Pumpkin Pie

This recipe came from our dear neighbor of 30+ years, Linda. She still lives two houses down from my parents and growing up, her oldest daughter was my cool babysitter and her youngest son was my first crush (it's no wonder, his name is Cory and he looked just like Cory Matthews from 'Boy Meets World,' curls and all).

This recipe makes just enough for two pies, one to take to a pot-luck/holiday dinner and one to keep at home! Actually, now that I think about it, most of our recipes make enough for two, one to take and one to eat.... hum. :o)

Ingredients:

1 29 ounce can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups milk
6 eggs
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 9-inch pie crusts

This is easy as pie to make (sorry, lame pun). It's just mix, pour and bake. You will need a good sized bowl, as this does make two 9-inch pies. Evenly pour the mixture into the pie crusts and cover the crusts with foil or a crust shield. Bake at 425 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

I personally can't eat pumpkin pie until it is totally and completely cold, so I let mine cool a while and then pop it in the fridge for several hours. Once cooled (or you can't wait any longer), slice and serve with whipped cream. For Thanksgiving and my brother's birthday (Nov. 23rd), we usually have several pumpkin pies around and we use the pie as a substitute birthday cake.

I hope you and your family love this pie as much as we do!

A Side-Note About Pumpkin

I bet my next few posts will have some form of pumpkin in them as it's a great holiday food and it's just after Thanksgiving. As such, I'd thought I better mention pumpkin puree, the basis for most of these recipes. I love using pumpkin puree. I always have a can (or five) in my cupboards, just in case. I'm sure using a fresh pumpkin, baking it and scraping out the insides is awesome. I'm sure it's healthy and tastes great, but really, who has time for that?

I've tried a few brands and I always come back to Libby's. It never fails in its consistency, flavor or smell. I don't know what brands you have on your grocery shelves, but avoid Santiam at all costs. I should feel bad as they are based here in Oregon, but the texture and flavor is awful. Even in a finished batch of pumpkin muffins, I could smell the difference. Stick with Libby's. Santiam or another store brand might save some money, but this is one of those cases where the name brand is a name brand for a reason.

Pie Crust

On to the first recipe! This is a staple in my house, a basic pie crust. I use this crust in desserts (pies and crisps), as well as savory meals like pot pies and quiche. This crust is so easy... there is no using a pastry cutter to blend cold, hard butter and flour to the right consistency; there is no rolling it out with a rolling pin filled with ice and worrying about uneven thickness. So easy. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons milk

In your pie tin, blend the flour, sugar, and salt with a fork. In a small bowl, whisk the milk into the veggie oil until the milk looks like tiny bubble in the oil; maybe 30 seconds. Immediately pour the milk and oil mix into the pie tin and mix it with the dry ingredients. Once you get it mostly blended, it works best to finish it off by hand. The dough can then just be pressed into the pie tin and shaped to fit.

Fill it with your favorite pie filing and then bake as directed!

You can also pre-bake this crust, just prick the crust a few times with a fork and bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

The only drawback to this crust is that it really only works as a bottom crust, so if you have a recipe that needs a top crust (i.e. apple), this probably isn't your best option. I love this crumbly crust so much that when I run across that situation, I typically find a way to not use a top crust, I'll use a crumble topping on a fruit pie or dumplings on a pot pie.

Enjoy! 

Welcome!

With the impending arrival of my first KitchenAid mixer, *cue minor major freak out* and the approach of the holiday baking blitz, I figured I'd start a blog for easy access to all my recipes. Hopefully you'll find something new to try for your family or be reminded of an old favorite. 

The current state of my recipe box leaves something to be desired and hopefully, I'll be able to blog it into submission!