3 Phenomenal Alternatives to Your Mediocre Holiday Pies [Pumpkin, Apple, Mincemeat are so 2001]

growing up, the word 'pie' at the holidays meant one of three things: apple, pumpkin and mincemeat (which my sisters and i avoided like the plague). thanksgiving and christmas always consisted of those three pies, occasionally there would be some variation, like using two types of apples in one pie or using pumpkin out of a jar instead of a can. yes folks it was that exciting. hold your applause. it wasn't until i took over cooking the holiday grub that we started switching it up. now, although i tend to keep one classic on every holiday (NEVER the mincemeat), i tend to mix things up a bit a lot. this holiday season, don't be boring. make one of these delicious alternatives for the fam. (maybe save the mincemeat for the in-laws?!?) link to recipe under each photo.

instead of plain old pumpkin pie, try pumpkin cream cheese pie. (because i'm a sucker for anything resembling cheesecake.) your family will surely give thanks for the extra calories![pumpkin cream cheese pie recipe via howtoeatacupcake]

let's face it, apple pie was boring back in '98. due to some weirdo, most likely from south jersey, it made a brief comeback with the whole 'slice of american cheese' bit sometime in '01; but much like barbara walters, it needs another face lift. switch up the apples for pears (which are also delicious this time of year) and whip up this recipe for ned & chuck's perfect pear pie. what have you got to lose?[ned & chuck's perfect pear pie recipe via bread&honey]

to save you some time, mincemeat is a mixture of dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices. not so bad, right? i'm about to ruin that for you. it's bound together with beef or venison suet. suet=fat. and although i am one that lives by the credo 'fat means flavor,' that's only true when it tastes delicious, and typically mincemeat pie is not. however, if you have a brit or a scot in your family, and they make mincemeat pie, DO eat it. they most likely have a way of masking the nastiness with some delicious flavors passed down in a recipe from the 15th century. i kid. if your heart desires, here is a delicious variation, apple mincemeat pie.[apple mincemeat pie recipe via gourmetgirl]