Happy Thanksgiving! (Click for Recipes!)

Well, folks. We did it. We all did it.

We're at Thanksgiving, which means the holiday sales start tomorrow, then the Holidays are here which means 2020 IS ALMOST OVER!!! YAY!!!!!

But before that, yes, there will be Cyber Monday happenings here. Check back later/on social media for details. (By this I really mean; we're working on the details and getting things finalized as we speak. It's been a year, folks.)

I figured that before that, we'd celebrate these very non-traditional holidays with the one constant that not even a pandemic can stop: food. 

I grew up in a smaller family- only 3 cousins (all in one family) on both sides. Having "Everyone" for Thanksgiving usually meant a total of 7 people- my parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, and myself. I've had a variety of Thanksgivings in my adult years since my grandparents passed. Sometimes it would just be the three of us with my parents, other times with significant others and their friends, and last year I actually played hostess for my coworkers from my other job. 

Much like quilting, I think cooking for others is how I let them know, "I love you, and this is my way of showing it." (See also: Quilt Worthy People!!) It's also another way I relax. I think a lot of you feel the same way, at least judging from the fact that my Key Lime Pie blog post was one of my most popular EVER! 

So in this mad week, I've decided to share two recipes- one of my own, and one family recipe. 

Mine is simple and straightforward- Pumpkin Pie! (Image from Food Network because I'm too busy eating when I make a pie for silly things like photos)

I made this pie recipe after my mom insisting for years that my dad's recipe (grandma's, actually) was too "spicy" (she used SO MUCH clove powder) and my dad insisting my mom's (from Libby) was bland. So I made my own happy medium!

Crowd Pleaser Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:

-1 Premade Pie Crust, thawed if using frozen
-1 Can Packed Pumpkin, such as Libby's 
- 3 Eggs
-1 1/4 cup half and half
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon ginger
-1/2 t. nutmeg
-1/2 t. allspice
-1 1/2 t. cinnamon
-large dash cloves

Preheat oven to 425. Mix all ingredients until well combined, and put in shell. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn to 350 and continue baking for an additional 40 minutes. 

This next recipe is a family recipe. This stuff appears at every family Thanksgiving table- it comes from my mom's side, and definitely from the era of "jello everywhere!" I try some every year, wondering if this will be the year I'll finally fall in love with it. Hasn't happened yet!

Photo from here, except their recipe is a bit different. We never put it in a mould, just in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan, but I imagine this is how it would look...

Cranberry Jello Salad (even on the original recipe card!)

 Well- that's it for today. I'm off to start cooking our dinner, and get the store ready for Cyber Monday!

But before that:

Happy Thanksgiving however you choose to celebrate today- from all of us here at The Trendy Little Geek!

-April