Thanksgiving recap

Lets pretend it's two days ago - Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Ok, back to reality.

Thanksgiving was a great success this year! Yay. We spend it with my in-laws and most of the extended family, plus my parents come also... which totally alleviates the whole "splitting the holiday" stress. Thank you, Lord. Ted & I go to my parents house on Thanksgiving morning for breakfast with my family, so my parents, us, & my brother can all spend it together. It's just a day packed with family & food. All the food was amazing. Our smoked turkey came out awesome. My pies came out pretty darn good also. My pecan pie in the Oreo crust was a hit! One of Ted's uncles told me it was the best pecan pie he's ever had, and that he's had a lot of pecan pie. Comments like that make it ALL worth it. My apple pie didn't come out quite how I was expecting, but it was still really yummy. My pumpkin pie was delicious. I also made a last minute peanut butter pie and it was a hit! Of course, the easiest pie that took me all of 10 minutes to make was the biggest hit. It was such a big hit I'm adding it into the permanent Thanksgiving pie line-up. It was delicious, I can't deny that.

All in all it was a fab Thanksgiving. I love spending it with so much family all around. And then of course there's the leftovers. Last year I unknowingly started our own little family tradition. We had all these Thanksgiving leftovers and I wanted to do something special with them because we didn't really have enough of anything for more then one meal for each of us. What I ended up doing was making a Thanksgiving leftovers Shepard's pie. There's no recipe. Simply layer your favorite leftovers in a pan, top with mashed potatoes, top that with breadcrumbs if you like, and bake until everything is hot & bubbly. Ted has been talking about that meal for the last year, especially the last few days. He made sure that he scavenged as many leftovers as he could. We have leftover turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, & dressing. I'm thinking I will add in a can of cream of mushroom soup with the meats for moisture, and I will add in a can of corn so we have some sort of freshness & a veggie in there. Monday evenings dinner will be Yum-O for sure. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh, we were telling one of Ted's aunts about how I made that Shepard's pie last year and she said she does something similar but she tops her with crescent rolls for the top layer. OMG. That has to be to die for.

pie edition

This post is all about the pies I'm making for Thanksgiving. Woo!

Pumpkin Pie - the BEST pumpkin pie, if you ask me. I started making this one a few years ago and now I get regular requests for it every year. I happily oblige. The only difference between the recipe and what I make is that I use graham cracker crust. My mom hates regular pie crust, so I try to make as many pies in graham cracker crusts as I can. I really think the graham cracker crust adds to this recipe to make it even better. Beware: this recipe makes WAY MORE then enough filling for a 9" pie pan. I usually pour any extra into ramekins and we have "pumpkin pie pudding".

Pecan Pie - So, my husband refuses to attend Thanksgiving if there's no pecan pie. This man knew the way to my heart from the beginning. I love pecan pie. I never took a stab at making it until we started dating & I promised I would make him one for Thanksgiving. As you can see, Yes, I make the Karo Syrup Pecan Pie. I needed a fool proof recipe the first time I made it and I figured the Karo recipe was it. It was. It's such a huge hit every time I make it that I just haven't even tried any other recipe. Plus I found out my Grandma makes a mean pecan pie and she's always used that recipe also. If it's good enough for Grandma, it's good enough for me.

Apple Pie - It's no secret in my family that pie dough & I do not get along. The first year a started making holiday pies and attempted to make my own dough, well... it ended with me balling up the dough, hurling it in the trash, and crying. Sad & funny, but true. I'm not even going to lie and say I make my own dough, or not address the issue & let you think I do. I don't. I use this. In the past I've used these. And I'm ok with it, no more tears pie crust. So anyways, the thought of making my first ever Apple Pie with double crust? Terrifying. Which is why I'll be omitting the top crust (it's my kitchen!) and using a simple crunch topping. Doesn't everyone like crunch topping anyways? This recipe has awesome reviews so I'm hoping it's a hit.

It's ok, you can throw virtual stones at me for using pre-made pie crust. I've accepted my short coming and moved on because the pies are still delicious! Just don't tell Grandma.

I'm toying with the idea of making either cookies or a chocolate/marble bundt cake for people who ::gasp:: don't like pie. Who doesn't like pie, by the way?