Thanksgiving 2016

Over Thanksgiving break this year, we...painted our house! (again!). We didn't take any before/after photos because we just painted the stairwell and the hall, but it was more of a project than that would suggest. We had to repair a lot of the holes in the drywall, and there were two different cracks in the ceiling (apparently cracks just happen with the swing of temperatures every year, but I hope that the repair job that we did holds a least for a while!). So we painted the ceiling as well. It was exciting. Actually it was tiring. Regardless, we had a nice Thanksgiving break.

On the last day of school before the break, each girl had a Turkey Trot at their schools. Unfortunately they were at the same times. Fortunately this family has two parents. So John went to Eliza's Turkey Trot, and I went to Miriam's. John didn't take any pictures though. :( The other sad part was that he got a parking ticket while he was there. Apparently they just changed (like a week or two before that) that you couldn't park momentarily and drop off your kid a field gate, like we have always been able to. I guess there were lots of other cars there too, and the officer was just going down the line. Nice. :( We learned our lesson.

Miriam's Turkey Trot was fun though. They did the chicken dance, ran, and had treats after. I think Miriam did 3 laps and Holland and I ran the last one with her. (Well, I ran while Holly was in the front pack.)

Miriam's little friend Elia is a friend in her class that is also a half day friend and they like to walk into the playground together in the morning. Actually, Elia wouldn't ever walk it to the playground, it made her too nervous. But one day we happened to show up to drop off in the morning at the same time and I (without knowing her fear of walking in) asked Miriam if she wanted to walk in with Elia. Miriam just grabbed her hand and walked through the gate with her. Elia's mom was astounded. Since then Miriam has walked with her a bunch of times and now Elia isn't scared of doing it by herself anymore. It makes me happy.

Miriam and her friend Elia.

 Selfies with my girl!

We were going to have an easy Thanksgiving of burgers and hot dogs at the park, but we got invited over to a friend's house at the last minute. It was so nice of them! There was another family in the ward too. Both of their families have 3 girls and a boy. I swear there is something in the water here.

I love Thanksgiving pie. Seriously! We got this yummy pie from our realtor. We also made my favorite dessert ever and topped it with fresh raspberries. Recipe below:

Chocolate Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

YIELD: MAKES A 9-INCH PIE

I've only ever used 2% or whole milk for this recipe. The pudding will be less thick/creamy if using lower fat milk than that.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (7 ounces, about 13 rectangle graham crackers)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted (add a pinch of salt to the mixture if using unsalted butter)
Pudding Layer:
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (about .75 ounces)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (about 5.5 ounces)
• 1/3 cup cornstarch (1.75 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups milk (see note above)
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) powdered sugar
Whipped Cream Topping:
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) powdered sugar
Optional Garnishes:
• Chocolate curls, sprinkled toffee bits, dusting of cocoa powder, etc.

DIRECTIONS

1. For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter until evenly mixed. Press the mixture in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Cover with saran wrap until ready to use (this can be made several days in advance if kept well-covered).
2. For the pudding layer, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to whisk as the mixture comes to a boil and large bubbles break across the surface and the mixture has thickened.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Scrape the pudding into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled and set up (2-3 hours).
5. In a blender or an electric stand mixer (or with an electric hand mixer), whip the 3 ounces cream cheese, 2/3 cup cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until thick and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold this mixture into the chilled chocolate pudding until combined.
6. Evenly spread the pudding mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust. At this point you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days (the crust will get slightly soft if it's made in advance but it is still delicious) or go ahead and top with the whipped cream mixture and refrigerate for an hour (up to 4 hours) before serving.
7. For the whipped cream layer, whip the 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until soft peaks form. Gently spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie and garnish with chocolate curls, sprinkled toffee bits, a dusting of cocoa powder - or whatever your heart desires. Serve chilled.

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe