Thanksgiving

We’re only a few days away from Thanksgiving so this will be my last post for the week. I hope that everyone has something to be thankful for this year. Also, I wish everyone a happy holiday with loved ones and good food. Speaking of which, I saw a great recipe in Woman’s Day magazine that I’d like to share. If you’re looking for something different to serve for dessert, this is a twist on the classic pecan pie. Yum!

Chocolate Pretzel Pecan Pie

1 store bought or homemade 9″ pie crust

2 large eggs

1 cup light corn syrup

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp grated orange zest

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cups pecans

3/4 cup mini pretzels (about 15 – 20), broken into pieces

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk eggs, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in pecans, pretzels and chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into pie crust. Bake for 30 minutes. Cover pie with foil and bake another 15 minutes or until the filling is pulled and center is set. Cool and serve.

For those of you who are trying to eat healthier (or are crazy enough to get up in the middle of the night and fight the crowds to participate in the Black Friday sales), here’s a delicious and nutritious breakfast that you can eat on the go:

Pumpkin Bran Muffins

1 cup whole what flour

1/2 cup wheat bran

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

2/3 cup buttermilk

orange cream icing (see end of recipe)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 12 muffin liners in muffin tin. Whisk together flour, bran, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk, and oil. Fold in the pumpkin puree to the flour mixture.  Fill the lined muffin cups about 1/2 or 3/4 full and bake until done (a wooden pick inserted into muffin should come out clean); approximately 20 minutes. Can eat plain or iced. To make orange cream icing combine 1/2 fat free sour cream, 2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar, and 2 tsp grated orange zest. When cupcakes have cooled completely, spread icing onto top. (only 150 calories, 5 gram fat, 4 gram fiber, and 4 gram protein)