Thanksgiving Pie with the Saxon Family

Happy Holidays! In celebration of the holidays, the Saxon crew has decided to share one of our favorite holiday recipes for this month’s Fresh Brew! We hope you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! 

Four-Flavor Sheet Pan Pie

Ingredients

Crusts:

  • Two 14.1-ounce boxes refrigerated rolled pie crust (4 crusts total)
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Apple Pie:

  • 2 pounds mixed apples (such as Granny Smith, Gala and McIntosh), peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Kosher salt

Sour Cherry Pie:

  • 2 cups drained jarred sour cherries, plus 3/4 cup juice from the jar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Pumpkin Pie:

  • 1 1/3 cups canned pure pumpkin puree
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 large egg

Pecan Pie:

  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • Kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup roasted pecan halves

Directions

  1. For the crusts: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll 3 of the pie crusts on a lightly floured work surface. Stack them on top of each other. Roll out the thick, layered dough to a 15-by-21-inch rectangle. Press into a rimmed baking sheet so that the crust comes up the sides and hangs over slightly. This will be the bottom crust. Chill until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.
  2. Use the remaining crust for the top of the pie. Unroll it on a lightly floured work surface and roll it to a 14-by-18-inch rectangle. Cut the dough in half so you have two 7-by-9-inch pieces. One half will be the top crust for the apple portion of the pie. Cut the other half into 1-inch diagonal strips to use for the lattice on the cherry pie. Place the rectangle and strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill until ready to use.
  3. For the apple pie: Toss the apples in a medium bowl with the sugar and lemon juice. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and cook until thickened, about 1 minute more. Cool completely.
  4. For the sour cherry pie: Place the cherries in a medium bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup cherry juice with the cornstarch in a small saucepan until completely smooth. Add the remaining cherry juice and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, about 30 seconds. Pour the sauce over the cherries and gently fold to combine. Cool completely.
  5. For the pumpkin pie: Whisk together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and the egg and in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside.
  6. For the pecan pie: Whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, eggs and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fold in the pecans and set aside.
  7. Once all fillings are made, begin assembling the pie. Remove both baking sheets with dough from the refrigerator.
  8. Visualize the sheet pan is divided in half lengthwise and then crosswise so you have 4 equal quadrants. Each quadrant will hold a different pie filling. Prick the bottom crust all over with a fork.
  9. Add the pie fillings in this order: Add the apple pie filling to the upper left quadrant of the crust; spread it to cover a 7-by-9-inch rectangle. Moving counter clockwise, pour the pumpkin filling right under the apple pie filling and spread it the same size as the apple filling. Spread out the cherry filling next to the pumpkin filling. Fill the top right empty space with the pecan filling.
  10. Cover the apple pie quadrant with the reserved rectangle of dough. Lay the pie strips out diagonally over the cherry pie quadrant. Press any remaining strips of dough around the edge of the pie to thicken the rim. Crimp the edge of the pie, making sure to incorporate and crimp together the dough from the apple quadrant. Brush the edges and the dough on top of the pie with egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cut decorative slits in the apple pie crust.
  11. Bake until all pies are set and the crust on the apple pie and cherry pie is golden brown and crisp, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes.

This recipe was provided by Food Network. If you’d like to visit the original source, please click here.

**Holiday Hours

Our office will be closed Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29. We wish you a happy Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and good food!

Give It A Try & Share It!


orange pumpkin loaf

Oranges and Pumpkin All-In-One?

Orange Pumpkin Loaf

Ingredients:

  • 1 large orange
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened -market pantry salted butter preferred
  • 1 1/3 cups white sugar -market pantry granulated sugar preferredorange pumpkin loaf
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour -market pantry all-purpose flour preferred
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup chopped raisins

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
  2. Cut orange into wedges, and remove seeds. Place orange, peel and all, in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the pumpkin, water, and the ground orange. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir into batter just until moistened. Stir in nuts and raisins. Spoon into the prepared loaf pan.
  4. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.


7 tips to survive Thanksgiving and a recipe from our team to yours

Thanksgiving can pack a punch to your diet, but it doesn't have to completely derail you. There are a few things you can do throughout the day to make sure it's not a tragedy.

Once you read through the tips, make sure to check out the recipe for one of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

1. Don't starve yourself before the big meal

It may seem like a good idea to "save" room by skipping breakfast and possibly lunch before the big meal is served. But if you show up starving, you're likely to eat like you've been deserted on an island.

It's suggested eating about an hour before the big meal can help. Try one of these options: 2 to 3 ounces of lean protein (e.g. a 3-ounce can of tuna), two boiled eggs, a bowl of vegetable soup or some raw veggies.

2. Keep it green

Thanksgiving isn't known for piles of green vegetables, but it's a good way to balance out all the starches and heavy meats.

Some options: raw baby kale, baby spinach or a collard green salad with red onions, sun-dried tomatoes and real crumbled bacon on top.

