Friends, Greetings from Buffalo 👋 I have been here since Thursday evening, of course, for hockey, and while the games in the outdoor rinks have been thrilling, can I tell you the highlight thus far?

I spotted turkey wings at Wegmans! I have yet to purchase them because I thought it might be weird to store 5 pounds of turkey parts in my hotel fridge, but I will be returning to my favorite Western New York store before heading home tomorrow, and my only goal for the evening will be to get those wings roasted!

Someone recently commented on the roasted turkey stock post that, after roasting the wings, rather than simmering the stock on the stovetop for 3-4 hours, she used her Instant Pot for one hour... I might have to give that a go.

It is the best feeling having a supply of rich, flavorful stock on hand before heading into Thanksgiving week. (I use it in nearly everything: the stuffing, the potatoes, the other potatoes, the gravy.)

OK, pie talk.

Last year, before baking my favorite butternut squash pie for Thanksgiving, I googled: "Why does my pumpkin pie crack?" And: "How can I prevent it?"

The issue cited most often was over-baking. The solution was to use an instant-read thermometer to test the temperature of the pie and to remove it when it reached between 175ºF and 200ºF. The pie, I read, should still look quite jiggly in the center.

I had never used an instant-read thermometer to test my pie, but I have always removed it when the center still looks undercooked. But last year, I tested that pie with my Javelin every 5 minutes, starting at the 45-minute mark, and pulled the pie out when it reached 175ºF.

It still cracked.

Last Friday, two friends came for dinner. I took the opportunity to make the same pie, a little pre-Thanksgiving test run. I googled the same questions and found a video of a woman sharing her theory, which is that the pie cracks because it cools too quickly. Her solution is to turn the oven off after the pie has finished cooking, but to leave the oven door cracked, allowing it to cool slowly.

I tried this. This is the pie after about an hour in the oven, its temperature registering 175ºF. After 15 minutes of it cooling with the oven door ajar...

... it cracked.

A just-baked butternut squash pie, with a cracked top.

Friends!! What's a girl to do? My only solution is to make pie crust cookies:

A butternut squash pie decorated with pie crust cookies.

And to be generous with the dollops of whipped cream:

To be honest, cracks don't bother me aesthetically. But I'd love to know what causes them. If you have any ideas/solutions please share them in this roasted butternut squash pie post.

Roasted Squash Pie (AKA The Best Pumpkin Pie)

PS: Last weekend I shared these two Google Docs, which you can copy and tailor to your liking to help you get organized for Thanksgiving.

Review of the Week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Classic Bread Stuffing

"I just made your bread stuffing and baked the bread beforehand.
This truly is the best stuffing I have ever made.
I think baking your own bread and using that is the key to success.
My husband keeps saying yum, this is so good.
He is eating it out of the pan and cannot stop."

— Julie

(Note: This is the bread she is referring to. In my newsletter last weekend, I shared the double recipe for it. It freezes beautifully.)

Thanksgiving 2025

Friends, it is not quite the final countdown, but if you have the time this weekend, you could get so much done. Here are a few thoughts:

Make the stock! I'm hoping my recent Wegmans sighting means turkey wings are more readily available at other stores — I have yet to see them at my local markets.

You could either freeze the stock...