Non-traditional Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we all know that food is a major part of Thanksgiving. There’s the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, casserole, cranberries, and if your family is Italian like mine, pasta. But at the end of every good meal comes dessert. The go to dessert on Thanksgiving is, of course, pumpkin pie. Now you could go the traditional route for your pumpkin pie and follow the recipe on the back of the can of pumpkin, and there’s nothing wrong with that; but if you’re looking to spice up your Thanksgiving this year consider a pumpkin pie recipe that is a little different from the traditional.

This recipe is a twist on a classic pumpkin pie:

 Ingredients:

• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)

     Filling:

• 1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

     Topping:

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla; mix well. Add egg; beat until smooth. Spread over bottom of pie shell. Chill 30 minutes. In a bowl, beat filling ingredients until smooth. Carefully pour over the cream cheese layer. Cover edge of pie with foil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 25 minutes longer. Meanwhile, mix flour, brown sugar and butter until crumbly; stir in pecans. Sprinkle over pie. Bake 10-15 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.