I decided I wanted to try something really different for Thanksgiving, so I made a pineapple pie! It’s a super easy recipe, and is really fresh and unique. I absolutely loved it, and I’ll definitely be making it again!
40 oz. crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup white sugar
6 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 pie crusts
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. white sugar
Preheat oven to 425.
Combine crushed pineapple with juice, 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, then boil for 1 minute. Cool slightly.
Line a 10-inch pie plate with crust. Beat egg and brush crust with it to prevent sogginess. Pour filling into the prepared pie dish. Cover with remaining crust; press and flute the edges to seal. Cut a few steam vents on top (or do a lattice crust as pictured), brush crust with milk and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. sugar.
Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve with whipped cream and flaked coconut if desired.
“And that’s how Milly and Mr. Macy started a new holiday tradition. It looked a little like the old country, and a little like America, and a little like something entirely new.”
That quote from Milly and the Macy’s Parade describes pretty well how I felt about Thanksgiving this year. Our holiday was a little different, because this is the first time we’ve had a child away from home who returned to us for the holiday celebration. It was kind of familiar and kind of new, and still lots of fun!
One thing that was different this year was that instead of having “Pie Day” on Wednesday, I started my annual pie baking on Tuesday…I made three pies that day (two s’mores, another new thing because I’ve never made two of the same pie before, and a chocolate hazelnut) plus the cranberries. I got to work on baking early so that I wouldn’t have to be in the kitchen as much once Bunny returned home on Wednesday. The other six pies (plus the stuffing) were made that day, and Bunny even had time to make the caramel apple like she usually does!
Thursday was pretty normal…we watched the Macy’s Parade (Bunny and Ladybug tied at parade bingo) and the National Dog Show and some of our favorite Thanksgiving shows that we didn’t have time for on Wednesday. Chickadee took care of folding the napkins while I set our tables:
And dinner was even ready a little earlier than I expected, which is much better than it being done later! We had a fairly standard meal…turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, green beans with almonds, cranberries, and rolls. I also made roast fennel for the first time, and it was delicious!
Another change this year involved our Lego Winter Village set. Usually, we build it the day after Thanksgiving, but Bunny had to leave pretty early that day, so we built it after dinner. I love that it looks like it was lifted right from the Alps, and it has so many lovely details…the fireplace is especially cool!
Here’s a look at the previously-mentioned pies. The pineapple pie was the only new addition this year, and it was a good one…I will definitely be making it again!
In the evening, we also played “Chandler’s Dumb States Game” for the first time. I was the undisputed champion…all 50 states in four minutes, and my children are still wondering how I did it! Of course I also had to check in with Franklin and my Animal Crossing neighbors before the day was over:
The day after Thanksgiving started with one of my very favorite traditions…pie for breakfast!
We went to see Moose march in the town Santa Parade for the last time…Bunny was able to stay long enough to see the band, which was nice. After all these years, I can’t believe he won’t be marching in it again!
Of course we had turkey sandwiches for lunch:
And more pie for lunch dessert:
Dinner was another favorite…turkey soup:
After dinner, Chickadee and I went to the town tree lighting, which is always a nice event.
We walked through Christkindlmarkt:
And checked out the gingerbread houses on display on Main Street. There are some very creative and beautiful pieces done by some very talented artists!
Back home, we had even more pie:
Last night, we had one more leftovers meal…Thanksgiving casserole (one of the few casseroles I actually like!):
And one final round of pie for dessert:
So, our celebration was a lot the same, but a little bit different. But we were together for the holiday, and that was the most important thing of all!
This year, instead of “Pie Day” in preparation for Thanksgiving, I spread the work out over two Pie Days! I had nine pies to make, plus I wanted to spend as much time with Bunny as possible once she got home from college this afternoon, so I made two s’mores pies (a first for us…I’ve never made two of the same pie before!) and a chocolate-hazelnut pie yesterday (I also made the cranberries then, too). Today we took care of the rest of the pies, including a new addition to the lineup, a pineapple pie, plus pumpkin, butterscotch, caramel-apple (made by Bunny), pecan, and vanilla cream:
As soon as I saw German Girl in America’s recipe for Reformationsbrötchen, I knew I had to make them! Who doesn’t want to make rolls that look like Luther’s Rose? They’re really delicious…light and fluffy, with the perfect flavors for fall, featuring lemon and cranberry…and so cute. I left out the almonds, and we didn’t miss them, but I’m sure they make a great addition!
Chickadee and I are finishing Anne of Green Gables this week, so while we haven’t tried every recipe in The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook, it’s time to take a look back at the recipes we have tried. We made a lot of desserts, and I think the apple dumplings were my favorite (they were also something I had never made before!). I really like the way we’ve been able to tie cooking and literature together for the last few years!
