Friday, November 19, 2010

Pumpkin Pie!



What would Thanksgiving be without pumpkin pie?

Well... for me it would be just fine. Give me the turkey, the stuffing, more stuffing, some veggies, more stuffing, potatoes, and top it all off with stuffing and I'm a happy (and well-fed) camper.

As far as I'm concerned, you can keep the pumpkin pie. (But I'll have an extra helping of whipped cream, please.)

I would take a permanent pass on pumpkin pie ... except it's tradition. Not only that, but the rest of my family loves it. So today I'm presenting a mostly home made pumpkin pie. I say "mostly" because I'm cheating and using a store-bought crust. Hey, they're lucky I agreed to make one at all, right? :::grin:::

This recipe came to me from my sister-in-law years ago. My husband always adored his sister's recipe and I'm lucky she was willing to share. Umm... make that my *family* is lucky she was willing to share.

I really want to like this particular treat, but I just can't. A combination of taste and texture perhaps. Who knows? But I am crazy about the smell. Right now, as I write this, the pie is baking. My home is awash in delectable scents. It's intense Thanksgiving, and cinnamon, and nutmeg, and Christmas, and home all wrapped in one. Just gorgeous, amazing smells around here.

So even if you don't like pumpkin pie, you may want to make this anyway, just to make your house smell great. Pumpkin pies make awesome gifts!

PUMPKIN PIE

1 10-inch prepared pie shell (deep, or extra deep)
1 16 ounce can of pumpkin (drained)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 425.

The directions on the recipe I have says: Mix all, adding milk last.

But I mixed my dry ingredients first, then added the eggs one at a time, then the rest. I messed up and added the milk before the pumpkin. Oops. No real harm done, as far as I can tell.

The recipe goes on to instruct:
Bake at 425 for ten minutes.
Reduce heat to 325 for two hours, or until it turns custardy and splits (at least one hour)

Really? Two hours versus one hour? That's quite a spread.
I found the best time to be just short of two hours. But just over an hour and a half. The top splits beautifully and the pie is completely baked through.


NOTES:
When I poured the mixture into the pie shell I learned a valuable lesson. This is a *very* soupy mixture. Very. I should have placed the pie shell on a baking sheet *before* I filled it. Ever try to move an overfilled liquidy thing? Slosh, slop. Yep, you get the picture.

As it turned out, I had more mix than I had room for, so I placed the excess in a small baking bowl and set it next to the pie on the baking sheet. This had an extra benefit. I could see through the glass to gauge the done-ness of my pie. Sure helped with that one hour versus two hour question. Perfect!

Have fun and make your home smell marvelous!
Enjoy,
Julie

PS - check out my new updated website (and a peek at the cover for Grace Interrupted!)

* * * * * * *

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19 comments:

  1. Oh, Julie, you make me laugh so hard! You will be glad to know you are not alone...Chris is right there with you. He says as long as he's got turkey, mashed potatoes, and "the best dressing EVER" (mine) (and no, I did not make him say that...LOL), that he's happy.
    Me, I can take or leave pumpkin pie...I recently saw a recipe for one made with cream cheese (Cozy Chicks, I think?)that I may eventually try, though.
    I can't make pie crust to save myself, either. I even bought a food processor with a dough blade, for the express purpose of making pie crust.. nope...

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  2. Julie, too funny! Yes, slosh, slosh. Been there, done that. But it does make the house smell great. So do gingerbread cookies (and they don't slosh!). Lately, because of time I use premade pie crust (and also because I have to eat gluten-free and the store-bought are the best for those. I used to be an incredible pie crust maker! I sold pies during high school. But that's another story. Anyway, think about using condensed milk next time you make pumpkin pie, if there's a next time. It adds a great consistency!

    Hugs and Happy ever after.

    ~Avery

    AveryAames.com
    Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

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  3. You are too funny, Julie! Ha! Moms make these types of little sacrifices all the time, I guess...putting time into making something you're not going to enjoy!

