Requested Thanksgiving Recipes****

Jodie's* Pie Crust

1 c. shortening/butter (I use butter)
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. vinegar (I used lemon juice)
1 egg
1/2 c. cold water

cut shortening/butter into flour and salt. Stir in other ingredients. Refrigerate if necessary to roll out (usually only needed if the butter is very soft)

makes 2 crusts (actually, this is a half recipe, Jodie's was doubled and made 4).

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Hm. This isn't really a recipe, I'll admit that up front. This is vaguely what I remember doing. I wing these things and don't write them down. I read the pumpkin pie recipe and the easy cheesecake recipe and then shot for something in-between.

2 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese
2 c. white sugar
1 large can (um ... 28 oz?) solid pack pumpkin***
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 heaping T. cinnamon**
1 tsp. ground cloves**
1 tsp. ground nutmeg**

blend cream cheese and sugar until creamy. mix in solid pumpkin. blend in eggs. Add vanilla and spices and mix until well incorporated. Pour into 2 unbaked pastry crusts. Bake at ... um ... 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Loosely cover edges with foil and continue to bake 20 more minutes. When pie is done the center should be loosely set but still slightly jiggly, it will continue to set up.

Allow to cool completely. Serve with Cool Whip to please your hubby :)

If you have excess pie crust, roll a little out and cut into cutesy shapes to decorate the top.

*** This filling was a bit much for 2 pie crusts. I could've either added 1 more cream cheese and done 3 pies, or maybe used a smaller 16 oz. can of pumpkin, instead. I think that's what I'd do if I did it again.

**** Hey, it's my 200th post! My BiCenPostial!