Thanksgiving Recipes*

Fudge Nut Pie

Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 T cold water

Combine all ingredients and knead dough. Roll out into a crust. Makes one crust.

Filling:
1 oz baking chocolate
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 t vanilla
1 unpacked pie shell

Melt chocolate and butter on stove. Remove from heat and add the sugars. Beat in eggs- one at a time. Add milk and corn syrup and beat until foamy. (Best to use a hand mixer and it take a while to get it really foamy.) Add the nuts and vanilla. Pour into pie shell. Cook 1 hour at 350. Even better if made ahead and frozen.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

2 (14 oz) packages gingerbread mix
1 (5.1 oz) box cook and serve vanilla pudding mix
1 (30 oz) can pumpkin pie mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 t ground cinnamon
1 (12 0z) container whipped topping
1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir in the pumpkin pie mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon into the pudding. Crumble one batch of gingerbread into trifle bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layerd in a punch bown or any large pretty glass bowl.

Jane's Observations:
I had trouble finding the pumpkin pie mix. I finally found it at Sweetbay.

I have a trifle bowl and only used half of the two boxes of gingerbread that I had made. I also didn't quite use all the pumpkin/pudding mixture either.

*The trifle could definitely be used at Christmas as well. My family also enjoys the fudge nut pie throughout the year. Normally more around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that is only because we are able to get fresh pecans.