Thanksgiving Eve Preparations

It's been awhile since I've posted, as I've been busy as a bee preparing for the upcoming holidays.  

It seems hard to believe today is already Thanksgiving Eve.  We'll be traveling to my SIL''s home on Cape Cod for dinner tomorrow. 

 In preparation for Thanksgiving, I baked an apple pie and a pumpkin pie to take with us for dessert.  Whenever I bake pies to take to someone  house, I like to use disposable, aluminum pie tins.  That way I don't have to worry about bringing home a pie plate (or any leftover pie, which I really want around the house tempting me.)

To add a  festive, fall touch to the pies, I made three leaf shaped cutouts on the apple pie, which I then applied randomly on the crust of the pumpkin pie, after brushing  them with a little beaten egg.

 Here's my pumpkin pie recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 box (1 crust) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin purée
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.  
2. Prepare pie crust according to the one-crust directions on the package.
3. Combine brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in small bowl.
4.  Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin purée and sugar/spice mixture. Gradually stir in milk. 
5. Pour pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie crust.
6. Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F. Reduce temperature to 350°F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. 

You can find my apple pie recipe here.

In addition to the pies, I am also bringing a broccoli & cheese bake with me.  You can find the recipe here.  Today, I put everything together  in the casserole dish from my Pyrex Portable Carrier and just popped it in the fridge.  Tomorrow morning, I will bake it  right before we leave, then I'll pop it into the insulated carrier.   The hot pack will keep it warm on the drive to the Cape.

I'm looking forward to spending time with family and enjoying a wonderful meal together.  We have so much for which to be thankful!

Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving!