Pumpkin Pie: the Basic Recipe

Jan here, giving all of you a head's up: Pumpkin Pie is too easy to resort to buying pre-baked pies from the grocery store!

Okay, I understand no time to bake. I understand last-minute changes of plans. I even understand feeling those heebie-jeebies about getting the pie crust right.

But this year I'm encouraging you to try this basic recipe. You have enough time to make it two or three times before Thanksgiving...and then won't you be the star of the gathering? Think about it - the children's eyes wide as they regard that beautiful pie - your husband's (or wife's) beaming face - your mother-in-law!!!

YES! You can do this!

Easy-Peasy-Lemon-Squeezy.

Start with the crust:

You can go here for my Never-Fail Pie Crust recipe and step-by-step instructions.

Or you can go here for Ruthy's favorite pie crust - also with step-by-step instructions.

Or, if you have to, buy the frozen pie crust from the store. But it's worth taking the time and effort to learn how to make a good pie crust!

Next is the filling:

Believe me, this is the easiest part of all. I use the recipe on the back of the Libby's Pumpkin can. Not the "Pumpkin Pie Filling" can. The pumpkin puree in the smaller can.

I did a step-by-step tutorial on pumpkin pie here.

See how easy it is? 

So, you have no excuse, do you?

And think how much your family will enjoy those practice pies as you get ready for the big day!

Let us know - Have you ever made pie from scratch? If you haven't, are you willing to try?

Jan Drexler spent her childhood dreaming of living in the Wild West and is now thrilled to call the Black Hills of South Dakota her home. When she isn’t writing she spends much of her time satisfying her cross-stitch addiction or hiking and enjoying the Black Hills with her husband of more than thirty-seven years.

Mini pumpkin tarts with Nilla wafer crust = Happy Fall, Y'all!

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and  I have a tasty recipe for Fall. I'm a fool for Fall. You know those people who love pumpkin spice everything? Yes? That's me. 

Sometimes I get out the spices and take a whiff of nutmeg or allspice just so I can pretend that cold weather is on the way! Not that I love cold weather, but it's just the season...

Crisp leaves. Frost in the morning. Dark clouds on the horizon. 

Fall is so.... dramatic. 

My writerly heart feels an affinity for the season that's not all sunshine and clear blue sky. 

The spices of fall. Nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. (In this house, we call them "too much cloves" because I can't ever get the measurement right. There's none at all, and then way too much. We just accept that cloves will be "too much" in every dish.)

But before I begin, I have to say this little doggy makes me laugh. He rolls himself up in his favorite blankie when his person leaves him at home. Goodness gracious. Some people have emotional support animals. Our animal has an emotional support person. 

So! Let us begin. Two cups of crushed Nilla wafers, plus 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a dash of "too much cloves".

 Add a few TBS of melted butter and press into a pan.

 Oops, missed a picture but take a can of pure pumpkin puree and add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a dash of ginger. Mix well, then add four large eggs to it will bake together. Most recipes have condensed milk, but I have a child who is lactose intolerant so we skip that part. It gives the pie a less custardy feel, which I like, too.

 Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until done. I let the crusts brown too much but there you go. It's Friday and the 80th birthday of the publication of The Hobbit so we were watching the movie. I remember my dad reading me the series when I was younger than my youngest child, and now I've read the series to them. Bless you, J.R.R. Tolkien, and thank you for the gift of your stories!

 A latte with a dash of bittersweet chocolate is the perfect pairing...

 Happy Fall, everybody!!

 Leaving you with this fun picture I took of a sunflower in my kitchen. (See how the screen made little tiny squares on the leaves?) I hope you find something with pumpkin spice to enjoy, and a few cheerful flowers to brighten your day!

Pumpkin Pie Time!

Missy, here. Since next week is Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share my mom's pumpkin pie recipe that I shared with you last year. Sorry for the repeat, but I was traveling all last week and didn't get home until Tuesday. I haven't done any cooking to share with you since then! :)

Okay, I know by sharing my pumpkin pie recipe I'll be setting myself up for teasing by you who probably created your own recipe and may even grow your own pumpkin. :)  I'm admitting to you now, I use the recipe on the can of pumpkin and buy a refrigerated crust! :)

But why mess with something that never fails to please my family?

