I offered to bring dessert to my mother-in-law's for Turkey Day. Now I need to give you some background info before delving right into my list of desserts. My own family is one of tradition. We've had the same 10 foods at every holiday meal, and dessert is not something we alter. My grandmother's pies are a staple, as they should be - they are heaven in your mouth! We have an array of homemade apple, pumpkin (actually, we only refer to this as squash), chocolate cream, pecan and (gasp!) mincemeat (for the strong stomachs). As tradition dictates, plenty of vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream is served on the side. And then I got married...
My husband's family is NOT one of tradition, though I am not sure they are even aware of this fact. While they do stick to the "basic" turkey (fried, of course) for dinner, dessert is another matter. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the dining room on my first Thanksgiving with the in-laws 3 years ago to find NOT ONE PIE ON THE TABLE! Instead there was an array of cheesecakes, Christmas cookies, brownies, chocolate covered pretzel and ... Jell-o? Yes, Jell-o. For a moment I wasn't sure we were celebrating the correct holiday.
Since that first holiday spent with my in-laws, I have seen the occasional pie or two, but it is by no means a staple to the D-family's Thanksgiving. While I miss my Grandma's squash pie, I have to say, a slice of Turtle Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory is really not so bad.
When I offered to make dessert for today I put a lot of thought into my decision. If I was traveling to my own family's Thanksgiving I would have whipped up a variation on tradition - maybe a pumpkin streusal pie or an apple crisp. But for the in-law's I had to take a tradition and make it completely un-traditional. And so... the Candy Bar Pie. A perfect blend of tradition and downright rebellion.
I got this recipe from a co-worker just yesterday as I was in a panic about what to bring! She told me about this pie and I knew it would fit right in o the D-family's holiday table. It's pretty simple, and I highly recommend making it with an old family pie crust recipe (my Grandma's is so flaky!). The refrigerated Pillsbury pie crusts work well too if you are in a hurry.
Grandma Sully's Pie Dough
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 c shortening
3 T cold water
Sift dry ingredients. Add 1/2 c shortening and knead until fine. Add the final 1/4 cup shortening and knead until less fine. Gradually add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time until the sough is a comfortable consistency. Chill 1 hour before rolling.
Have a happy Thanksgiving! I'l leave you with some fun first grade level Thanksgiving facts -
Did you know the main course of the first Thanksgiving consisted of deer, lobster and clams?
In fact, the Wampanoags in a way, crashed the first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims invited Massasoit to join them for a harvest feast, not knowing he would bring along 90 of his closest friends!
The first Thanksgiving lasted for THREE DAYS. It was changed because the coined term Black Friday sounded much better than Black Sunday, which is easily confused with Black Sabbath, not appropriate for a holiday soundtrack. Enjoy!
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