Happy Thanksgiving

Happy thanksgiving everyone!! Hope everyone enjoyed time with loved ones!

I didn't quite think it woud happen, but I actually managed to cook most of thanksgiving dinner! Mom and grandma took care of the turkey, but I made them relax the rest of the day while I had fun in the kitchen. The menu included some awesome Spirited Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange Essence, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and succotash. The succotash was pretty simple, sauteed onion, red peppers, and garlic were tossed with some cooked corn and lima beans, then finished with a tad of butter, salt and pepper. I meant to add fresh thyme or parsley, but forgot as everything was getting carried out.

The sweet stuff? Well, let's just say I need to work on my pie crusts... they tasted ok, they just weren't great. I made an Autumn Galette (apples, pears, dried cranberries) that was nice and light, but not worth posting what I actually did :)

The star of the show is always the pumpkin chiffon pie. It started with my great grandmother (whom we always called Babci), got picked up by mom, and now I guess by me! It's doubtful I liked it as a kid, but I think this one is heads and shoulders above the traditional pumpkin :) Much lighter due to some whipped egg whites that get folded into the pumpkin mixture, and a delicious blend of spices. Without further ado...


Pumpkin Chiffon
Babci's recipe

1 envelope knox gelatin (anyone know about substituting agar-agar or arrowroot for this?)
1 cup of sugar, divided
1/2t salt
1/2t cinnamon
1/2t nutmeg
1 1/2t ground ginger (that's not a typo!)
3 eggs, separated
3/4c milk
1 1/4c canned pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
1 baked pie shell
chopped walnuts for garnish, if desired


Mix gelatin, 1/2c sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger thoroughly in top of double boiler (over simmering water).

Beat egg yolks with milk and add to gelatin mix. Add pumpkin, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. The notes say 10-12min... it seems like longer as you stand there stirring, but I forgot to time it until halfway through. You'll feel the mixture become harder to stir, and it will no longer fall off the spoon.

Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool. To speed this up, I transferred to a metal bowl and popped it into the fridge. It doesn't have to be cold, you just don't want it hot.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Then slowly add in 1/2c sugar (while beating). Fold this mixture into cooled pumpkin mix, then pour into baked pie shell. Top with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts and enjoy!

I prepared this last night and just stored it in the fridge until we were ready to dig in (who am I kidding, allowed to dig in!). It might not be the quickest, but being able to take care of it ahead of time really helps!!