So, here we go...

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Put your pie crust in the pie pan. I use the Pillsbury roll up crusts. They're the store-bought brand I've found that's closest to homemade.

Look! I made those ridges with my own fingers! So it's practically homemade!

Next, follow the directions on the can of Libby's pumpkin! This is from the Libby's site. :)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell 
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving. 

Notes from Missy...

Don't over-bake. The pie may not look quite done but it will set up once you take it out.

Also, don't go too heavy on the cloves! I actually use about 1-1/2 or 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in place of the 3 spices.

Don't mess up and use sweetened condensed milk by accident (yeah, experience talking).

Here are the photos from last Thanksgiving. Now I'm craving pie! Not much longer...

Pumpkin Pie Tutorial, revisited

You can blame it on deadlines....

Jan here, knee-deep in revisions for my next Love Inspired Historical, tentatively titled "A Home in Deadwood," and tentatively scheduled for release sometime next fall.

You remember Deadwood, right? 

It looks like a sweet little town nestled in the Hills, but back in 1877, it was a raw, wild mining camp. Lawless and innocent as a newborn baby.

And filled with people. 10,000 is what one resident estimated in the summer of 1877 - most of them restless men waiting for their chance to strike it rich. To get their share of that lovely, valuable, Black Hills Gold.

But there were others. There were families in this little town. Families who wanted to make this town into something more than the place where Wild Bill Hickok met his notorious end.

And that's where the story starts....

So while I'm living vicariously through the lives of Nate and Sarah, my hero and heroine, my own family is starving. We're trying to make do with crock pot meals and take-out pizza, but by the time October has ended, I can start cooking again. And one of the first things I've promised to make is pumpkin pie.

Here's a visit back to the pumpkin pie tutorial I did for Thanksgiving a couple years ago, complete with photo bombs :)

Pumpkin Pie. THE Thanksgiving Tradition

Okay, you can probably make a case that the turkey is the main attraction at the Thanksgiving feast, but you have to admit it -

even when you're stuffed, pushing yourself back from the table, planning your after-dinner-dishes-duty escape, you're still going to grab at least one bite of that pumpkin pie.

Maybe two.

(Unless your name is Jenny and you live in Australia!)

Today is Pumpkin Pie Day. After all, Thanksgiving is only three days away!

And this is an easy-peasy recipe.

First you need an empty pie shell. Go here to see my recipe, or here for Ruthy's version.

Or buy a frozen pie shell from the store. I won't tell.

Now that you have your pie shell, you need to make your filling.

I use the recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can. I've tried others, but this is my family's favorite, hands down.

Oh, by the way, do you see the pie vulture lurking in the background?


Here are the ingredients you need:

(Before I forget, preheat your oven to 425 degrees!)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz) Libby's canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk


In a small bowl, stir sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves together until blended.

In a larger bowl (I like to use my 2 quart pitcher from Pampered Chef - the pouring spout is so handy!), beat the eggs. Next, whisk the pumpkin and sugar mixture into the eggs. Blend well, and then stir in the evaporated milk. Make sure everything is well blended.

Pour the filling into your pie shell.

Protect the edges of your pie from browning too quickly by using strips of foil to cover it.


Bake it for 15 minutes at 425, and then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes.

And here's the most difficult part - how to tell if your pie is done.

The pumpkin is a custard. One fool-proof method for custards is to stick a knife in the filling halfway between the edge and the center. If the knife comes out clean, it's done.

However, I really don't like to serve a pie with holes in it. So I use the jiggle method :) When you're reaching the end of your cooking time, jiggle your pie slightly. If the center moves like it's a liquid, it isn't done yet. But if it stands up to the jiggle, it's done.

When you take the pie out and remove the foil, it will be puffed up and look like...

WAIT! The Pie Vulture again!

Shoo! Shoo!

