrees for 25 minutes.
Top with nuts and bake an
additional 15 minutes. 
ELENATHEWISE/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
NATA_VKUSIDEY/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK

Cooperative Living November/December 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living November/December 2015