Happy Thanksgiving!!

I LOVE Thanksgiving, and not just because it doesn’t have any pagan origins! Although that is a pretty good reason. :) I love Thanksgiving because it is a reminder of how grateful we are to God for His protection over our Nation. We have been unbelievably blessed to live here. The fact that I can practice my religious beliefs without fear of persecution or death at this time is a testament to the blessings we have.

I know I should be thankful every day, but it is nice to have this day to remind me every year of all I have in friends and family!

And what would Thanksgiving me without food???? This year I am making a pumpkin pie and some fudge. The pie is easy, but the fudge is a new recipe, so we will see how that goes. I got this really beautiful cookie cutter that is in the shape of a maple leaf, so I am going to try to bake the pie and a “cookie” made out of pie dough and put it on top of the pie. We will see how that works. I figure if I coat the “cookie” in egg and sprinkle it with sugar it should work out good. Hopefully I will have some pictures to share.

In case anyone needs more recipes...

Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Pinch of salt
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Five Minute Fudge

12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

9 oz. butterscotch chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat chips and milk in a saucepan until completely melted, when it is smooth add vanilla. Pour into a lightly buttered pan, cover and store if fridgerator until set.