With Thanksgiving in just a few days and my super serious diet on hold, I thought I would post up a few alternatives to the old pumpkin pie for the holidays. I'm not much of a cook, nor can I bake, so Jennea, darling, Cottage Cheese Pie please!

First, we have the Fig Goat Cheese Pie with Basil. It's hard to go wrong with figs and goat cheese. Of course, this mini-pie recipe is perfect to prevent that holiday weight.

The Cottage Cheese Pie, my personal favorite, should definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. The chocolatey crumb crust combined with cottage cheese makes for a satisfying dessert after your endless plates of turkey.

Well I guess you can say I was lost in the woods for awhile and the summer ‘heat’ got the best of me. Now that things have cooled off a bit, I’m back in action and getting all kinds of ideas for blogs.

Fall is one of my favorite times of year- the cool crisp air, being able to wear cozy sweaters and slippers, and enjoying fall’s seasonal food such as squash and apples.

We order apples by the bushel at the cheese shop I work at and they (as some may know) compliment cheese beautifully. The many different varietals are overwhelming. You got your McIntosh, Gala, Empire, and Honey Crisp, and lesser known varietals such as Roxbury Russets, Cox Orange Pippin, Mutsu or Northern Spy. Each of them have varying flavor and texture profiles.

Ask anyone who will admit to knowing me: I'm an enthusiastic omnivore. But I'm also an enthusiastic host, with a lot of vegetarians on my roster. This has necessitated some off-the-cuff veggie cooking in the past, especially around ThanksG., when I'm apt to drag various castaways over to my folks' place for dinner. Mom and Dad seem to enjoy the company, but it falls to me to feed the meatless masses.

This has proven to be pretty easy, actually; the holiday is a good excuse to go over the top with rich and savory flavors, especially if you're looking for a main dish to replace turkey*. Pies work really well for this purpose.