My pumpkin pies are really hubbard squash as are the pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin squares. You need to learn to make pie dough in the food processor like Martha Stewart. Quick and easy and you shouldn't be overworking the dough. I have a recipe for vinegar pie crust with an egg in it that is almost foolproof but I guess some people could still mess it up! You just have to chill it for more than an hour or it is too sticky. But if you tear it you can patch it back together no problem.

Food processor? That almost sounds scary, Margaret. Still, if M. Stewart does that, how scary can it be . . ?

Mom used to make pie crust with some baking powder in it (or it may have been baking soda). She wasn't the best at the crust, just an enthusiastic and productive baker. I remember that she also went for cooking oil rather than shortening back there when we were first coming aware of the saturated fats/trans fats issues. I'm telling you that there are some good reasons why Dad is still around at soon-to-be 95!

Okay, my ideas on bacon may not be some of those reasons . . .

Steve

Way to go, Punkin!

I'm genetically incapable of following a precise recipe. But we will shortly be making a few pies with 'Cha-Cha' kabocha squash.

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and glop, bake the halves in a 350 oven for an hour - hour &15 minutes until when you pinch them, they give easily, and not burned. Let cool.

Then scoop out the insides, throw out the skin. I use a food processor, but I suppose a mixer would do, but anyway, add a couple of eggs, cup-ish half & half, and the squash to the bowl, then spices. Grated fresh ginger, bit of honey, cinnamon, and couple tablespoons of lime juice. The squash itself is naturally very sweet and dense, so it doesn't take much sweetener at all.

So what I've discovered is that making a custard isn't that hard, the milk and eggs does that for you with out much measuring. The question comes in with the spices, and we add a lot of cinnamon and ginger - say a tablespoon of cinnamon and a full two inches of ginger. But you're after that combination of cinnamon, ginger, and lime. You could add less, I suppose.

I use a store bought crust, then bake at 350 for an hour - hour & a half, using a straw to check for doneness. The custard may split if you cook it too long, but thats not a problem, aside from cosmetics.

It's wonderful for breakfast. :-)

The pumpkin harvest here was very modest this year. Probably less than a dozen pie sized pumpkins, which are all still sitting in the garage, waiting to be baked, pureed, and frozen. So with that being said, I did actually use canned pumpkin for my Thanksgiving pie this year.

I decided to spice it up a bit though, and made a gingersnap crust, and added 1/2 teaspoon of some of my homemade chile powder to the filling.

I've never tried adding lime or honey, David, but I add way more cinnamon,ginger,etc. than most recipes call for.

Hope everyone here had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Oh My Gosh! You put hot pepper in your pumpkin pie, Bonnie!!

Kind of sounds good . . .

Here I was contemplating why it is that I've never used a fresh piece of ginger in a pie, a la David. It seems rather silly that I haven't. Stir-fries are very common around here and there's always ginger in the basket with the garlic . . .

Steve

It was only 1/2 of a teaspoon, LOL! Besides, I think the gingersnap crust was spicier than the filling.

On the east coast they have what they call long neck pumpkins which make me think of an overgrown orange zuchinni and they use that to make pumpkin pie. I find that the hubbards are useful in many ways and don't want to cross the pumpkins and squash though some years I think they might have anyway as I had some strange looking spaghetti squash in the garden and the hubbards are grown out back and shouldn't have crossed but maybe the zuchinni?

I forgot to say that my youngest son posted a picture of the pumpkin pie that he and his daughter made on facebook using real pumpkin like mom used to make.

Strange looking spaghetti squash, Margaret? Yes, I believe that they are in the same species as zucchini.

Kids are often such traditionalists! I suppose it balances with their tendency to embrace the new. It might be a good thing, honoring tradition. Could be that they wouldn't have as much tolerance for keeping us oldsters around, otherwise.

Steve's digits
which want to lean towards the italic this morning . . .