Pecan-Apple-Pumpkin Pie for the Indecisive

Decisions, decisions.

I have a real hard time with them sometimes.

It's interesting, though, because it seems like the bigger deal it is, the less of a fuss I make over the decision-making process. For example, I'm the type of person that used to say if I met a guy who loved the Lord and who I could easily respect, I would consider saying yes to an immediate proposal. So of course that's mostly just a joke I had with some friends of mine. I doubt that I would ever legitimately say yes in that situation. But it kind of shows my heart in the big decisions.

Another example would be purchasing a car. I've been praying for a car for…a while, off-and-on. But last Monday, I went car shopping for the first time and bought the first car I've ever test-driven. Six days later, I have no regrets so far! (It's pretty cute. I have temporarily named it Punkin, but... no, it is not orange.)

Thursday was Thanksgiving and I love to bake. So of course, I knew I must make pie. The problem is, pie is too good. And there are soooo many tasty flavors. Especially flavors that really, we only enjoy at this time of year. So when you only have an extended family of 12 to feed, you can't make every flavor you'd like to. That's where this pie comes in and helps with those little decisions in life that nobody really wants to make.

I found this recipe and was shocked by the ingenuity of it. I wish I had come up with the idea on my own! This is three pies in one! You don't even have to decide if you want pecan, apple, or pumpkin. When you have a punchy dinner guest who jokingly says "I'll have all three", you can respond with a cheery, "Coming right up!"

The finished pie!

So of course the concept is there: the impressiveness of having three pies in one might be a show-stopper in and of itself. But is that where it ends? Nope. This pie was impressive in taste too! The adjustments that I made to the recipe were mostly adding spice and flavor, which personally I think was necessary. (That's how this recipe is different from the original on Food Network.) The pie might have been a bit on the bland side without my additions.

I also loved how stream-lined the process seemed. A glance at the recipe might leave you overwhelmed, but just get yourself familiar with it before you start and you should be good to go.

I don't want to take credit for this idea at all since I only added ingredients, no substitutions or omissions:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/apple-pumpkin-pecan-pie.html

Not all of the pieces came out quite as clean as this piece unfortunately….

Because of copyrights, I won't include "my" recipe. Just check it out on Food Network. I'll just list my comments here instead and there are some in-progress pictures below!

Additions:
-1/4 tsp cinnamon in the apple pie filling (add before cooling)
-1/2 tsp vanilla in pumpkin pie filling (add with everything)
-1/4 cup crumb topping* for the apple pie portion (pat on the apples just before baking the whole pie)

*Crumb Topping (this will make more than needed):
1 tbs cold butter
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs white sugar
1/4 c white flour
    Combine ingredients in small bowl with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly and there are no big      chunks of butter.

-I used a Pillsbury deep dish pie crust to save some time--but I'm sure it's way better with homemade.

-Make sure the pecan pie isn't overcooked at the beginning, since it will get recooked.

The pecan layer as it cools

It's not hard to get the apples to lay like this as long as you have the patience to put them on individually