Thanksgiving rolls around, and I have all of these lofty baking ideas. A checklist for Thanksgiving Day, treats for the week, homemade breakfasts (especially if we're having company). Sometimes, I'm so overwhelmed with the idea of doing IT ALL that I don't enjoy the things that matter. Don't get me wrong, I always enjoy the cornbread dressing and pie.
There's no guilt in having a few baking hacks up your sleeve. As a matter of fact, it's smart. You can enjoy a relaxing few days with family and friends without stress...or without throwing your hands up in defeat and heading out for Tex-Mex. (Been there, done that.)
I've waxed poetic about my grocery store, H-E-B, before. Well, maybe I haven't been poetic about it, but I love my Texas grocery store chain. All three of these helpful holiday hacks, along with a few extras, came straight from my grocery store.
1. Pretty (and easy) Pies
I usually make two pies for Thanksgiving. While pie crust isn't hard to make, it is one more item on the to-do list. So, making one pie entirely from scratch is great, using a store-bought pie crust for the other saves time AND lets you get a little creative.
I used Texas Pie Company Dough Pucks (an H-E-B Primo Pick) to create a pie that is pretty as a picture. Thaw the dough and roll out. Use one as the bottom crust and the other for cut-outs. Use cookie cutters, pie cutters, and silicone molds to make the shapes. Place on the pie and bake away!
Note: for a pie with a liquid center, like this sweet potato pie, let the pie bake for 20 minutes, so the filling starts to set, then place on the decorative crust. If baking an apple pie, or something like it without a liquid center, the top crust cut-outs can go on pre-bake. Brush with a little egg wash for a shiny finish.
To go with the pie, please don't forget the ice cream. Now is the time to get the good stuff. In our family, there's always one person who doesn't want pie (hi, Jack!), but will always say yes to the ice cream.
2. Parfaits
I love to have special desserts throughout the holiday week and for guests, but again, time is a factor. May I present...the parfait?
Crumble up some pumpkin or spice cookies - homemade, store-bought, or from a box. Layer with pumpkin fluff, whipped topping, and candied pecans. (I found the pecans in the bulk section.)
Pumpkin fluff: 8 ounces cream cheese (softened), 7 ounces marshmallow fluff, 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, pinch cloves. Mix it together and voila! Pumpkin Fluff!
3. Morning-After Cranberry Biscuits
The last thing I want to do the day after Thanksgiving is to make a big breakfast. (Actually, the last thing I want to do is hit the mall...ugh. Who's with me?) These cranberry clementine biscuits are a super quick breakfast that will use up some of that leftover cranberry sauce.
Mix 2 cups Texas Pure Milling Baking Mix with a teaspoon of clementine zest, the juice of 3 clementines with enough milk to make 3/4 cup, and 1/2 cup leftover cranberry sauce. Spoon 12 dollops of dough onto a parchment-lined cookies sheet and bake at 450 for about 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden.
Serve warm. This Maple Cinnamon Simply Ghee is an exquisite accompaniment (and you didn't have to make it)!
Both the baking mix and the ghee are H-E-B Primo Picks.
Oh yeah...the flowers, the copper measuring cups and spoons, the ice cream scoop...they're ALL from H-E-B. Have I mentioned how much I love my grocery store?
