Somebody's Dinner: Pumpkin Pie

When I was a kid and lived in Tucson, we always celebrated my July birthday with my grandma, whose birthday is just a few days before mine.

Pumpkin Pie -- Grandma's Recipe. Simple and Delicious.

One year when I was probably 9, my grandma called and said, "Your mom is making me a cake. Is there a special dessert that isn't cake that you want for your birthday?"

I told her I wanted pumpkin pie. Some adults would have told the 9-year-old that you don't eat pumpkin pie in July, and to pick something else. I'm lucky the adults in my family all thought it was a great idea. I still have pumpkin pie for my birthday every year.

This recipe is so flavorful and simple. It actually comes from my other grandma. I made a half recipe, which made 1 regular pie and 6 little ones.

I didn't get a picture of the full-sized pumpkin pie because I made it at night and then took it to a charitable auction. It sold for $65! Yes, I thought that was crazy, but it was for a good cause. The family's nine-year-old daughter told me, "Thanks for making our pie." I told her to thank her dad for paying for it.

Have you ever participated in an auction?

The next morning in the daylight I got some pictures of one of the mini pumpkin pies. I pulled the mini pies out 20 minutes before the regular pie.

If you only make a half recipe and so have leftover pumpkin puree, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray and use it to make single servings of pumpkin oatmeal (recipe).

Yields: 3 regular eight inch pumpkin pies Oven: 450 F, then 325 F

Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time, including cooling: 3 hours

Ingredients

3 single pie crusts, unbaked
3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (28 ounce can)
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
4 eggs

Directions

1) Mix together pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a large bowl. Is a separate bowl whisk together milk and eggs until well blended. Add the milk mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir well.

2) Pour into unbaked pie crusts. Cover the edges with tin foil to prevent over-browning, which you'll remove 10 minutes before it's done. Bake 10 minutes at 450 F, then reduce heat to 325 F and bake 45 minutes until the middle is set. To determine if it's set, carefully jiggle it to tell if the inside is still liquid or not.

3) Cool on a wire rack until room temperature and then refrigerate at least 1 hour.