Oatmeal Pecan Pie

Now that we've all arisen from our respective turkey comas, it's time to take a look at what the Yuppie household whipped up for Thanksgiving Dinner. We'll start with our favorite course: dessert!

Most homes make pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, but Mr. Yuppie prefers pecan. We took things a step further this year and went for Oatmeal Pecan Pie (Cooking Light, Nov 2006) instead.

This recipe required us to buy only 2 items that are off our "keep around" list: pecans and pre-prepared pie crusts. The pecans themselves are conspicuously absent from our ingredient line-up, which is a theme from this year's Thanksgiving cooking. There was so much going on at any given time that we got ourselves flustered and either didn't take pictures, or forgot to pull the most essential items when prepping. So we'll do our best to fill in the blanks for you guys as we compile our Thanksgiving retrospective.

The first step is to place the pre-prepared pie crust in your buttered pie dish and flute the edges. These pre-prepared crusts, while not the healthiest option, are a busy cook's blessing. They brown up nicely and are nice and flaky when cooked. Sure, a hand-made pie crust is divine, but when you're pressed for time, one of these will do the trick.

Next, we assemble what might be the easiest pie filling ever. All of the filling ingredients are combined in a large bowl, then poured into the crust.

Now, the recipe calls for the egg whites and yolks to be lightly beaten separately, then incorporated into the other ingredients. After having done this, we're not sure why it's necessary; it seems as though you could've reversed the order of incorporation, putting the whites and yolks into the bowl, lightly beating them, then adding the other ingredients. That switcheroo would've saved you from cleaning 2 prep bowls, which at holiday time is a real blessing.

Next, the pie goes in the oven at 325 for 50 minutes. See? Easiest pie ever. About halfway through, we placed a pie crust shield like this one around the edges to keep the exposed crust from becoming burnt. Other than that, we set it and forget it!

Fifty minutes later, we removed our pie from the oven and cooled it on a wire rack. The top was set up nicely, and the pie shield did its job keeping the crust evenly cooked. Underneath that hard shell lies a gooey, oatey filling that should be enjoyed in moderation (anything more might give you a cavity!).

Our sole complaint about this pie was how difficult it was to slice and serve. Our slices looked less like pretty wedges and more like tasty piles than we would've preferred. We didn't care, because it was all going to the same place anyway, but if you're looking to wow a crowd, this might not be the pie for you. If you're just looking to pig out with friends and family this holiday season, then go grab yourselves some pie crusts from the refrigerator aisle and get to work!