Giving Thanks...

Happy Thanksgiving Friends! I like to maintain a heart of gratitude always but there is no denying the feeling of thankfulness that surrounds this time of year. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Mine is a family rooted in tradition (by that I mean, my family cringes and gets resentful when presented with any form of change). We eat at my parents house, my mother and father cook the exact same meal, every year, I bring exactly the same appetizers and desserts, every year, we gather at the same time and watch the same movie, every year (National Lampoons Christmas Vacation). After we are stuffed, napped and happy, we pour over "the ad's". Look out! We are girls who hit Black Friday with a vengeance (and coffees and smiles and excitement)... 5am-10pm, every year. We go shopping, all day, just the girls (men and children stay home to have "movie day" and veg all day, eating leftovers and watching as many movies as possible in the time we are gone). The upcoming 2 days are 2 of my happiest all year! I adore Thanksgiving! I love cooking, I love eating, I love recognizing where our blessings come from, I love my family, I love Chevy Chase, I love shopping for people I love, I love life! I love this blog and I wish you all a wonderful holiday weekend... thanks for spending time with me. I make a chocolate dessert every Thanksgiving (yes, I try a new one each year... but it's still chocolate). This is the one this year:

Chocolate Hazelnut Pie~

10 ounces room temp butter
1 1/2C powdered sugar
1/2C ground almonds
1/2t salt
1/2t vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/2C flour

Cream butter and add sugar and ground almonds. Mix in salt, vanilla and eggs. Add flour. Roll in plastic wrap and chill 4 hours. Roll out, weight and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool completely and cover bottom with 2/3C Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread).

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2C butter (I KNOW!!! crazy!)
1 egg
3 egg yolks
4T sugar

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl, over a pan of simmering water and cool to room temperature. Melt butter and set aside. Stir egg into chocolate then gently add yolks. Stir in the melted butter, then sugar. Pour over Nutella and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.

Serve with a dollop of fresh cream.