Thanksgiving Greetings via the mail

It seems that on the weekends when we are making dinner a dessert is always on the menu.  My son is a big dessert fan.  He is insistent that he get something for dessert every day it seems.  And he can use the extra calories right now because he is in a major growth spurt.  It is great to see that the picky little eater can fill his plate, get seconds and then finish off the meal with dessert.  That is to say that he likes what we are serving.  If it is a pasta dish, stand back, he can even go for thirds.  There are some things that he just will not eat, for instance Shake and Bake or anything that resembles it.  We made Parmesan crusted chicken this week from the Hellman's recipe.  It tasted really good, but for our son, it looked like Shake and Bake and he was not happy.  He will pick at eat and then push it off to the side and pile on the side dishes, such as mashed potatoes.  We try to get him to eat it, like a little kid telling him no dessert, but he is not buying.  So dessert he gets!

About a week ago we received a mailing from a local financial adviser extending holiday wishes.  There was no true sales pitch involved, at least on the surface, but what he did send was a recipe for the Thanksgiving holidays.  We looked it over and thought that it was simple enough to give it a try.  Researching this recipe it looks like it came from Food Network.

Pumpkin Pecan Crunch

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for baking dish
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
1 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon bourbon, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped pecans
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Bourbon Whipped Cream, recipe follows
Ice cream, optional

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.

Combine the pumpkin, cream, eggs, sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, bourbon, if using, ginger, nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk until evenly combined and pour into the prepared baking dish.

Cut the butter into small pieces and add to a medium bowl. Stir in the pecans, flour, and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and mix until it holds together somewhat but still crumbles. Scatter the topping over the pumpkin mixture and bake until the edges are puffed and the filling is set in the center, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove to a rack to cool to room temperature. Serve with the Bourbon Whipped Cream and/or ice cream.

Bourbon Whipped Cream: 

1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
Add the heavy cream to a medium bowl. Beat the cream with a hand-held mixer until thick and frothy. Add the sugar and bourbon and beat until medium peaks form.