i love november, not just for all of the awesomeness of thanksgiving and fall that happens within it, but also the joy and anticipation of being on the cusp of the christmas season. (i'll hit it's opposite - the despair of the holidays being over, in january.) it never fails to be a pretty spectacular month, and this year was no exception. we managed to pack tons of cozy snuggles, holiday prep and planning, seasonal starbucks drinks, homemade treats, brunches, birthday celebrations for friends, my first boxing class and a friendsgiving into the mix.

a couple items to note - if you haven't yet made the trip over to copper moon bar and grill, do so while the weather is amazing! they have the most adorable patio for evening drinks and brunch (we've been frequenting there lately.) and on the note of brunch, bodega's early riser cocktail of iced coffee and italian liquer is a must have. even if the morning is chilly.

here's a peek at how our month shaped up:

is there anything better than homemade cinnamon rolls? no, there's really not.

but most importantly, now that thanksgiving is over i can finally put my tree up!!!!

i think the best way to ensure a stress-free thanksgiving is to not set yourself up for a cooking marathon all day, with the deadline to get everything done and on the table by a certain time. i've slowly been prepping and baking in the evenings this week, and just threw this pie in the oven yesterday. i especially aim to make my pies ahead of time, since the ever-popular apple and pecan varieties require hours of setting time at room temperature and honestly they both benefit from an overnight stay in the fridge.

this recipe is a mash up of two tried-and-true trusted recipes i love - one called for browned butter, the other incorporated chocolate, both called for bourbon. but really, i wanted all 3. so below is what i came up with, taking the best of both for an out-of-this-world pecan pie.

| ingredients |

1 pie crust, unbaked and rolled out into a pie plate (i use this pate brisee)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 heaping cup pecans (plus a lot more for the top*, if desired)
2 tablespoons bourbon
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 stick of butter, melted and browned

| method |

*start by leafing through your bag of halved pecans to separate the "pretty" whole pecans from the chipped, chopped variety. use the fractured pecans in your filling, and reserve the whole pecans for topping your pie.

make the filling by mixing all of the ingredients (minus the butter) into a large bowl, while you brown the butter on the stove. when done, pour the browned butter over top, which will melt the chocolate (for the most part.) stir to combine everything uniformly.

preheat oven to 350 degrees. while the oven preheats, pour the filling into your prepared crust and line the top with your reserved pecans (if desired.)

bake your pie at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until your pie jiggles uniformly, as opposed to jiggling in a wave. (if you bake until totally set the pie will likely be overcooked.) let set for 4 hours before slicing, or cool to room temp and stick in the fridge (as i like to do!)

thankful for november

chocolate bourbon pecan pie