Seasonal Sundays (Week 46) Thanksgiving Pies

Yeah-yeah, pie is usually served at the end of the Thanksgiving meal, yikes, just a couple of weeks away. So why kick off November with my favorite pie recipes? Well ... maybe we should all start the Turkey Day with pie. Really. Truly.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Pie for Thanksgiving Breakfast?

Yes! It's one of two holiday traditions my husband and I adopted last year and intend to follow, well, forever ...

Here's the logic. It's all about timing ... and pure FUN.

• We have to eat something, right?
• Who wants to "cook breakfast" (and dirty even more dishes) when we've got so much Thanksgiving effort yet to expend?
• After dinner itself, aren't we too-too full to really enjoy a nice slice of pie?
• And later, once it's time for a turkey sandwich, won't we really enjoy a second piece?

And besides.

• Isn't Apple Pie kinda-sorta toast with apple jam? And isn't Pumpkin Pie just a roasted vegetable thickened with eggs?

Anyway. We wholeheartedly endorse and recommend Pie for Thanksgiving Breakfast. Try it!

A Few Tips on Thanksgiving Pies

There's no forgetting my first Thanksgiving pies. I was just 16 and have lost track of what pies were baked but what is embedded in my psyche is how Uncle Marv, my dad's brother visiting from Minnesota, raved and raved. Ever since, I've l-i-v-e-d to evoke same reaction.

Here's how it works, here.

• If it's been awhile since you've made a homemade crust, do a practice pie sooner than later. Even experienced pie bakers pick up new tips for my 50:50 butter:shortening crust, it's both tender and flaky, something that's hard impossible to achieve with an all-butter crust. Check out Flaky Tender Pie Crust, there's a step-by-step guide too, How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust.


• Here's a meal prep win! Make the crusts ahead of time and freeze. My favorite crust for freezing is actually an all-shortening crust, the one here with Perfect All-Rhubarb Pie. Pull it out of the freezer for about 24 hours before rolling out. Or make the crusts a day or two before baking the pies, just wrap well in wax paper and refrigerate.


• This year, I'm finally switching to metal pie pans, it's my last attempt to get brown, crispy bottom crusts. I love glass pie pans, love the color and shapes of ceramic but there's nothing worse than a gummy bottom crust. I've just invested in this non-stick metal pie pan from Williams Sonoma but may go all metal too.


• Never ever-ever gonna pull out a rolling pin to make your own crust? I hear you. My collection of Pies & Tarts includes several no-roll crusts, just mix and pat them into a pie pan. Everyone loves a good graham cracker crust, right? This is My Favorite Graham Cracker Crust, it's crisp and sturdy, not too sweet, not too buttery.


• Or use a commercial crust (I like Pillsbury refrigerator crusts and d-e-s-p-i-s-e Trader Joe's crusts) but, here's the real trick. Do pull out that rolling pin, spread out the crust and sprinkle with a tiny bit of sugar, then roll it out much thinner. You'll end up discarding about 25% of that pie dough, avoiding that awful gumminess.


• Who's tried baking a pie in a paper bag? Yes. You read that right! Here's the details from The Kitchn. I'm totally intrigued!


• Any pie tips to share? Hit me with a comment below or an email!

Random Notes ...

• Missouri's fall leaves are gone, except for the oaks which hang on for another few weeks. It's weird though: peak color arrived a full two weeks early. We had a wet early and mid summer (including 12 freaking inches in a single day in mid July) but a very dry late summer and fall. Perhaps the cause?


• What's the best time of year to find fresh beans in grocery stores? Summer and ... November! How green beans became such a favorite Thanksgiving vegetable, I'm not sure. There's the green-bean casserole effect but the old-timey recipes call for canned green beans and canned mushroom soup – so skip that junk and instead go for the amazing World's Best Green Bean Casserole with fresh beans and fresh mushrooms. You do know it comes with a love story?! Happy Thanksgiving from the Green Bean Casserole Lady: A Love Story


• Worth watching! Bad Sisters on Apple TV+, black Irish humour. If you don't subscribe either, maybe look for a trial subscription? It worked for us. And prepare to wish you'd grown up in a houseful of sisters!

It's Not Politics. It's Civics.
It's Like Voting Every Day. Legally.

The country needs calm, thoughtful and assertive voices amid the chaos inflicted by a minority hellbent on taking/retaining power by strangling democratic principles and equal rights.

It's time to look up, study up and speak up. Make your voice heard!

Don't get overwhelmed. None of us have to personally change the world.

WE JUST HAVE TO DO OUR PART.

Pick one thing and put it on top of your To Do List this week. Next week, add another.

Here are my suggestions. I'll be adding to this list ...

NEXT WEEK? Time will tell.

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THIS WEEK VOTE

If Republicans Win, You Lose. It's as basic as that. Take it, run with it. Tell everyone you know. Get yourself and all your circle into voting booths. Ignore the polls and pundits, nothing counts until actual votes are tallied.

But do worry about the outcome.

Are you ready to move in with your kids? Are your parents gonna have to move in with you? Social Security and Medicare are not "entitlements" – they are programs that 65 million working Americans have paid into their entire working lives with the promise of a financial and medical safety net at the end of those years. Yet the GOP has put a target on these programs to pay for more tax cuts for the ultra-rich. This is absurd. You think things are "expensive" now? Just wait. Please spread the word. They're telling us who they are and what they intend to do. More info here, Republicans Eyeing "Changes" to Social Security and Medicare from the NYT, no paywall.

