A Girl's Best Friend: Merry Christmas from A Girl's Best Friend

Christmas is almost here, and 2013 is almost at its end. We would like to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas, a very happy holiday, and a wonderful new year. We will be taking the rest of the year off from the internet to spend quality time with our loved ones, and hope you get to do the same.

My (Mahaley) holiday plans consist of Coco, coffee, mom, dad, and multiple viewings of Christmas Vacation and Home Alone (1&2).

But, we wouldn't feel right without leaving you with one last holiday recipe. I have chosen to share my Pecan Pie recipe with you all. It's super easy to make if you use a bought crust, and there are many GF/Dairy Free options in the stores.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix the following:

1 1/4 cup agave 2tbsp (melted) vegan butter 3 eggs Pinch of salt 1 tsp vanilla

Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans

Stir well with whisk, but don't over beat

Pour filling into crust and bake for 35-45 minutes. You know it's done when the filling doesn't jiggle anymore. If edges start to darken, cover with foil mid way through baking.

Also - if you use a 9 inch crust, you may need to add about 2 tbsp of agave and 1/4 cup pecans (eyeball it). I've used this recipe for both 8 and 9 inch, and I end up either adding a tiny bit or having a little leftover.

A Girl's Best Friend is still in an internal debate about how to pronounce "pecan" - please feel free to weigh in.

*cough cough* peCAN *cough* Well my holiday plans include me (Bailey) staying put in Los Angeles for the first time! Believe it or not, but I'm super excited to be missing the white Christmas this year! I'll be spanding time with my west coast family with extra cuddles from Harley and trips to the barn to ride. I also have quite a few appointments with some tea and a few good books!

Since the holidays are a time to be merry, I'd like to share my favorite holiday drink with you! Its is so easy to make, it looks so festive, and it is sure to make you merry! Everyone loves a Poinsettia or two!

All you need for a Poinsettia is some champagne, cranberry juice and some pomegranate seeds. It is totally up to you how you make the champagne to cranberry juice ratio, I prefer 3/4 champagne, 1/4 cranberry juice.

The best part is tossing in the pomegranate seeds and watching them dance as the glass fizzes! If you want to be extra fancy rim the glass with some sugar crystals.