Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I like this recipe a lot. Just don't over do it on the ginger! You can easily roast up the squash, shallots, and ginger ahead of time and then puree and reheat later. This is from Cooking light a few years back.
Ingredients
4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large shallots, peeled and halved (if they are XL you may only need 2)
1 (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced (Make sure you only use 1/2 inch or the ginger will over power the soup. It will only be about 6 thin slices.)
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons (1-inch) slices fresh chives
Cracked black pepper (optional)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Cool 10 minutes.

3. Place half of squash mixture and half of broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture and broth. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chives and pepper, if desired.

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

If you've never had a gooey butter cake you need to make them. YUMMY! There are lots of different variety's but pumpkin is one of my favorites. This is another Thanksgiving favorite at our house.
Ingredients
Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I've made this casserole the last 3 Thanksgivings! I love it so much. I think it may be better leftover than the day of Thanksgiving. This is from Cooking Light
Ingredients
Potatoes:
2 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped( I use about 3 large potatoes)
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Cooking spray
Topping:
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted( I don't toast my nuts before hand and thought it turned out fine)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare potatoes, place potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain; cool slightly.

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add half-and-half, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well (mixture will be thin). Scrape mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, sprinkle miniature marshmallows over top of casserole. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle over potato mixture and marshmallows. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Chunky Vegetarian Chili

1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 peppers, variety of yellow, red, and green
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T brown sugar or honey
1-2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t italian seasoning
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of rotel
2 15 oz can black beans
1 15 oz can kidney beans
1 15 oz can pinto beans
1 cup corn

Heat oil in large pot over med-high heat. Add onion, peppers, garlic, saute 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Makes approximately 8 cups. I like to make this in the crockpot too!

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

This is a really easy recipe that everyone enjoys!

1 onion, chopped
4 T butter
1 can cream of mushroom, celery, and chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz
1 lb velvetta
16 oz broccoli florets, chopped

Saute onion in butter. Add all other ingredients and heat on low-med until hot.