Perfect Pumpkin Pie

     I made a pumpkin pie.  It turned out beautifully.  Pumpkin pie happens to be a staple for Thanksgiving.  There is only one problem with pumpkin pie...I hate it.  I'm not a pumpkin fan at all; the smell, the taste, the texture...not for me.  But my man happens to love pumpkin pie and he needed one made for work, so I rolled up my sleeves and made one and loved every second of it.  Baking actually makes the world a better place. 

     Now I have not personally tried this pie, but Austin said it was great.  He is my ultimate taste tester.  He is honest in an encouraging way.  He won't hide his thoughts and tries to encourage with suggestions.  I appreciate his take on my recipes each time I bake.

     Usually I make my own pie crust.  I'll be honest, I consider it cheating if I don't make my own crust.  But I have been one busy girl, so I used a...store bought crust.  Wow, that was hard to type.  Anyway, it cuts down a lot on the time and time is something I am lacking these days.

Here is the recipe for this delicious pie.  Please don't follow my example by buying a crust.  Make your own...it's worth it.

Here is the recipe for Pumpkin Pie:

Serving Size: 2 regular size pies

Cook Time: Approximately 50-60 minutes

Oven Temperature: 425 degrees for the first 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees for approximately another 35-45 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Ingredients for Pie Filling:

·       -  1 (29 oz) can of pure pumpkin

·       -  2 (14 oz) cans of sweetened Condensed Milk

·       -  4 eggs

·       -  2 tsp ground cinnamon

·       -  1 tsp ground ginger

·       -  1 tsp ground nutmeg

·       -  1 tsp salt

     The best part of this recipe is that you literally put all the ingredients in the mixer until it is mixed together very well and divide it between the two pie crusts.

     I like to do different pinching methods with pie crusts.  As pictured above, I did one pie crust pinched further apart while the other was pinched closer together.  

     This is what the pie filling will look like after being mixed.

     Fill the pie crust and bake.

    That's all there is to it!  This pie is delicious and so easy.  It is the perfect end to an amazing Thanksgiving dinner.  Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Preparation Tips

    This year, Austin and I are hosting Thanksgiving.  Two of our friends are coming over to enjoy the day with us.  Austin and I have had Thanksgiving just the two of us from the past two years.  Between the two of us, we made great Thanksgiving meals both years.  I love making mashed potatoes, homemade bread, and pies!  Austin and I made the turkey together.  Austin made gravy and stuffing both years.  And I always steamed some yummy vegetables.  We loved having both of those Thanksgiving together, but we miss our families a lot for holidays like this.  Having our dear friends with us is a welcomed addition to our Thanksgiving.  The nice thing about this is having another girl alongside me in the kitchen. 

     She and I divided our favorite things to make for the holidays.  She and I will be making the turkey together.  I'll also be making the mashed potatoes and bread as well as pie.  The past two years, I have gone completely overboard with pies.  It was just the two of us so we ended up freezing some of the pies.  This year, I am only making one or two pies.  I am really looking forward to doing some cooking and hosting the holiday.

     I figured I would share some tips for hosting Thanksgiving that I plan to use this year.  I am working on a schedule for what needs to be made.

Delegate:  Don't feel the pressure to do everything yourself.  Allow others to help when they volunteer.  Even if it's just help with the dishes.  Holiday meals are so much work, help volunteering should be considered a good thing.

Test Beforehand: If possible, test out recipes before the big day.  I have some great recipes I have tried and love that I'm looking forward to using, but there are also a few things I haven't tried out yet that chances are I'm not going to.  In that case, I plan to spend significant time choosing a recipe and reading reviews on them.

Backup Plans: Just in case things don't go as planned in the kitchen, have some backups.  For example, we are planning to make our own gravy and stuffing but I bought some canned gravy and boxed stuffing, just in case. 

Space Options: For us, space is something we need to consider.  We have a decent size apartment, but a small table.  We need to take into consideration where we will be placing the food.  My plan is to use our breakfast bar as a place to set out all of the food. 

Table Setting:  I am planning to create a special centerpiece for our table.  I recently bought a new table cloth for the holiday.  I had contemplated a burnt orange, but choose a rich cranberry color instead.  It is a table cloth we can use for other holidays as well.  I plan to set our table the night before so I will not have as much to do the day of.  This also allows me the opportunity to make sure I have all the proper dishes available.

Shop Ahead:  Ensure everything is bought ahead of time.  I plan to make my shopping list in the next day or two.  We have already purchased the turkey.  We choose to buy a turkey breast instead of a full turkey. 

Start Right:  Start the day with a clean kitchen, it won't stay this way for long.  It's best to start off with the dishwasher empty and clean counter tops with a much space available as possible. 

Keep it simple: It's easy to get caught up in the planning, preparation, and hosting of Thanksgiving, but try to enjoy it.  Problems may occur, something might burn, the centerpiece may not turn out perfectly or your bread may not rise, but have fun and don't let the little bumps in the road ruin the day.  Don't let yourself get stressed out, instead enjoy every part of the holiday with family and friends.

I hope these tips help out some for planning the big day.  

Bridal Shower Cake

     Since I have shared a few of the cakes I have made on here, I thought I would share this one as well.  This is one of my favorite cakes I have made so far.  It was for my cousin's bridal shower.  She choose a beautiful blue for her wedding colors so I incorporated that in to the cake with royal icing blue flowers.  I also made cupcakes and mini cupcakes.  

     I hope to have the opportunity to make more cakes like this one!  I really enjoy baking and this was by far by favorite project so far! 

Photos by: K. M. Robinson Photography