I can’t take too much credit for the turkey. It was a Butterball and frankly, it’s pretty darn hard to screw up a Butterball, which is why I buy them.  The dressing was amazing – I”ll share that recipe in another post. What really stood out and surprised my though, was the dessert.

I honestly hadn’t really planned on making any dessert. I don’t need the extra calories. It would only be for 2 people so there would be tons of leftovers, which I didn’t need in the house. But I gave in and caved to the Thanksgiving traditions of needing something sweet to end the day.  My mind started craving something pumpkin – and I went with Pumpkin Cheesecake.  It ended up being the biggest surprise in how delicious it was! I found a basic cheesecake recipe and embellished it to my liking.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is my Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake recipe:

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

1 pkg regular cream cheese

1 pkg low-fat cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

2 Tbl cinnamon (reduce if you’d like to)

1 Tbl pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp clove

1 Tbl vanilla

Mix all this together until creamy

For pie crust – I used a store-bought graham cracker pie crust and enhanced it by pouring 1/4 cup ground (or pounded) pecans into the bottom of the dish.

Pour on top of this the cream cheese mixture.  Garnish the top with whole pecans.

Bake at 325-degrees for  70 minutes (1 hour, 10 minutes)

It needs to sit for several hours before serving, actually better to refrigerate overnight before serving.

Bon appetit!

The beginning of the year definitely had a rocky start given the economy and all that surrounded it.  I am so thankful for my job with Disney and all my friends I’ve made from co-workers to new friends made online to friends made through projects I’ve worked on (Hello Moms Panelists!).  It truly has been an amazing year getting to know such wonderful people. 

I’m thankful for my friends and family in my personal life. Although my family numbers are very low – in fact you can almost count them on one hand (mom, Uncle Jack, Aunt Betty and some cousins scattered around the country) they still mean the world to me. I wish I saw more of them in person. Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays make me reminisce for the old days when we were kids and the celebrations were huge with 20 or more of us cramming into Grandma’s little 2-bedroom house for the holiday meals. The kids were segregated to the living room eating off card tables while the grown-ups sat at the dining room table. Do they even sell card tables any more?  Card tables and TV trays were staples in every house back then.

I’m thankful for my best friends (and boyfriend!) The last year and half with Mike has been so much fun. I miss my friend Mike in California and his family – who at one time adopted me into their family circle. I wish we had more hours in the day to talk and catch up like we used to do.  And I’m thankful for my long-time friend Randie who never forgets me on the holidays.  Our friendship is going on 25 years.

I’m thankful for all my friends from my past I’ve reconnected with through Facebook.  While I hardly ever see any of them in person it is rewarding to see what they’re all doing throughout the year and how their lives have changed over time. I enjoy reading their status updates and smile to see the fun their having with their families.  And if it wasn’t for Facebook I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to attend my high school band’s reunion gathering this summer. Oh yes, that made me cry! I loved band and the comradery it brought. Those were priceless and special friendships.

And of course I’m thankful for my dogs. They bring such joy to my life despite the 2:00 am bathroom calls.  When Mikita takes a nap with me and lays her head on my shoulder to sleep – it just warms my heart. And poor Jefferson, who’s aging so rapidly in his elderly years – he’s so darn cute with his constant tail wagging just for glancing his way.

I’m also thankful for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.  What would Thanksgiving Day be without it?