Whew. He left. I reminded him he has a paper due.Anyway, when you take the pie out and remove the foil, it will be puffed up and look like this. As it cools, the filling will fall some and look like the picture at the beginning of the post.

Simple, right?


Except for one more thing. This pie is for Thanksgiving, right?

So lets make it pretty :)

Here's one way to do it:

And here's another:

(disclaimer: take your pie out of the oven when you put the embellishments on to avoid the slightly crooked look...)

So how do you add embellishments and make your pie all purty?

Start with mini cookie cutters. We have a bit of a collection - the autumn shapes are from Pampered Chef, and I picked up the letters years ago when Jell-O was giving them away so you could make alphabet jigglers (remember those?).

Now make an egg wash by beating an egg with a couple tablespoons water.
Use the egg wash on the edge of your pie first - before you pour in the filling. Just brush it on gently. Don't worry if some of the egg drips down into the pie - it'll just mix into your filling.


Now, roll out your extra dough and brush it with the egg wash, and then cut out your desired shapes.

If you're adding shapes to the top of your filling like I did, bake the pie up until about 15 minutes before the end of the baking time - long enough to partially solidify the filling, but still with enough baking time left to bake the shapes. Take the pie out of the oven, place your pie crust shapes on top, and then return it to the oven for the rest of the baking time.

Jan here again, with another view of the area around Deadwood. That beautiful piece of land down there is Nate's ranch, in the valley just to the left of those rocks.

So, while I'm playing in Deadwood today, let's discuss pie. Do you make pumpkin pie in the fall?

And if you've never made pumpkin pie, do you think you might try it this year?

Thanksgiving: Messing with Tradition or Not

I am trying to keep the Christmas decorations in the closet until after Thanksgiving. But it has been tough. I've been weakening since Labor Day. Not. Well, maybe I've been humming Christmas carols just a little.

Looks like someone tried to turn a Christmas nativity into a Thanksgiving scene. The seasons are blurring.

Still, Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. Something about the food coma, family, football, the endless variations of pumpkin pie.  I used to add the start of Christmas movies to my list but those have been going on for a while now too. Yes, I've indulged.

Yep, this is upside down for a reason. Reading a new biography of Rockwell kind of turned me upside down when it came to what I knew about the famous artist and his time.

With all the talk about stores opening on Thanksgiving (ugh, I prefer the after meal walk outside, not walk around the mall) and reading a new biography about Norman Rockwell, I've been thinking about what a "traditional" Thanksgiving really means. Many folks are familiar with his "Freedom from Want" poster featuring a family around a table eagerly awaiting the turkey Grandma is about to set down. Folks take as the representation of a traditional Thanksgiving. When you read the background on Rockwell, you realize how nontraditional he was in real life. 

I know people eat strange things at Thanksgiving and have weird superstitions when it comes to football. Come on, confess.

I grew up going to Grandma's house or visiting my parents' and in laws after we were married. Then my son started having kids. We have rotated between his in laws, his house and ours the past years. Over the years, we've added new must-have dishes to our Thanksgiving feast like my daughter in law's stellar apple pie. It sits beside the green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, little sweet pickles and olives my mom always had, my mother in law's rolls, ManO's carrots and the turkey.

But sadly, my grandson refuses to eat his mom's apple pie. He is a pumpkin traditionalist and he's only five years old. And his sister follows his lead. So their mommy made a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin and now they look at her in awe. Another new tradition was born for this holiday season.

What are must haves for Thanksgiving dinner? I checked with friends.  What a list!

• Two kinds of stuffing (bread or cornbread) was mentioned several times. That one made me chuckle because my mom used both in her recipe.
• Don't ask people about cranberry relish because everyone's mama has a different recipe. Virginia has cranberry-orange relish like my mom made.  Some folks just hide the Ocean Spray cranberry can or call it "turkey jello" like my friend Kelly's family does.
• Pie! It's not just pumpkin.  It's sweet potato pecan, peanut butter, lemon meringue. Missy's pecan pie was featured yesterday in Yankee Belle.
• Pasta shows up at quite a few homes with Italian roots. Lasagna at one. Homemade ravioli at another. And then there was Mary Connealy's family who has spaghetti instead of turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving night. I wouldn't expect anything less from her brood.
• Pintos and cornbread, creamed corn, and other veggies are served as much to honor a departed loved one as anything.