Diana Barry’s Favorite Raspberry Cordial
Miss Stacy’s Baked Macaroni
White Sands Scalloped Tomatoes
Anne’s Liniment Cake
Chocolate Caramels
Old-Fashioned (Pink) Lemonade
Cowcumber Boats
Chocolate Goblin’s Food Cake
Afternoon Ruby Tea Biscuits
Coconut Macaroons
Creamy Butterscotch Pudding
Thick and Creamy Vegetable Soup
Orange Angel Cake
Miss Ellen’s Pound Cake
Puffy Apple Dumplings
Rachel Lynde’s North Shore Fish Cakes
Fire and Dew Sweet Potatoes
Maritime Gingersnaps
We’ll be taking a break from this cookbook for the time being, but I’m looking forward to coming back to it in the future!
Today I finally got around to preparing our annual family Oktoberfest! Of course I had to wear a dirndl…I think I wore five of my six dresses to various Oktoberfests this year!
I didn’t make fondue this year, but I did make pretzels, and I even experimented with making a few larger ones. I need to work on rolling them out a bit thinner, but they were good!
Of course I had to celebrate in Animal Crossing, too:
I made our favorites for dinner…Schnitzel (which at this point, I think I’ve perfected!), spaetzle, and rotkohl. I still haven’t been brave enough to make sauerkraut from scratch, so that was store-bought. I did make Jäger sauce this year, though!
Yes, our house smells like a German restaurant!
For dessert, I made our favorite Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte…I wouldn’t dare make something else!
It’s been almost a year since the last time I shared a look at the German cooking I’ve been doing, so it’s time for an update. I’ve been cooking at least one German recipe a month thanks to the great suggestions in my Rare Dirndl Facebook group. Some have been new versions of recipes I’ve made in the past (like Kartoffelpuffer, not once, but twice, with two very different recipes and a new serving suggestion of smoked salmon), but most have been new to us. I also made a lot of new German Christmas cookies last Christmas, and I’m really looking forward to making some of them again this year! I really enjoy trying recipes my ancestors might have enjoyed in their home country, and sharing them with my children to help them feel a connection to the past!
Martinsbrezeln
Lebkuchen
Vanillekipferl
Pfeffernusse
Kardamom Plaetzchen
Zimtsterne
Swiss Cheese Fondue
Bratkartoffeln
Beef Rouladen
Kartoffelpuffer
Brötchen
Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby
Krautsalat
Currywurst
Summer Flammkuchen
Bavarian Obatzda (and pretzels!)
Kartoffelpuffer with Smoked Salmon
Sacher-Torte
I’m looking forward to continuing my adventures in German cooking!
We have one Labor Day tradition that has been going on so long, I can’t even remember how it started…we always have chili and (usually) fry bread Labor Day Weekend!
This year, I tried a new twist. We had extra fry bread, so I made fry bread sundaes for dessert. The crunchy saltiness of the fry bread was the perfect foil to the ice cream, and it was so good! I will definitely be making this again!
I love the little traditions that you don’t plan that just kind of happen!
When Chickadee and I went to visit the Planter’s Nutmobile in July, we had to stop in at Steve’s Hot Dogs, the host of the event.
I loved the interior of the restaurant…especially all the Star Wars memorabilia everywhere!
Now on to the most important stuff…the food! Since it was just me and Chickadee, I didn’t go crazy and order the hot dog flight, but if you do, you can try their eight top dogs. I’m personally kind of a hot dog purist, so I only tried one thing..the classic Chicago Dog. It was probably the best Chicago Dog I’ve ever had! The toppings are impossible to screw up (as long as you don’t try to sneak some ketchup on there), so they were spot on, but the hog dog itself was excellent. I don’t know why or what makes it different, but it was really, really good!
It’s hard to argue with this sentiment:
I liked the Chicago Dog so much, I may even go back and try something different in the future…the Al Hrabratsky appeals to me based on the name alone, but it also has sauerkraut and paprika, so I know it has to be good! You can also build your own dog or brat, so you know you’re getting exactly what you want, and that means Steve’s basically has endless options!
Summer vacation is coming to an end, which means I won’t have as much time for cooking “fancy” dinners. So even though I still have a lot of recipes left to try in The Official Disney Parks Cookbook, here’s a look at the ones we’ve tried so far. Unlike Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World, a cookbook of recipes from only Disney World which was the inspiration behind many of our Disney Dinners last year, this cookbook contains recipes from Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and beyond, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and beyond, and other Disney locations including Vero Beach and Aulani.
Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
Walt’s Chili and Beans
Shrimp Boil Tacos with Andouille Sausage and Corn
Honey Crunch Cake
Totchos
Tres Leches Cake
Key Lime Pie
Charred Nebraska Corn Chowder
Pork Goulash with Sauerkraut Pierogi
Caramel Hawaiian Sweet Bread Pudding
Chef Mickey’s Breakfast Pizza
Pink Leilani
S’mores Gelato Shake
Watermelon Lemonade
Goofy’s Kitchen Cherry Tomato and Bocconcini Salad
BLT Flatbread
Red, White, & Blue Sprinkle Whoopie Pies
Naan Bread with Cucumber Raita
Mango Lassi
Tomato Florentine Soup
Lemon Soda Float
The Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad
Beef Sliders with Pimento Cheese
White Chocolate Peppermint Bar topped with Peppermint Meringue Kisses
I really love our Disney Dinners, and I’m really excited about the newest cookbook in this series, Delicious Disney: Disneyland, which comes out this fall!
