Our Turkey Day

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The four of us (along with my sister and another friend of ours) volunteered serving Thanksgiving lunch for a few hours at a local homeless shelter. Last year was our first experience doing this and we have decided to make it a regular part of all of our future Thanksgivngs.

Afterwards, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at my Mom's house and a rousing game of Scene It! (Disney edition) with the kids. A friend brought it and the children enjoyed it so much, I bought it for them for Christmas.

I was in charge of dessert this year and made a Pumpkin Pie and a fantastic Caramel Cheesecake (recipe below) that was a surprisingly huge hit!

Caramel Cheesecake

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust (I prefer and used a homemade crust)
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup caramel topping
12 pecan halves, plus 2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well. Pour into crust.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set. Cool to room temperature.

Warm caramel topping in a small saucepan and heat for about 1 minute, or until spreadable. Spoon over the top of the cheesecake and spread evenly. Decorate the edge of the cake with pecan halves and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.