Thanksgiving 1.1 - Mystery Pecan Pie

Aaahhh, pecan pie. A staple at almost every Thanksgiving diner table. And who doesn't love it? The only problem is that it is so rich and sweet that you can barely eat more than one bite. That is why when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. This is a cross between a cheesecake and a pecan pie all nestled in a deep dish pie crust. It doesn't have the overwhelmingly sweetness of traditional pecan pie and it also has a more firm texture.

Now, I have made this pie several times over the last few days and I have tips to share.

• Do not beat the filling with your beaters. Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature and use one beater on low speed just until the mixture is smooth.
• DO NOT mix the topping with beaters! Karo syrup is very easy to whip air into and your pie will be an absolute mess! Most experienced pecan pie makers would already know to avoid this, but in case you are a first-timer, I wanted to include this tip.
• When your pie is finished baking do not remove it from the oven. Simply turn the oven off and open the door about half way. Leave it this way until it's completely cooled. This will prevent the center of the pie from sinking in when it cools.
• Don't eat this until the next day. It is much better and not meant to be eaten warm.

Mystery Pecan Pie

Topping

3 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

1 8oz package cream cheese room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell (9 inch)

1 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350

Combine topping ingredients & set aside

Mix cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla & egg

Pour into pie shell (spread evenly)

Top with even layer of pecans

Pour topping over pecans

Bake 45 minutes

Hope you enjoy!

Thanksgiving 1.0

Well, Thanksgiving is almost upon us. The mother of all cooking holidays. Guess starting that diet and workout plan a week ago may not have been the best timing....but I digress.

I am hosting for the first time this year and I am absolutely nothing short of obsessed at this point. From decorations to recipe cards to the menu.....it's all on my mind 24/7! I will be blogging and sharing recipes and my decorating ideas here and there as the days pass.

The first thing I will share is my plate/charger decorations. This was an obsession for at least a week before I found a solution. I had it in my mind that I wanted seasonal paper doilies between my chargers and glass plates. Now, we have a Ben Franklin Crafts, Hobby Lobby & JoAnn's, so finding some seasonal doilies should be a snap, right? Not so much. Apparently the only style doily that makes it's way to Quincy, IL is round white wedding style.

With pretty much no luck online either, I had to come up with something. I mean, can I really expect people to just eat off a glass plate with no seasonal decoration staring back at them!?! Let's not be absurd.....

After combing through Hobby Lobby, I did finally find some very inexpensive scrapbooking paper that was festive and seasonal. I decided to grab a few sheets and cut some leaves out myself to go under my plates. I very quickly found some templates online, printed them off, traced and cut them out. I have cut several extras to lay around on my coffee table and end tables for a little added decoration around the finger foods and snacks that will be sitting around.

Love these and will be doing this over and over for the holidays!