This season I finally had a chance to scratch one off of my Bucket List. I’ve always wanted to visit New England in the fall. I had always heard that the changing of the leaves is spectacular, and I wanted to be there during the peak week. (Me and everyone else on the planet, I discovered!) While our Sonoran Desert holds its own beauty, brilliant red, yellow and orange leaves are pretty scarce. My trip to Woodstock, Vermont was worth the trip, and while there, I wanted to immerse myself in the New England food scene. That brings me to maple syrup. I couldn’t get enough of it, whether it was on my breakfast pancakes, a delicious ham slathered in a Vermont maple glaze or those iconic maple leaf-shaped candies. I came home with plenty of bottles of syrup which came in handy for this scrumptious holiday Maple Pecan Pie. This time of the year, while pumpkin pie is the go-to, pecan pie is right up there in popularity, and this version is definitely holiday worthy! It starts with a light and flakey crust, the perfect bed for a sweet, nutty and maple syrupy filling. So just in case searching for perfect holiday pies is on your bucket list, this one will not disappoint!
butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Homemade Wheat Thins
They are Chick Peas in America, Garbanzo Beans in Spain, Pois Chiche in France, Ceci Beans in Italy –and they are one and the same. An ancient protein-filled legume that makes the base for one of our favorite dips- Hummus. I decided to do a Hummus Test this week. I made one batch from scratch which required, among its many steps, soaking the chick peas overnight, grinding the cumin seed to a powder, and boiling the peas to soften before blending in a food processor. Then, I made a Hummus recipe in less than 5 minutes using one can of Chick Peas. The winner? I was shocked. It was unanimous. By a panel of 12 trusted foodies, the 5-minute version surprisingly won the day. Nothing more to say than Easy Peasy! Enjoy it with my Homemade Wheat Thins.