It’s become a tradition — or at least a habit — for Food Safety News to host virtual potlucks

on holidays as a way to share our favorite recipes and love of food,

and also to take a little break from writing about the potential risks

in what we eat.

Always, but especially at

Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for the many people who work hard to

provide us with fresh, wholesome and safe food.

Just like last year,

in addition to the turkey, our virtual Thanksgiving 2011 potluck

includes a choice of two soup starters – Gretchen’s Thai Butternut

Squash soup and Andy’s Gorgonzola and Celery Soup. Helena has

contributed homemade herb chard stuffing., Dan is offering pumpkin

applesauce muffins, Alli is bringing herb-roasted winter veggies, Suzanne

has made apple-blackberry pies and Cookson has suggested coconut-milk

pumpkin pie.

Thank you for reading Food Safety News. Have a happy and food-safe Thanksgiving.

Dan’s Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

Ingredients:

– 2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening

– 2 and 2/3 cups of sugar

– 4 eggs

– 1 cup applesauce, any style

– 1 cup canned mashed pumpkin

– 2/3 cup of apple juice

– 3  and 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour

– 2 teaspoons of baking soda

– ½ teaspoon baking powder

– 1 ½  teaspoons salt

– ½ teaspoon mace

– 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Instructions:

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

– Grease the cups of muffin tins.

– Cream together the shortening and sugar.

– Add eggs, one at a time.

– Stir in applesauce and pumpkin until well-mixed.

– Add apple juice, flour, baking soda and baking powder.

– Mix until just smooth, then add salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and mace.

– Stir in walnuts, then pour into prepared muffin tins.

– Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy!