Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie

Friends, I wait all year to make this pie.

All. year.

Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie: The ultimate in Thanksgiving decadence.

This pie is so divine that I'm continually amazed at just how easy it is to make: Spread chocolate and pecans in pie shell. Mix sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Pour liquid into pie shell. Bake. Eat. Hide the rest from your family. (Oops! Did I just say that out loud?).

As a quick side note, I should mention that I had never tasted any version of pecan pie until I was in graduate school and first experimented with baking and cooking. Pumpkin was the prevailing T-Day sweet in our house, with the apple pie making an occasional cameo appearance. My mom probably feared that baking one of these babies would foster a dangerous addiction that I would never shake.

I first stumbled upon a recipe for Pecan Pie in Cooking Light magazine--it was for a "lighter" Oatmeal Pecan Pie. After baking it in the pitiful mini-kitchenette of my one room apartment at the time, I instantly became a believer in the Pie o' Pecans. While the light version I initially made was a wonderful and tasty starting point, I've since learned that adding more calories in the name of dessert decadence never hurt anyone. In fact, in only brings happiness, right?

Thus, I've recently turned to Emeril Lagasse's recipe for Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie. It's simple, rich, and turns out perfectly every time. It's literally a fail-proof pie. I use my perfect pie crust recipe from NPR's The Splendid Table, but feel free to cut time and use a pre-made crust if needed.

I topped this guy with a dollop of fresh whipped cream...you know, to cut the sweetness :)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! What's your favorite T-Day dish?

Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie

(recipe from the Food Network's Emeril Lagasse)

Impress the family with this perfect pecan pie at your Thanksgiving table. Or Christmas table. Or July 4th table. Or random Tuesday-I'm-Hungry--for-Pie table. Remember: I wait all. year. long. to make this delectable dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 unbaked pie shell (I use Lynne Rossetto Kasper's perfect pie crust recipe from NPR's "The Splendid Table")
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• a dash of salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Evenly spread chocolate chips and pecans in the bottom of the pie shell.

3) In a bowl, whisk the eggs, sugars, corn syrup and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 50 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool completely before cutting and serving (I recommend making this pie the night before serving).

Move Over, Pumpkin Pie...Gooey Cake Has Arrived

Sometimes you've just got to put clean-eating on the shelf, and indulge in those decadent dishes that are reserved for the holiday season.

Enter Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake.

My friend Lisa introduced me to the world of Gooey Butter Cake a few years ago, and since then the pumpkin version has been out-shining the standard pumpkin pie at our annual Thanksgiving feast (Sorry, P-Pie fans. This guy puts those basic pies to shame).

The recipe I use comes straight from Queen of Southern Cooking herself: Ms. Paula Deen. With Paula at the helm, there's obviously no way around the butter-rific nature of this dessert. I mean, it is called Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. And I do apologize for the use of a boxed cake mix--I'm not a fan of making desserts that start with a box. However, I'm more than happy to set aside my boycott for this over-the-top holiday dessert.

It's worth it. I promise.

Close your eyes, pull the cake mix off the grocery store shelf, and picture that gooey, buttery, pumpkin-y piece of goodness you'll be enjoying in a few hours.

This dessert is perfect for holiday parties, festivities at work, or as a creative twist on Thanksgiving Day dessert. For an after-dinner dessert at a sit-down meal, serve each piece with a fork (it's gooey). For party situations, I like to cut it in mini squares and place each square in a foil-lined cupcake liner.

Since I wanted you all to have this recipe prior to your T-Day meal planning, I thought I should make it today so you, too, can try it before you decide to add it to your Thanksgiving menu.

So as you can see, I made Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake today for your benefit. No benefit to me at all. Nope--I wasn't craving a piece for myself. Not one bit.

Who are we kidding? I'm just grateful I have a blog to use as an excuse to make these two weeks early :)

See ya later, pumpkin pie. Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake is on the scene now. And she means business.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

(a Paula Deen recipe)

If you're not up for the pumpkin version, check out Paula's website for tons of variations you can make--chocolate-peanut butter, lemon, vanilla, pineapple, and much more!

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 package of vanilla cake mix
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 package of cream cheese, softened (reduced fat cream cheese works fine)
• 1 can of pumpkin puree (15 oz.)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (yep! I told you this was a butter-rific recipe)
• 3 - 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.

2) Combine the crust ingredients with an electric mixer. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside.

3) Beat the cream cheese and pumpkin together until smooth. Add the vanilla and butter and blend until thoroughly combined. Gradually add the confectioner's sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and beat batter until smooth. Pour filling over crust and bake for 40 - 50 minutes (mine is usually done around 45 minutes). The cake will not be set, and a toothpick will not come out clean! (hence the gooey part).

4) Allow to cool on a wire rack completely, then refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving.

5) You can go back to clean eating tomorrow. For now, just enjoy this heavenly ride :)

T-Day is on its way...

T minus 18 days until it's here.

That's right, friends: The BIG day. The revered fourth Thursday of November. The food-loving holiday that allows us to put aside any modesty at the dinner table, and actually celebrates gluttony and excessive eating.

Bring on the stuffing and roll out the pumpkin pies. It's Thanksgiving season, and I'm ready to rock n' roll.

Although I'm sure most people like to rely on family recipes and long-standing traditions for Thanksgiving foods, I actually enjoy the challenge of experimenting with new and unique twists on Thanksgiving recipes. Over the next two weeks, I'll be posting some of my most recent T-Day favorites, in the event you want to switch things up at your own feast table this year.

First on the menu? Cranberry sauce. My dad often recalls, with great fondness, the can-shaped tube of cranberry sauce that my grandmother used to serve at Thanksgiving--the jelled substance was always plated on a large lettuce leaf and sliced as neatly as a frozen roll of cookie dough.

Despite the awesome retro-factor of my dad's cranberry sauce memories, I've opted out of my grandmother's "recipe," in favor of my mom's updated fruit n' nut-loaded version. Thank you, Hungry Spoon Mama!

I've used this crunchy, fiber-licious and flavorful recipe for the past few years--loaded with toasted walnuts, oranges, apples, and celery, it easily surpasses the "wow factor" of the jiggly red globs from days past.

I'm always looking for new ideas to change up my favorites though, so if you have any creative suggestions for cranberry sauce add-ins, please share below!

Fruit n' Nut Cranberry Sauce

(Recipe from the Hungry Spoon Mama)

I'm big on texture and a good solid crunch when it comes to food, and Thanksgiving recipes are no exception! This cranberry sauce packs a high crunch-factor, with nuts, celery, and apple. For a sweet treat the following week, stir some into a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 can of mandarin oranges, rinsed and drained (or use cut segments from 2 oranges)
• 2 apples, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 2 - 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• A little orange zest
• Optional: diced fresh mango (this is a fantastic addition, but sometimes--like today--a girl just doesn't have a mango sitting around)

Directions:

1) To prepare cranberries (as directed on the side of the Ocean Spray bag!): Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (cranberries will start to split open). Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

2) Once cranberries have cooled, stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate before serving