thanksgiving: baking recap

Pumpkin Pita

It is hard to imagine that the holidays are here, and it is truly one of my most favorite times of the year!

On Thanksgiving I could not wait for my mom's pumpkin pita, our family's sweet take on spanikopita (spinach pie), phyllo dough filled with pumpkin pie filling. It's a Greek family recipe that my grandmother passed down to my mother, and I aspire to continue the tradition. It can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or dessert and butternut squash can be substituted for pumpkin if you prefer. If you are as passionate about cooking as I am, please enjoy the recipe linked below. Working with phyllo dough is always a challenge but I promise the end result will make it all worthwhile.

Pumpkin Pita Recipe

Almond Shortbread Owl Cookies

If you have ever picked up a magazine while waiting in line at the grocery store, you can relate to how I discovered this recipe. As a designer, I could not resist a November 2015 magazine cover with these cute owl cookies that caught my attention. It sparked my love for Thanksgiving holiday baking and 6 years later they are now a tradition. My now 10-year-old niece has helped me in the past, so it's a great recipe if you also want to engage children.

Below is a link to the recipe and this year for the owl eyes, I finally realized I could use inverted chocolate chips as an alternative to brown candy-coated chocolates. Candy-coated chocolates usually come in a bag with a variety of colors, requiring multiple bags, and then I'm tempted to eat the leftover candies. These cookies are a crowd-pleaser for shortbread lovers, so feel free to incorporate them into your baking rotation anytime!

Owl Cookie Recipe

I can promise a few more baking posts with Christmas around the corner, so looking forward to sharing those recipes with you as well - happy holidays and baking!

#holidaybaking #Thanksgiving2021 #shortbreadcookies