RECIPE: The Perfect Pumpkin Pie

 

 I wanted to make a pie the other day and found it serendipitous that I already had the ingredients for a pumpkin one! I also wanted to try out this braided crust idea that I saw on Pinterest.

 

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE

(from Very Best Baking)

 

2 refrigerated PIE CRUSTS (or your favorite recipe)

 

3/4 cup GRANULATED SUGAR

 

1 tsp GROUND CINNAMON

 

1/2 tsp SALT

 

1/2 tsp GROUND GINGER

 

1/4 tsp GROUND CLOVES

 

2 large EGGS

 

1 can (15oz) PURE PUMPKIN

 

1 can (12oz) EVAPORATED MILK

 

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

 

STEP 2: Fill pie pan with one crust and trim up edges. Take the the other crust and cut long 1/4" strips with a pizza cutter and ruler. Braid together the strips (you will need two braids). Apply a little water to the rim of the crust in the pan and lay the braid around the outside, pressing down slightly. Set aside.

 

STEP 2: 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.

 

STEP 3: Bake in preheated 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.

 

 I took the remaining pieces of the second pie crust and made some mini heart pie crust cookies. I thought they looked pretty adorable atop a slice of pie.

 

 This is the best pumpkin pie recipe I have ever made...and I have tried a lot of them. It bakes wonderfully and keeps a perfect shape. Oh, and it tastes amazing too!

 

 

Enjoy.

DIY: Painted Pumpkins

 

Can I make a confession?

 

I am not a seasonal decorator.

 

I know...decorating and crafting for the seasons is like blogger content gold, right? But, it's just not me. It has something to do with living in smaller quarters and not wanting to store it and not wanting to clean it and not wanting to clutter the home.

 

I know, sometimes it's difficult to live in my head.

 

But I am trying my best this year to add a few more seasonal items to our home without feeling like I live in Hobby Lobby. Plus, I already have an obsessive amount a few owl decor pieces in my house...so that passes for fall decorations, right?

 

I picked up three pumpkins from the dollar store and repainted them so they fit into our vintage/modern decor.

 

STEP 1: I painted all the pumpkins with ivory paint.

 

STEP 2: (for the chevron pumpkin) I drew a chevron design on the painted pumpkin with a pencil and then painted in the lines with a deep orange acrylic paint.

 

STEP 3: (for the polka dot pumpkin) I dipped the end of a pencil eraser in black acrylic paint and stamped it on the pumpkin creating a polka dot pattern.

 

STEP 4: (the yellow pumpkin) I painted the whole pumpkin with two coats of mustard yellow acrylic paint.

 

STEP 5: I painted all the "stems" brown and then sealed each pumpkin with two coats of clear glossy spray paint.

 

This was a a fun project and it helped ease me into seasonal decorating...which I hope to get better at, and enjoy too!

I'm linked to:
Tatertots and Jello

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

I make this pumpkin cheesecake every year for Thanksgiving. It is probably one of my favorite holiday desserts. I can pass on most sweets...except cheesecake! I am a sucker for salty sweet things;)

Here is the recipe:

2 pkg (8oz each) cream cheese

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 9in graham cracker pie crust (I made my own with a recipe below)

1/2 c pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch cloves

1 pinch nutmeg (I left this out because I don't have any)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. You can use a premade graham cracker crust, but I already had a box of graham cracker crumbs in my pantry so I used those.

Here is the recipe I used:

1 and 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs

3 tbs white sugar

1/3 c butter-melted

Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar and then mix in butter until crumbly. Press into pie pan and bake for 5 minutes at 325 degrees.

3. Blend cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs until creamy. Reserve 1 cup and set it aside.

Oh...and save the cream cheese boxes...they make great gift card boxes for Christmas:) Is it weird that my family uses old food boxes for our gifts?

4. Spread the cream cheese mixture (from the bowl) into the pie crust.

I like to keep it about a 1/2 in from the outer edge so the next layer is easier to spread on.

5. Now mix the reserve cup of cream cheese, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, gloves, and nutmeg together.

6. Spread the pumpkin mixture on top of your other cream cheese layer.

7. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until set.

I wish I could show you the inside (and eat some!)...but I am saving it for Thursday and I am sure my family would appreciate me not eating part of the dessert beforehand:)

What are your favorite Thanksgiving desserts?

Minnie Mouse Pumpkin

I know Halloween is over...and most of you have disposed of your pumpkins (or what's left of them)...but we like to keep our pumpkins until Thanksgiving. Then, the week of Thanksgiving, I toast the seeds and make a few desserts from the puree.

We haven't had time to go to a pumpkin patch yet ( we have one more weekend until they all close), but my dad brought over a pumpkin for my daughter last night. I was just going to sit it by the front door, but it looked too sad and a little boring. I got this Minnie idea from when we visited Disneyland in September. They had giant pumpkin heads of the characters and I thought the Minnie and Mickey were so cute!

For the "ears" I found this bag of pumpkins at Walmart on clearance for $1 after Halloween. I wanted all orange ones...but they were a lot smaller and kind of rotten:(

I drew the face on first...it was much easier to do before I attach anything to it. Then I pulled out some old ribbon I had and tied it around the stump:

I used two toothpicks to attach the small pumpkins to the large one. I went to the dollar store for BBQ skewers...but they didn't have any.

And that's it! My daughter is in love with it (of course)...but has already asked where Mickey is...so we will be making a trip to the actual pumpkin patch to find our "Mickey" pumpkin:)

Now the front porch looks much better:)

So, do you think it's weird to keep a pumpkin as decor past October? Why should they get tossed as soon as it rolls over to November? I say display your pumpkins proudly until Thanksgiving:)