Did someone say 'Thanksgiving?'

The arrival of November surely hearkens the arrival of Turkey season. McCormick passes along these tips to get us in the mood for the season:

Based on the most requested and top ranked recipes by home cooks, McCormick has identified the five most cherished holiday recipes.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Pecan Crunch

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Ginger, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup dried cranberries
6 tablespoons butter, cut up, divided
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon
each of the cinnamon and ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat
well. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cranberries. Dot with 2
tablespoons of the butter. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix flour, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon each of the
cinnamon and ginger in medium bowl. Cut in remaining 4 tablespoons butter with a fork until
coarse crumbs form. Stir in pecans. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and stir gently.
Sprinkle evenly with pecan topping.

3. Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes longer or until sweet potatoes are tender and topping is
lightly browned.

Makes 8 servings.
Nutritional Information:
Per one serving: 439 Calories, Sodium 257mg, Fat 19g, Carbohydrates 63 g, Cholesterol 23mg, Fiber 6g, Protein 4g

Red Velvet Cake with Vanilla Cream Frosting

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 bottle (1 ounce) Red Food Color
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 box (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Sift flour, cocoa
powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5
minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color
and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not
overbeat. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10
minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire rack.

4. For the Frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla in large bowl until light
and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fill and frost cooled cake with
frosting.

Test Kitchen Tip: Substitute a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan for the 9-inch cake
pans. Bake about 50 minutes. Or, substitute a greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan; bake
about 40 minutes.

Makes 16 servings.
Nutritional Information:
Per One Serving: 520 Calories, Sodium 334mg, Fat 24g, Carbohydrates 70g, Cholesterol 117mg, Fiber 1g, Protein 6g

Pecan Cookie Balls

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes per batch

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until
light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and salt; beat until well blended. Stir
in flour and pecans.

2. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from baking sheets. Immediately roll hot cookies in remaining 2
cups sugar. Place sugared cookies on wire racks to cool. When cool, roll again in sugar.

Makes 4 dozen servings.

Nutritional Information:
Per One Serving: 214 Calories, Sodium 95mg, Fat 15g, Carbohydrates 20g, Cholesterol 22mg,
Fiber 1g, Protein 2g

Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon Ground Ginger
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
3 tablespoons water
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil. Spray foil with no stick cooking
spray. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. Beat butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well mixed. Stir in molasses
and water just until blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

3. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in remaining 1/2 cup
sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup of the icing; refrigerate remaining
icing. Spoon dollops (about 1 teaspoon each) of the reserved icing over batter in pan. With
knife or spatula, swirl icing through batter to marbleize.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes.
Lift out of pan using foil. Cool completely on wire rack. Invert and peel off foil. Spread
refrigerated icing over bars. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 27 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Per One Serving: 131 Calories, Sodium 117mg, Fat 7g, Carbohydrates 16g, Cholesterol 28mg,
Fiber 0g, Protein 1g

They represent America’s love of classic holiday dishes that have a modern flavor twist. These recipes and many more are part of the holiday highlights available at the newly redesigned http://www.mccormick.com/.

Close to 70 percent of holiday cooks stick to the tried and true when planning celebration menus (McCormick Holiday Survey, Market Facts). “The holidays are really a time for family favorites and traditions. So, we have gathered our most popular recipes to help make this year’s holiday meals memorable,” said Laurie Harrsen, Director of Consumer Communications at McCormick. “We also know home cooks are looking for new ideas – they just want to add something special to those classics by giving them a little flavor twist.”

From the Thanksgiving family feast to cookie exchange parties, holiday cooks can feel good about serving flavorful favorites from the McCormick kitchens. For a variation on the typical sweet potato side dish, try Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Pecan Crunch, which has an added touch of ginger. Red Velvet Cake with Vanilla Cream Frosting makes a beautiful centerpiece for any holiday dessert table.