Thanksgiving came early this year

Pumpkin pie with maple whipped  cream

But it was welcomed with open arms. On a short hiatus from the bustle of 'Noo Yawk' I retreated south to spend time with my family. Everyone near and dear was at the homestead.

I've realized that one draw back of growing up is having to go away to do so and for the first time my family will be spending the holidays together via Skype. So we took advantage of our physical proximity and celebrated the best way we knew how. By having Thanksgiving dinner.

There was turkey and stuffing by mom, biscuits by sister Rachael, roast veggies and green bean casserole by muah. But wait! What's missing? What defines a dinner to be thankful for? What supple squash mixed with spices makes it worth waking up from a turkey coma?

Glorious pumpkin pie! My eldest and oh so wise sister Jessica slaved over cans of pumpkin filling and pre-maid pie crust all day. She turned the mundane into something magnificent. Warm, silky, cinnamony pumpkin embraced by a flaky, buttery crust...I am weak in the knees... and as if that wasn't good enough, in a stroke of pure genius, Jessica spiked her homemade whipped cream with maple syrup. Utterly inspiring!