Super Simple Thanksgiving and Holiday Dessert Recipes for Busy Parents: Red Wine Hot Chocolate with Fresh Whip Recipe
Hi friends! It’s the most wonderful time of the year, the holidays! Time to stuff our faces, give thanks, present each other with gifts, and then regret eating so darn much. But heck, enjoy your holidays. Worry about your resolutions next year!
This year, we have so much to be thankful and grateful for. Even though our family members are far away from us, we have a lot of wonderful friends. It’s our second Friendsgiving. We’ll be serving cheesecake and a scrumptious pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is one of the easiest pies to bake, with few ingredients too. Being a busy parent, I don’t mind cutting some corners when I bake. I confess, I love ready-to-use pie crusts and Funfetti cake mix!
Simple Easy Pumpkin Pie
An aromatic, spicy, and decadent pumpkin pie for the holidays. Even picky children will want a bite of this delicious pie. It’s also gluten-free when you use a gluten-free pie crust, but not guilt-free!
Serves 8-10
15 minutes to prep, 45-60 minutes to bake
Ingredients
1 can of (organic) pumpkin (I got mine from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 a can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg, pinch of allspice, pinch of cardamom
1 tsp or more of cinnamon depending on how much cinnamon you like
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 (organic eggs)
1 to 2 tsp of grated fresh (organic ginger)
dash of pepper, dash of salt
1 ready-to-use pie crust (like the ones from Keebler, or a gluten-free one)
Optional mix-ins such as walnuts or pecans
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 415 F.
Pour the pumpkin into a pot and heat it on a stove over low flame. This will remove some of that can taste from the pumpkin. Stir continuously.
Put in all the spices and stir well to incorporate.
When the mix is nice and warm (it doesn’t have to be boiling), turn off the heat. Add in the condensed milk. Most recipes as that you use the entire can. I prefer my pumpkin pie to be less sweet, so I only use half a can, and save the rest for my coffee. Stir well.
Add in one egg, mix well. Add in the second egg. Stir until all the egg is incorporated. Finally, add the vanilla extract. (Before you bake, you would want to mix in your optional add-ins such as pecans or walnuts.)
Pour the batter into the pie crust. Note that your batter will be a bit runny and that’s okay. Bake for 15 minutes at 415 F. Then decrease the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 35-45 minutes. Like cheesecake, the pumpkin pie should have a jello-like center when it’s done. The top will be gleaming, darker, and it will smell heavenly.
Let the pie cool. You can refrigerate the pie, so it’s a great dessert to make ahead of time!
Red Wine Hot Cocoa
I love red wine and hot chocolate. I love them more when they’re together! This is so simple to make. This recipe makes one mug of red wine hot cocoa.
Ingredients
1 packet of hot cocoa mix
whipped cream (optional)
marshmallows (optional)
red wine
water or your milk of choice
Instructions
Boil a cup of water or your milk of choice.
Stir in the hot cocoa mix.
Stir in red wine (depends on how much you want. I added two tablespoons).
Pour into a mug. Stir in marshmallows and top off with whipped cream. You can drizzle red wine onto the whipped cream. Serve or enjoy! (We make our own freshly whipped cream using our mixer, some granulated sugar, and heavy cream.)
What are some of your favorite simple holiday recipes? Let us know! Happy holidays, friends!
Our favorite budget red wine from Trader Joe’s!
