The shop that employs my hubby had a pre-Thanksgiving lunch for employees and clients. The owner's daughter made many of the side dishes, the guys at the shop fried up three turkeys, and at least one of his co-workers' wives sent in a casserole or two. Apparently I have gotten a reputation for dessert making, and so a request was sent in for desserts. This is a case of flattery will get you everywhere! I already had many things on my plate (all puns intended) that week, but was more than happy to oblige!
Knowing that everyone would be sitting down to "traditional" Thanksgiving fare that week, I wanted to make desserts that were "traditional with twist." I borrowed heavily from Cooking Light recipes, but in the end, I "make them my own" (to quote the infamous Paula Abdul).
First up...Ooey-Gooey Apple Sheet Cake. I had never made this before, but a read-through of the recipe told me this was like an apple pie cake! I am not a huge fan of pie (however, I discovered over the holiday that I can make a mean pie crust!), but I am a lover of all things cake! After mixing the batter, and before assembly, I did a "taste-test" of the batter, and knew it was a winner. It wasn't terribly gooey, but oh so yummy! For a non-chocolate dessert, this one goes straight to the top of my LOVE pile!
Second, Oatmeal Pecan Pie. I have never made a pecan pie before, but it is the November 2006 Cooking Light cover recipe. Depsite that I did not love the picture on the cover, the recipe was simple and apparently very tasty. I added 1/2 cup Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, which I think made this pie a repeater (and I have gotten requests for the recipe!).
Knowing that everyone would be sitting down to "traditional" Thanksgiving fare that week, I wanted to make desserts that were "traditional with twist." I borrowed heavily from Cooking Light recipes, but in the end, I "make them my own" (to quote the infamous Paula Abdul).
First up...Ooey-Gooey Apple Sheet Cake. I had never made this before, but a read-through of the recipe told me this was like an apple pie cake! I am not a huge fan of pie (however, I discovered over the holiday that I can make a mean pie crust!), but I am a lover of all things cake! After mixing the batter, and before assembly, I did a "taste-test" of the batter, and knew it was a winner. It wasn't terribly gooey, but oh so yummy! For a non-chocolate dessert, this one goes straight to the top of my LOVE pile!
Second, Oatmeal Pecan Pie. I have never made a pecan pie before, but it is the November 2006 Cooking Light cover recipe. Depsite that I did not love the picture on the cover, the recipe was simple and apparently very tasty. I added 1/2 cup Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, which I think made this pie a repeater (and I have gotten requests for the recipe!).
Third, Pumpkin Cheesecake. This is a tried and true recipe, and was well-received. I should have cooked it a few minutes longer, but I don't think anyone else noticed! Instead of a crust made from vanilla wafers, I used ginger snaps and added a tad more butter to make up for their "hardness." I will use ginger snaps as the crust every time.
Last, but not least, Old-fashioned Cider Ginger Bundt Cake. Oh, how I love a good bundt cake. It takes me back to my German roots and a deep love of all things bundt! I had not made this particular recipe before, but was very pleased with the results. I used my fancy-shmancy Nordicware Cathedral bundt pan for dramatic results!
Here is a picture of the wee bit of leftovers, as I forgot to take photos before they were devoured!
From left (clockwise): Old-fashioned Cider Ginger Bundt Cake; a slice of Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Pecan Pie on its side; a slice of Pumpkin Cheesecake, also on its side; thre cubes of Ooey-Gooey Apple Sheet Cake.I have heard through the grapevine that there have been several requests for pies for the holidays. YEA!