And know that your vote, this year, counts for more this than perhaps any other year: because a vote for democracy means democracy has a chance to stand the assault from an authoritarian minority and that your vote will mean something in coming years too.

If Republicans Win, You Lose.

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SEASONAL INSPIRATION: THANKSGIVING PIES!

• THE RECIPE Flaky Tender Pie Crust So tender you'll break off "mouse bites".
• EXTRA HELP How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust Cooks love my step-by-step photos and helpful tips!

• THE RECIPE My Favorite Graham Cracker Crust A crisp, sturdy crust, not too sweet, not too buttery.
• ANOTHER TAKE No-Bake Chocolate Cookie Crumb Crust (Homemade Chocolate Cookies) Half chocolate, half graham cracker.

• THE RECIPE American Apple Pie Savor every single tender, flaky apple bite.
• ANOTHER TAKE Apple-Butter Pumpkin Pie Naturally sweetened apple butter and pumpkin purée in an easy press-in graham cracker crust.

• THE RECIPE Honey Pumpkin Pie Sweetened with honey, not processed sugar.
• ANOTHER TAKE No-Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie Part pie, part cheesecake in a gingersnap crust.

• THE RECIPE No-Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie Part pumpkin pie, part cheesecake, totally simple.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet Potato-Chocolate Swirl Pie A spectacular sweet potato pie, an earthy mix of roasted sweet potatoes and chocolate.

• THE RECIPE Derby Pie The classic Southern pie with many names.
• ANOTHER TAKE Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie A creamy concoction, with just a hint of peanut butter and a drizzle of chocolate.

• THE RECIPE Cranberry Linzer Tart An impressive European fruit tart, made easy with an almond press-in crust.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy-Easy Jam Tart An amazing tart in just 15 minutes!

What's New?!

Wondering about a recipe from the last while? Check Recent Recipes from Kitchen Parade and Recent Vegetable Recipes from A Veggie Venture.

• THE RECIPE Chocolate Chili My long-time recipe, meaty and full of spices and a touch of chocolate.
• ANOTHER TAKE Crockpot Chili with Spicy Sausage Brown the meat, dump and go.

A Quick Peek Into a Real-Life Kitchen

Just so you know, everything's not all pretty pictures around here, in the background is a pile of dirty dishes. And just like many (all?) of us, come five o'clock, I too draw a blank about what to make for supper, despite so many recipes I so dearly love. Here's a quick peek from the last week.

• THIS WEEK We ended up with a couple of gallons of milk I didn't want to go to waste. First up? Ricotta. So far, it's just been a topping for some breakfast and supper toasts, so good.
• THE RECIPE Homemade Ricotta Two ways to make fresh homemade ricotta.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Buttermilk How to make thick & tangy, cold & creamy buttermilk.

• THIS WEEK Like I said, we had l-o-t-s of milk to use up.
• THE RECIPE Creamy Oatmeal Three tricks for the very best oatmeal, all easy!
• ANOTHER TAKE Creamy Pumpkin Steel-Cut Oats Try it with bits of apple, morning heaven!

• THIS WEEK Okay, finally, it's almost gone.
• THE RECIPE Milk-Braised Pork Roast Be it ever so humble, milky good.
• ANOTHER TAKE Wine-Braised Pork Roast with Garlic Mashed Potatoes How to cook a pork roast in wine and rich spices.

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Calico Beans aka "Alanna's Famous Cowboy Beans" A hearty baked-bean dish, meaty enough for supper, but more often served as a side at potlucks.
• ANOTHER TAKE Greek Baked Beans (Gigantes Plaki) Cooked until creamy in the oven.

• THE RECIPE Finnish Meatballs Light and flavorful meatballs, perfect for make-ahead entertaining.
• ANOTHER TRADITION Homemade Swedish Potato Sausage A picture essay of a grandmother passing along a family recipe.
• & ANOTHER How to Make Norwegian Lefse Video by expert lefse maker LeAnne Kruger.

• THE RECIPE Cranberry Salsa An explosion of flavors with a Christmas vibe.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cranberry Orange Relish with Fresh Ginger That old-time recipe with a whole orange, skin and all.

• THE RECIPE Colored Roll-Out Sugar Cookies Pretty and easy-to-work-with roll-out sugar cookie dough.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cut-Out Spice Cookies My all-time year-round favorite cut-out cookie dough recipe.

Something to Read

Beartown fans, lace up.

I've just finished the third of three in the Beartown series. It's a long, meandering book, almost 20 hours to listen, that's double most books.

Like Swedish author's Fredrick Backman's first two books, The Winners first of many "characters" is hockey. But it's also the story of rival small towns, community boosterism, teenage friendship, unlikely friendships, mother-daughter relationships, father-daughter relationships, immigration and ambition, sexual assault, gun violence and so so much more.

I was glad for The Winners' length, this is a book to savor, to think about, to revel in the rich wonder of the language.

You'll want to start at the beginning.

• THE BOOKS (affiliate links)
• Bear Town
• Us Against You
• The Winners


• BOOK CLUB BOOK IDEAS My Reading Group's Book List since 1994!
• NO TIME TO READ? How I Read 4X More This Year Than Last What I gave up, how I read so much, what I read.

Don't Be a Stranger ...

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail (my current address in the FAQs), dot-dash in Morse code, build a fire for smoke signals, launch a message in a bottle, send a Christmas letter, get the dog to yip, toss me a note wrapped in a rubberband, write a message in the sky, scratch a note in the sand, listen to a seashell, tuck a question into a plastic Easter egg, whatever.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. When you make my recipes, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below or better still, on the specific recipe's page.

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