One of the lessons...Never wait until the last minute to go Thanksgiving grocery shopping. For if you do, you'll be shopping with the rest of the town and fighting your way down an aisle just to find out they are out of the item you needed...like canned pumpkin (but I'll save that for later).
One of my friends sent me a very cute recipe for Turkey Cupcakes, and I decided to give it a shot. I made my list, categorized the items by aisles and set of for the store. Just to clarify, I'm not always this anal about making my shopping list, however, I did anticipate the stores being crowded, so I figured this way would make things easier.
I think I set my own personal record for a Wal-Mart visit--even with standing in a line for 20 minutes. But when I got home, unpacked, and started baking, I realized...I did not get the candy corn. Well, being the good husband that he is, Justin volunteered to go back to the store and get it. I was beginning to get worried when he wasn't back in an hour... Right as I was picking up the phone to call him he comes walking through the door. Before I could even ask, he begins, "Do you know that NO ONE sells candy corn this time of year? I went to Wal-Greens, Kroger, Wal-Mart, and CVS. None of them had it." First of all, kudos to him for going not only to one extra store, but the 3 in search of candy corn. Needless to say improvising was needed.
This morning I went to the store in search of a substitute. Nothing remotely resembles candy corn... After staring at all of the options, I decided to go with Fruit Slices, Twizzlers, and Hot Tamales. I figured, one out of the three would certainly work.
...And it did. The Fruit Slices were deemed the winner and used as the turkey's tail feathers.
Turkey Cupcakes Recipe: Click Here
*Note: In the future I would not put the Oreos and Nutterbutters in the cupcakes until the last minute. The cookies became soggy overnight.
The baking did not stop with our turkey friends, however. Since Justin and I both feel that, since we are married now, we cannot show up for Thanksgiving dinner empty handed. So, desserts had to be made for both sides of the family.
I made a Double Layer Pumpkin Pie. This combines the best of both world’s, a pumpkin pie, and a cheesecake. What could be better? I have not tried it, but I have licked the spoon...and oh boy, it was yummy. This was one of the easiest pies to make because there was no baking involved...just chill time.
*Sensational Double Layer Pumpkin Pie
4 oz. cream cheese, softened*
1 Tbsp. milk or half-and-half 1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 C. Whipped Topping
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6oz.)
1 C. milk or half-and-half
2 pkg. (4-serving size) Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
*Helpful Hint: Soften cream cheese in microwave on HIGH 15 to 20 seconds.
Mix cream cheese, milk and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread on bottom of crust. Pour 1 cup milk into bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. (Mixture will be thick.) Stir in pumpkin and spices with wire whisk; mix well. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Lastly, the pumpkin pie. What's Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie, right? Well, this is Justin's expertise. He made the crust and the pie without my help!
Earlier in the season, we cut up and baked a pretty Cinderella pumpkin to make pies out of it. We froze the left overs to use later....which came in handy last night, because I only purchased one can of pumpkin at Wal-Mart, and I'm sure Justin was in no mood to go back, either.
Thanks to Lindsay and Beau and our "Taste of Georgia" cookbook, he was able to make this pie. He used the Butternut Squash Pie recipe and substituted pumpkin for squash. We've made this same pie several times and we LOVE it!
Butternut Squash Pie
Oven: 425 degrees 15 minutes
350 degrees 30 minutes
Yield: 2 pies
3 cups mashed, cooked squash (we used pumpkin)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs butter, melted
2 unbaked pie shells
He also added:
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
He substituted:
whipping cream for evaporated milk.
Mix all ingredients well. Pour into 2 unbaked pie shells. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool and serve with whipped cream! :)
Happy Thanksgiving! Bake well!
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