Sweet and Sneaky Ways to Eat Your Veggies: Pumpkin
aka “The Best Thanksgiving Vegetable”
At Thanksgiving, I usually serve myself a two-bite slice of turkey, a tablespoon of mashed potatoes, and three green beans. (Okay, slight exaggeration.) Then, while everyone else complains of stomach cramps and food comas, I still have plenty of room for dessert and get first dibs on the pumpkin pie! Continue reading for recipe.
Pretty Please, With Marshmallows on Top?
Our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners taste almost exactly the same; we just swap out the platter of turkey for honey-baked ham (much to Grandma’s dismay, who is the only person every year to eat more than two “ceremonial” bites of the bird). We make homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, pecan pie, and, of course… Sweet potatoes. Continue reading for recipe.
Hooked on a Filling
With the last-minute exams and grading just before Thanksgiving, I peddled home with barely enough energy to tear open a cardboard box and microwave a frozen entrée. I selected a chicken-and-vegetable dumpling dinner last Tuesday, and during my first bite, a dangerous idea popped into my head…
I could make these myself! Continue reading for recipe.
What I’m Thankful For
We survived Thanksgiving! Despite the inedible mashed potatoes that strangely resembled marshmallow fluff and the inactive yeast that flattened our rolls into Passover-like bread, everyone still stuffed themselves fuller than the roasted turkey at the dinner table and lolled around after the meal rubbing their stomachs with satisfied smiles. Thankful for my loving family and significant other, I enjoyed the entire day–especially the crackling fire to end the evening!
To conclude the season of giving thanks, I wanted to express my gratitude to Lindsay at Normal Cooking. This sweet lady nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award! I am honored and touched to receive this acknowledgement from her. Thank you! Continue reading.
Daddy’s Thanksgiving Tradition
Before I was born, Dad began the tradition of baking bred on Thanksgiving morning. He developed his whole wheat rolls recipe while in grad school, but that sweet moist bread quickly became every person’s favorite dish on the holiday table. Continue reading for recipe.
Party Favors
Over the weekend, my guy planned to attend a pre-Thanksgiving potluck hosted by an old college buddy. While many of the men brought premade deli sandwiches or store-bought pumpkin pie, I promised to bake him a treat to take instead. Continue reading for recipe.
Pumpkin Pie for Breakfast!
Last Friday morning, my internal alarm clock buzzed a little earlier than my electronic one, so I hopped out of my steamy shower with some extra time to spare. After the chilly weather that blew into town, my bones begged for a hot breakfast to warm them up. I nixed my usual bowl of oatmeal and reached for milk and flour instead.
Within 10 minutes, my skillet of pancakes filled the house with their toasty sweet aroma, encouraging my guy to stumble into the kitchen rubbing his eyes and ask for the leftovers. Since I only mixed up enough for me (he rarely wakes up before I leave in the mornings!), I promised him another batch over the weekend before riding off to work. Continue reading for recipe.
A Celebration of Life
On my way into work, I biked past countless jack-o-lantern graveyards. People lay the pumpkins down to rest on the edge of the street after they valiantly served their purpose last Wednesday night, flickering to light the porches and welcome hungry trick-or-treaters.
Some people paid the pumpkins very little respect, barely noticing as they molded or laughing as passing cars squashed them to pieces. Determined to properly appreciate these poor pumpkins, I decided to bake their departed cousins into a sweet treat to celebrate their lives, even after their deaths. Continue reading for recipe.
Thanksgiving Pumpkin Desserts: The Footnote
Somehow, after baking a pie, cheesecake, and cookies, a mound of unused pumpkin still sat in a tupperware container in my fridge. Granted, it was a rather small mound, less than half of a cup, but still… You’d think I’d have used it all up! (Especially since I made both the pie and a second cheesecake for Thanksgiving #3…) As it taunted me, the expiration dates of a few other ingredients begged to be used too. And who am I to refuse a baking opportunity? Continue reading for recipe.
No Pie on Thanksgiving: The Epilogue
I caved. I couldn’t have Thanksgiving without the pumpkin pie; the table looked naked without it. But because I promised that I’d make three untraditional pumpkin desserts, I dreams up two creative twists for this year’s pie. Continue reading for recipe.
Foods for the Soul 