Some even spare the turkey. Gasp! And go with ham!

My dad and his wife have a flock of wild turkeys who visit daily to be fed. How do they look them in the eye?

So, what is your Thanksgiving Traditional Dish That MUST be served? Have you ever had an nontraditional Thanksgiving meal or dish and have it flop? Or did a new tradition start?

Pumpkin Pie!

Missy, here. Yes, it's almost that time. It's almost Thanksgiving! This week I'm sharing my pumpkin pie recipe. Next week, I'll share my mom's pecan pie recipe. Then the day will be here!

Okay, I know by sharing my pumpkin pie recipe I'll be setting myself up for teasing by you who probably created your own recipe and may even grow your own pumpkin. :)  I'm admitting to you now, I use the recipe on the can of pumpkin and buy a refrigerated crust! :)

But why mess with something that never fails to please my family?

So, here we go...

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Put your pie crust in the pie pan. I use the Pillsbury roll up crusts. They're the store-bought brand I've found that's closest to homemade.

Look! I made those ridges with my own fingers! So it's practically homemade!

Next, follow the directions on the can of Libby's pumpkin! This is from the Libby's site. :)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell 
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving. 

Notes from Missy...

Don't over-bake. The pie may not look quite done but it will set up once you take it out.

Also, don't go too heavy on the cloves! I actually use about 1-1/2 or 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in place of the 3 spices.

Don't mess up and use sweetened condensed milk by accident (yeah, experience talking).

Next week, you'll get the pecan pie recipe. Meanwhile, here are the photos from last Thanksgiving. Now I'm craving pie! Not much longer...

Of Pinterest and Pumpkin

I love pumpkin.  You can tell by my Pumpkin: Hue, Chew and More Pinterest Board:

 

I love the color (notice Yankee Belle's background). Well, I must love the form too because I even love white pumpkins. I love decorating with pumpkins inside and out .

I even love little punkins like this one and his daddy before him. It's a tradition in our house to take pictures in the pumpkin patch:

My grandson back in the day

My son back in the day

Sniff, they are both so grown up now.  Well, if you count five grown up.  I know I am not old enough to have one my son's age. Ack!

My grandson has already started begging for pumpkin pie. He takes after Grandma Juju. Any recipe I can get my hands on, I'll try. Oh, but then there are those allergies again. I've learned ways to modify all things pumpkin, dress them up and make them just as luscious as the pins on my Pinterest boards.

I miss a good pie crust but haven't been a fan of fake ones. So I make a nut crust for my "baked pumpkin." It's simple as...well, PIE.

Nut crust:

Put 1/2 cup pecans and pulse til ground. Add one cup almond meal or enough almonds ground in a food processor to make a cup. Pulse again. Add two tablespoons cold butter and pulse til mixed thoroughly. Place in pie plate or glass dish and place a piece of waxed paper over it, spreading over the bottom of the plate.

If you are fixing a refrigerated pie, you can bake the crust at 350 for 10-15 minutes until toasted. Do NOT over brown.  Cool before adding other ingredients.  

 
If you are going to bake your pie ingredients, just pour the filling over the top of the crust and bake as directed.

Healthier Pumpkin filling:
I used a recipe for the filling off the Libby's can for guidance, but I make it healthier. I use the egg whites instead of whole eggs, a half cup skim milk rather than a whole can of evaporated milk, and most importantly, I've reduced the amount of sugar. I have gotten it down to half a cup but it takes time to get used to eating pie that almost tastes like a vegetable rather than solid sugar. Adding vanilla can also help.

4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup skim milk
1 can pumpkin
1 T pumpkin pie spice or more to taste
1 dash salt

Beat eggs.  Add sugar and spices and beat again til well mixed. Add pumpkin and milk and beat until blended.

