Mmmm Pumpkin Pie!

One of my favorite things about this time of year is all of the opportunities to get in my kitchen and bake. Since I have many mouth watering holiday recipes I thought it would be nice to share them all with you and give my readers the opportunity to share theirs as well. I will be posting them one by one randomly throughout the next 2 weeks so stay tuned! At Halloween every year, as is tradition in my family, we not only buy big jack-o-lanterns to carve, we also buy what are called “pie pumpkins” which are smaller, sweeter versions of the traditional Halloween pumpkins, and bake delicious pies. This recipe is my grandmother’s and I have stayed true to her original ingredients because I love it so much there is nothing I would differently!

* 1 unbaked deep dish pie crust (9 inch) (if you have the time to make your own pie crust by all means go for it!)
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 2 eggs
* 15 oz of pumpkin (See below on how to properly prepare pumpkin for pie)
* 1 can Evaporated Milk (12 oz)

After washing the pie pumpkin in warm water, cut in half diagonally. Scrap out the seeds and inside goop. Discard, unless you want to keep the seeds for roasting. Remove the stem and place in a steamer on the stove top. Cook for about 20-30 min until soft enough to easily scoop out pumpkin with a table spoon. Now you take the pumpkin and put it into a blender for about 2 minutes or until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Now it is ready to use for the pie!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Beat eggs in a larger bowl. Mix together above spice mixture and pumpkin with the eggs. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and pour combined ingredients into pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes first. Then lower temp to 350 degrees. Bake for another 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let pie cool for 1 and a half to 2 hours. Enjoy!