    Looks like a great recipe! Thanks for sharing. :)

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  4. Wow, I was surprised to see comments already! Just got back from the midnight showing of Harry Potter (excellent).

    Shel - a cream cheese version would be pretty good, I think. But the stuffing is what makes Thanksgiving. Glad Chris agrees!

    Avery - I swear I can never make anything with out some sort of mishap. Most of the time I can work around it. Never gets boring around here!

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  5. Elizabeth too! Wow, we're all up late tonight!
    You're right - it's a mom thing. But no matter. Even if I don't enjoy eating pumpkin pie, it's enough to watch the family enjoy it.

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  6. I've been put in charge of baking this year's pumpkin pie (which is crazy, because I've never made a pumpkin pie before). I think I might give this one a try--looks delicious (and easy). Thanks, Julie!

    (Note to family: Don't worry, I'm also making triple layer peanut butter fudge brownies.)

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  7. Very close to my favorite recipe, which came from my mom. Hers uses a small can of evaporated milk - I use a regular can of fat free evaporated milk. Two cups total liquid in either case. And another way to avoid spills is to mix it in a bowl with a pouring spout and put the pie plate in the oven and then fill it.
    My daughter doesn't like pumpkin pie so I'm making pumpkin and Dutch apple for just the three of us.

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  8. Hi Alan - Ooh.... Triple layer peanut butter fudge brownies? Oh, yes, please. Save me some!

    CindyD - Interesting. Maybe I'll try using evap milk next time instead. I found other recipes that used condensed milk, but of course other parts of the recipe are different, too. Love your idea of pouring while it's in the oven. Would have saved me some drips...

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  9. LOL on your post today! My husband feels the same way about pumpkin pie. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey -- these are the priorities of Thanksgiving dinner. I'm the one who loves the pumpkin pie, especially the next morning for breakfast! And I really like your sister-in-law's recipe, especially her idea of using brown sugar. A great way to deepen those beloved holiday flavors you mentioned. Have a delicious Thanksgiving, Julie!

    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  10. Julie, it only stands to reason that we don't cook the things we don't like! You're sweet to make the pie for your family. I'm sure they're very appreciative!

    ~ Krista

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  11. Cleo and Krista - My mom used to encourage me to always try just a little bite of something even if I didn't like it. Often I'd develop a taste for whatever that item was. Hasn't happened yet with the pumpkin pie, but I keep trying. I took a little taste of this one. Not bad, really. But the texture ... shudder.... I'm not much of a custard chick. But maybe if I keep trying, I'll eventually get to like this traditional dessert just like my family does.

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  12. HA Julie now that is funny. I must be the only one who likes Pumpkin pie. I only eat it at Thanksgiving though. My real favorite is pecan pie.

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  13. Hey Babs -- then I hope you made special note of Krista's "First Murder" pie this week!

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  14. Thank you for posting a recipe that Lady K and I can make next week. I do store-bought pie crust too, as my handcrafted crusts look like Frankenstein.

    Reading STATE OF THE ONION and enjoying the ride.

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  15. I like the way how you prepare the recipe. I think that has a good taste. Is there a people who has an allergy on pies? My schoolmate's stomach always aching whenever she eat pies.

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  16. hey Julie. I used this recipe for my Thanksgiving dinner. It really saved my butt as i hadn't planned, but the children that were visiting asked for pumpkin pie at the last minute.

    Posted my pie on my site today, with proper credit...

    BTW, on the left sidebar of this site, under your picture and "Fridays with Julie", the link is spelled correctly, but the actual click through link does not take you to your homepage, it takes you to Sheila Connoly's page (I think she filled in for you once).

    Anyway, thanks for the recipe, it came in very handy

    Dave

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  17. This pumpkin pie is the most perfect from all that I've seen since the color of the pie tells it. I should better try your recipe by weekend. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe of yours.

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  18. How nice to find so many great comments! Thanks, Vickie, for your kind words on State of the Onion!

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