Vegan Cold Brew Coffee Pecan Pie

This Vegan Pecan Pie tastes just like the traditional pie momma-used-to-make, except this pie has a secret ingredient: cold brew coffee! The cold brew is added to the crust to provide a subtle richness and coffeehouse aroma that can’t be found in a traditional crust. The sweet pecan filling is warm, flavorful, and rich. A cup of coffee and a slice of pie and you have yourself a winning combination that will satisfy any guest at your holiday table.

Hello, friends.

When I think of the holidays back home, I think of my families old-as-dirt Christmas tree that Father had when he was a kid, its flimsy branches holding up the lights and various handmade ornaments.  The wonky treestand at the base holding all of it together. I think of the whole family coming together, lounging in the living room to watch a Charlie Brown Christmas, attending candlelight church service on Christmas Eve, and opening gifts on Christmas morning. The holidays to me are a time where I can get back in the kitchen with Momma Crawford and bake whatever my little food blogging heart desires. Her at the stove and me rolling out crust on the counter. We talk, laugh, sing along to Christmas music, and simply enjoy each other’s company. For this post, I’m inspired by family tradition once again. In my family, we always had a pecan pie for dessert after the Christmas dinner. So I’m back at it again this week with both a vegan AND cold brew coffee inspired recipe, and this time things are about to get nuts (get it…nuts…pecans…never mind). I’ve done one other vegan recipe on the blog and I really enjoyed it. That’s why I’m working with Califia Farms again to develop this recipe that you wouldn’t even know was vegan.  

How to host an Egg-cellent Thanksgiving dinner: four recipes + a whole lot of egg puns

For Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or any other holiday gathering you might be hosting, don’t fret because this dinner party master post has got you covered. I’ve teamed up with Eggland’s Best to bring you a simple, easy, and delicious holiday spread. I’m not egg-aggerating here, these recipes are tasty! Included are savory sides such as ‘rosemary biscuits with spiced butternut squash butter’, ‘deviled eggs with honeyed jalapenos’, and ‘herb butter stuffing’. The main event is a ‘lemon thyme hay-roasted chicken’, and for dessert is a ‘pumpkin & brown butter cheesecake with candied bourbon pecans’. The holidays never tasted so good!

Warning: This post contains an exuberant amount of egg puns. Enjoy :)

Hello, friends.

It’s less than a week until Thanksgiving. Are you ready?! When you’re reading this, I will have already left my apartment and will be at my parent's home for the holiday break. I’m pretty excited for this time off. I am in need of a break from higher education. Senior year has been a rigorous semester so far, but I’m making it through. With final exams just around the corner, I’m looking forward to this period of rejuvenation before hitting the books for the final home stretch. For me, thanksgiving break always means two very important things: No classes and a whole lot of baking! Weeks before the holiday gathering, Momma Crawford and I will sit down and brainstorm recipe ideas for the festive dinner. We think of ways to reimagine traditional side dishes or create healthy dessert alternatives that will still taste delicious. It’s always so much fun planning and prepping the Thanksgiving dinner menu with her. Lots of laughs and cups of coffee are shared. But this year, Eggland’s Best reached out to me and challenged me to create a thanksgiving/Friendsgiving dinner all by myself. You can say I was pretty egg-cited to accept this challenge.

Strawberry, Roasted Pecan & Goat Cheese topped Spinach Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette + the World’s Tallest Wind Chime

Hello, friend.

I write this post in the rain. Technically, I’m not in the rain. It’s raining outside my apartment window as I write this. I think that’s close enough. What can I say, I’m looking for some dramatic literary effect. There is something comforting about a late summer rain. The air is a mixture of chilliness and warmth. The clouds turn black as night, a burnt coal shade of starry-eyed oblivion. The droplets of rain hit gently against the window pane kept perfectly in time to the subtle tips of my fingers on my keyboard. A gentle billow of steam comes ascending upward from my mug of decaf French pressed coffee. A take a sip. Ahhh. The fan above my head slowly spins to the rhythm of electric impulse. The apartment is hushed, and the mood is solemn. The soft notes of the alto saxophone jazz hum smoothly through my speakers. All is as it should be, thanks to the rain.