3. Upgrade your grains

White rolls and pasta are delicious, but you can upgrade your meal by choosing whole grain options instead. Whole-grain rolls, artichoke pasta or brown rice are good options. Or if you're adventurous quinoa, amaranth or buckwheat are also great.

4. Eat mindfully

Slow down and enjoy each bite and when you feel about 80 percent full- take a break. You can always go back for seconds.

5. Stay active

While Thanksgiving is a day for eating and football, starting your day with a bit of exercise will get the blood flowing and make you feel a little less guilty about sitting down to a massive meal.

Some options: many communities will hold Turkey Trot 5k events, or head to the local park to toss the football and take a walk, or you could just head outside for a walk/run in the neighborhood.

6. Light on the alcohol

Unfortunately, alcohol is packed with excess calories. For example, that glass of wine could pack on an extra 150 calories to your meal.

7. Indulge your sweet tooth

Go ahead and have some pie, but grab the small plate for your sweet tooth sampling.

caramel apple
(Courtesy Food Network)

Still planning your Thanksgiving meal? Here's a recipe favorite of Saxon's team:

Caramel Apple Pie

1 whole pie crust
6 cups (to 7 cups) peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples
½ whole (juice of) lemon
½ cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup flour
1-1/2 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup quick oats
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup Pecans, chopped
½ jar (or more) Caramel Topping

  1. In a bowl mix peeled apples, lemon juice, sugar, 4 tablespoons of flour, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  2. For crumb topping, cut the butter into the ½ cup of flour with a pastry cutter, then add in brown sugar, oats, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
  3. Add apples to the prepared pie shell and top with crumb topping.
  4. Cover crust edges with aluminum foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
  5. Remove foil from crust and place back into the oven for another 30 minutes.
  6. Chop pecans, and when 5 minutes remain, sprinkle them over the pie.
  7. Finish baking.
  8. Remove the pie from the oven and pour ½ jar of the caramel topping over the top.

Thanksgiving Day tips provided by Kimberly Garrison, Daily News Personal Fitness Columnist for Philly.com.


6 reminders for employees before Thanksgiving

Originally posted on https://ebn.benefitnews.com

This Thanksgiving, looking at the mess of the Affordable Care Act’s rollout, your employees might just be most grateful to retain their employer-sponsored health plans, but there’s always plenty to celebrate on the fourth Thursday of November. Between food, travel, and more food this Nov. 28, be sure to mark the occasion well. And from all of us at EBN, enjoy your holiday!

Here are six things to remind your employees before they leave for their Thanksgiving breaks. We look at the most popular travel destinations, as well as some Fodor-recommended ones. Perhaps most important at the workplace: don’t forget to set your out-of-office alerts.

1. Eat healthy?

More and more Americans are forgoing mere turkeys for the Frankenstein monsters that are Turduckens: a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, like Russian nesting dolls of poultry. Each November, one store in Louisiana sells more than 5,000 Turduckens, which average 1,600 calories a serving. Human resources administrators probably won’t make many friends by encouraging people to watch what they eat on Thanksgiving of all days, but indulgence shouldn't become a habit if you want to work on your wellness goals.

2. No, seriously – eat healthy

Did you know Thanksgiving was originally supposed to be a fast, not a feast? The settlers of Plymouth Rock were more likely to “celebrate” with prayer and abstaining from food, but the Wampanoag Indians brought their own harvest festival traditions to the table. So if you need an excuse to under-indulge this holiday, just think to yourself, “I’m only behaving like a pilgrim.”

3. Travel, most popular

According to data from Hotwire.com, these are Americans’ biggest destinations next week. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade keeps Manhattan on the top of the list, but be sure to book in advance and allow for extra travel time if you plan on hitting any of the following spots, ranked from No. 1 to 5: New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles.

4. Travel, most recommended

According to Fodor’s Erin Gifford, it’s tough to beat a Thanksgiving spent the old fashioned way in Plymouth, Mass., but she has more surprising recommendations as well. In Leiden, Holland, for example, the pilgrims spent 11 years before continuing on to the New World, and local churches and museums always mark turkey day. For something closer to home, Gifford recommends Dana Point, Calif., famous for its 10,000-runner Turkey Trot on a scenic route up the coast.

5. Set your out-of-office alerts

Thanksgiving time off ranges from merely day-of to more than the entire week, so be sure your staff puts up their voicemail and email out-of-office messages. Be sure to say when you will be back at work and what to do in case of an emergency.

6. Attention, shoppers

The biggest shopping day of the year immediately follows Thanksgiving, and even if your business doesn't need to prepare, your employees likely do. Holiday shopping gets off with a bang, and experts claim the economy relies on it. Still, it might be a good opportunity to encourage saving – the personal finance website NerdWallet says that more than 90% of 2013 Black Friday ads contain the exact same items and prices as last year. Talk about serving leftovers the day after Thanksgiving!