Updated: Brûléed Maple Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust

We are hosting Thanksgiving AGAIN this year, and my dreams are coming true.

One of my most favorite parts of being an adult is having control over our holiday plans. This year we will be joined by seven friends and two kiddos . Having friends, my chosen family, surround us on holidays feels like the highest honor to me. I am BEYOND excited! Feeding friends and family is one of my favorite ways to say, I love you!!!

That being said, I want to make sure everything we eat is as yummy as possible, so it was time for a pie run-through. I’ve been making Brûléed Maple Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust for YEARS and look forward to it every time. I made several adjustments to the original recipe, making it dairy free and even tastier than I remembered!

A Compilation of Delectable Thanksgiving Fare!

It's Turkey Lurkey TIME! No turkey for me, but there is one recipe in this compilation that will help you use your leftovers deliciously! In this post you will find EASY flavorful appetizers, a collection of delectable vegetable focused dishes, a couple of special dessert recipes (including my FAVORITE pumpkin pie in the world), and some hilarious holiday headlines from The Onion!!

Summer in a Bowl (BEST SALAD EVER)

This salad has a different name in our house, but it has a bad word in it, and I know there could be some of my GOTRs that read this, so I am keeping it out of this part. The first time I made this salad was on my birthday which is April 30th, and it was after my first bite that I gifted this salad its signature name. We had it every day that week, and since then we've had it every week.

Spicy Almond Chickpea Salad Sliders

I love to be sneaky and trick people who usually shy away from anything labeled 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' into eating exactly those kinds of things and then watching their reactions of surprise and delight.

This is a GREAT recipe for that purpose.

Ode to Rustica: Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was home for a week in October, and the morning I left, we got up early and had breakfast at Rustica Bakery in Minneapolis. Everything we had was extraordinary and since Chris wasn't with me, I had to bring back some treats for him. Miraculously, the box of cookies stayed shut the whole entire flight back to Nashville. It didn't last long in the parking lot of the airport! Where most people have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads at this time of year, we've had visions of bittersweet chocolate chip cookies on repeat.

Espresso Shortbread with Butterscotch Glaze

As much as I enjoy decorating these cookies, I am not convinced that they are memorably tasty. I think I love the first cut-out sugar cookie. They are a little too sweet for me and the clean up and prep takes too much time. So my goal was to find something different, delicious, a little bit easier with less prep work, and memorable. And then I read about Espresso Shortbread with Butterscotch Glaze. Does it get more unique than this?

Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie (NO BAKE!)

I made this Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie and then realized it was perfect for our vegan friends. The other reason I made these is because I have a friend who much prefers savory over dessert, and Take 6 bars are her favorite. I wanted her to be able to enjoy a little something sweet too! And anyways, I have never met someone who didn't like a peanut butter/pretzel/chocolate combo. Have you?????

Thanksgiving Leftover Sliders!!!

Obviously, breakfast on Friday is always BRÛLÉED MAPLE PUMPKIN PIE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST and then for lunch you have leftovers, of course. Growing up, I loved leftovers on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Everyone loves the first round of leftovers.

Its day 4 of leftovers that I dread. The turkey is dry. The rolls are rather stale. Someone ate all the marshmallows off of the sweet potato casserole. And I wouldn't touch the green bean casserole with a ten foot pole, no matter how fresh they were.

Roasted Squash with Farro, Toasted Pepitas, Pomegranate & Warm Maple Cinnamon Drizzle

In walks you, tamer of delicious Thanksgiving vegetable delights. Carrying a platter of beautifully roasted butternut and delicata squash, topped with savory barley and farro, pomegranate and toasted pepitas, topped with warm maple cinnamon drizzle. As soon as you reach the table, the compliments start flowing, even conservative Aunt Janice pipes up!

Romaine Dream Boats with Toasted Pepitas

I've been roasting squash and sweet potatoes almost daily trying to perfect recipes for Thanksgiving sides, and after eating squash all day I wanted something opposite of roasted root vegetables.I turned around and looked at the groceries waiting to be put away. A head of romaine, some raw pepitas, and a bag of unsweetened cocoa. Romaine! Romaine is crunchy and crispy! So are pepitas! And then, Romaine Dream Boats with Toasted Pepitas were born.

This recipe is so easy to make, its not even funny. You don't even need utensils!! With the Holiday season quickly approaching, this is a great quick and healthy option! It is also really easy to make it look fancy...