Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving

I have a lot to be thankful for this year, Alex passed the New York Bar, I survived my first year of graduate school and this Thanksgiving I was thankful to have old and new friends around to celebrate. I had a lot of fun decorating for Thanksgiving this year. We ended up having eighteen people over. Everyone brought delicious food and it turned out to be a wonderful evening. 

For the flower arrangements my neighbor went out and picked some berry branches, sprayed them with lacquer and gave us some. I thought they were so beautiful and what a great way to make a cheap and seasonal arrangement. I also put some cranberries in some small vases with a floating candle and sprinkled some fall leaves on the table.

This pecan pie was pretty good. Alex loved it, but I have a family recipe for a chocolate coconut pecan pie that I am making this weekend...it is heavenly. Don't worry, I'll be sure to post it! For the crust I used this  recipe, but substituted 1/2 cup of butter for 1/2 cup of shortening, because I really like butter.  I want to try butter flavored Crisco and see if that adds the flavor I'm looking for.

This year I grew a pumpkin in my garden, actually the pumpkin grew itself.  I didn't plant any pumpkin seeds, it just magically appeared one day and before I knew it I had a beautiful pumpkin growing in my yard.  So, I decided to make use of this magic pumpkin and make pumpkin pie from scratch.  The only thing I changed about this recipe was that I added a little bit of nutmeg and it turned out delicious.

I love homemade cranberry sauce and isn't the color amazing!  I used 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar (instead of all white sugar). I also added 1/4 cup of maple syrup and a splash of vanilla...yummy.

My grandma stumbled upon this recipe for sweet potato soufflé while she was living in South Carolina.  It has been a family favorite since we started making it. I hope you guys enjoy it too!

Sweet Potato Soufflé

3 c boiled mashed sweet potatoes

1 c white sugar

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 c butter

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c coconut

Combine all ingredients and mix well, pour into 9x13

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c flour

1 c chipped pecans

1 stick butter

Combine (will be crumbly) and spread over potato mixture

Cook at 350 for 30-40 min

Hollenbeck's Cider Mill

I've decided to start posting about the delicious food Alex and I have come across during our time in Upstate New York. Partly, because I want to remember all of my favorite places so I can go again next year and partly, because I want to show my family how awesome it is up here in the hopes of convincing them to come and visit. For some reason, Upstate New York hasn't been as appealing as Southern California...go figure?  

Really though, the Fall here is beautiful and one of my favorite places to visit in the Fall is Hollenbeck's Cider Mill.  They have the most delicious apple cider, which they make on site with a cider press from 1873!  If you show up on Saturday morning you can watch them make the cider and they even let you try some before they pasteurize it -so, so, so good. They also have doughnuts on the weekends and all kinds of other tasty treats in their bakery.  And don't forget about the apples, lots and lots of yummy apples!