apple pie pecan crisp

Good morning everyone!  Today is Thanksgiving Eve Eve & I am kicking the day off with a cup of fresh brewed coffee & a pumpkin spice candle!  This morning has been full of rain & dark skies.  We have our twinkle lights up & Christmas music in the background.  I love days like today.  No appointments, schedules, errands... Just Oliver & I reading in his new tent (he loves that thing!).  I am really thankful for these days.  Being a mom is so very special to me & just watching him grow & learn new things is amazing.  I will just tell you guys one story of Ollie and then to the recipe!  Whenever Matt & I pray, we always hold Oliver's hands & then we bow our heads & close our eyes.  Well, during one of our prayers, I caught Ollie bowing his head and semi closing his eyes!  That moment was so special.  Whenever we tell Oliver that we are going to pray, he immediately gives us each his little hand & when we say "amen" he says it too.  Sweet little moments like these are what I live for...

  

This Thanksgiving we are spending it with some friends & I thought instead of rushing the day of, why not make a few things in advance?  For the past three years, I have been making the apple pie for Thanksgiving!  Matt & I love apple pie & I especially love the crisp topping.  I'm not a fan of pie crust, so that is why I end up making a apple crisp pie.  Last year, I made a bunch of mini gluten free pies which were delicious!  One of those mini pies was an apple pie.  That recipe is the same recipe I used for this apple pie filling (you can find the recipe here).  For the crust, I used Glutino Perfect Pie Crust (I will let you know how we like it after Thanksgiving).  This package made two pie crusts, so I saved one in the freezer for a quiche I will make Christmas morning!  For the crisp topping, I sort of made up my own recipe.  I have made crisps before, so I just went by memory & added a few more things.

Pecan Crisp topping recipe:

1/2 cup dairy free butter (or regular)

1/2 cup gluten-free/regular oats

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/4 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup brown sugar

Mix all together (I used my clean hands) & sprinkle on top of pie.

Because I made the apple pie in advance, I will wait until Thanksgiving morning to bake it.  What I did was assemble the pie, then put tin foil all around it & stuck it in the freezer.  Then, take it out the night before (let it unthaw in the fridge overnight) & bake the next day.

I have been loving all the instagram fall & 30 days of thanks pictures that my friends have been posting & I can't wait to see all your Thanksgiving deliciousness!  Have a happy Tuesday!