Thanksgiving was a blur for me. I cooked like a madwoman, which oftentimes is really the only way to cook. Early in the week, I plotted out a strategy of what to prepare each day, so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed on the day itself. I know this is borderline obsessive but, trust me, it preserved my sanity. And we all want me to hold on to my marbles for quite a while!

The best thing I made for Thanksgiving dinner were these brownie pops, dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles. Cute, huh?

These were made with Wilton’s Brownie Pops pans. Really fun silicone molds–can’t wait to use them again!

And these brownies were a new discovery! They’re from Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies recipe and are little pieces of chocolate heaven. I think the addition of a little coffee to the brownie batter makes a huge difference in how rich these taste.

I made the actual brownies two days before Thanksgiving Day and stored them in an airtight container in the fridge. E. helped me in a big way to decorate them on the day of, conveyor-belt style. I  stuck the lollipop handles in them, dipped them in chocolate and handed them to E. He sprinkled the edible decor on them and stuck them to a block of styrofoam to dry.

So much fun! I found the pumpkin-shaped basket at Michael’s for cheap (in the Clearance bin!) and used that to hold the treats with some more styrofoam in the base. We used candy corn and fall-colored Hershey’s kisses to cover the foam. (You must “hide your hardware!”! I learned this from floral arrangement classes in grade school!)

This Thanksgiving, I was thankful for many things: the chance to spend time with family, the ongoing health of my parents, the fact that I’m able to cook for the people I love. But mostly, I was thankful for E., who kept me on an even keel during a crazy week at work and of cooking and entertaining. I’ve never really allowed anyone to help me in the kitchen—a habit I took from my grandmother—but he has proven to be an awesome sous chef! So now, when he says he can help with whatever it is I’m cooking, I’ve learned to hand over the spatula.

The Holidays are here—I hope yours are wonderful!