Pour into crust and back for 15 minutes at 425 and then lower to 350 for 40 minutes. You don't want the crust to burn.

To make it really pumpkiny, top with pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

 

So are you a pumpkin fan? A Pinterest fan, especially with ? Feel free to look my boards up on Pinterest and share your feelings about pumpkin! A great fall vegetable or greatest?     

Pumpkin Pie. THE Thanksgiving Tradition

Okay, you can probably make a case that the turkey is the main attraction at the Thanksgiving feast, but you have to admit it -

even when you're stuffed, pushing yourself back from the table, planning your after-dinner-dishes-duty escape, you're still going to grab at least one bite of that pumpkin pie.

Maybe two.

(Unless your name is Jenny and you live in Australia!)

Today is Pumpkin Pie Day. After all, Thanksgiving is only three days away!

And this is an easy-peasy recipe.

First you need an empty pie shell. Go here to see my recipe, or here for Ruthy's version.

Or buy a frozen pie shell from the store. I won't tell.

Now that you have your pie shell, you need to make your filling.

I use the recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can. I've tried others, but this is my family's favorite, hands down.

Oh, by the way, do you see the pie vulture lurking in the background?


Here are the ingredients you need:

(Before I forget, preheat your oven to 425 degrees!)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz) Libby's canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk

In a small bowl, stir sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves together until blended.

In a larger bowl (I like to use my 2 quart pitcher from Pampered Chef - the pouring spout is so handy!), beat the eggs. Next, whisk the pumpkin and sugar mixture into the eggs. Blend well, and then stir in the evaporated milk. Make sure everything is well blended.

Pour the filling into your pie shell.

Protect the edges of your pie from browning too quickly by using strips of foil to cover it.


Bake it for 15 minutes at 425, and then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes.

And here's the most difficult part - how to tell if your pie is done.

The pumpkin is a custard. One fool-proof method for custards is to stick a knife in the filling halfway between the edge and the center. If the knife comes out clean, it's done.

However, I really don't like to serve a pie with holes in it. So I use the jiggle method :) When you're reaching the end of your cooking time, jiggle your pie slightly. If the center moves like it's a liquid, it isn't done yet. But if it stands up to the jiggle, it's done.

 When you take the pie out and remove the foil, it will be puffed up and look like...

WAIT! The Pie Vulture again!

Shoo! Shoo!

Whew. He left. I reminded him he has a paper due.



Anyway, when you take the pie out and remove the foil, it will be puffed up and look like this. As it cools, the filling will fall some and look like the picture at the beginning of the post.

Simple, right?


Except for one more thing. This pie is for Thanksgiving, right?

So lets make it pretty :)

Here's one way to do it:

And here's another:

(disclaimer: take your pie out of the oven when you put the embellishments on to avoid the slightly crooked look...)

So how do you add embellishments and make your pie all purty?

Start with mini cookie cutters. We have a bit of a collection - the autumn shapes are from Pampered Chef, and I picked up the letters years ago when Jell-O was giving them away so you could make alphabet jigglers (remember those?).

Now make an egg wash by beating an egg with a couple tablespoons water.


Use the egg wash on the edge of your pie first - before you pour in the filling. Just brush it on gently. Don't worry if some of the egg drips down into the pie - it'll just mix into your filling.




Now, roll out your extra dough and brush it with the egg wash.

If you're adding shapes to the top of your filling like I did, bake the pie up until about 15 minutes before the end of the baking time - long enough to partially solidify the filling, but still with enough baking time left to bake the shapes. Take the pie out of the oven, place your pie crust shapes on top, and then return it to the oven for the rest of the baking time.

But this is only the beginning!

It's time to have fun! Embellishing your pie can take any shape from my simple additions, to some of these ideas I pinned on my Pinterest board.

Aren't they beautiful?

Oh, and you have to watch this short video about stenciling on your pie crust.

And you can also paint the crust for a colorful embellishment!

Have fun, and Happy Thanksgiving!