BAKE YOUR FIRST PUMPKIN PIE!

I never made a pie in my life and I thought it would be fun to make a pumpkin pie from scratch, well almost scratch. I reviewed all sorts of recipes online (epicurious is one of my favorite sites) and decided I wanted a very simple and easy recipe. I originally selected Paula Deen's recipe which required cream cheese and butter -- and while I was at the grocery store, I thought to myself , I think I want a lower-calorie pie, if possible. Since I was at the market, I was a bit S-O-L since I didn't have another recipe with me to follow -- but lo and behold, I found Libby's Canned Pumpkin and there was a recipe on the can. I normally wouldn't trust a recipe on a product's packaging -- but since I was there - I just said, what the heck - how bad can it be? Once I got home, I hopped online to look for a similar recipe (yes, just to be safe) -- the top rated pies required either -- condensed milk or evaporated milk -- and since Libby's required evaporated milk -- I knew Libby's recipe was legit. I read a few other recipes on how to make a simple pumpkin pie and discovered that I should double the main ingredients to add more flavor and spice to the pie (i.e. ground cloves, ground ginger, cinnamon). I thought about this and thought about all the pumpkin pies I've tasted and realized most pies were ok, but just missed a little something -- So I decided I would double the seasoning to to enhance the flavoring of the pie -- And so, I began!

The recipe for Libby's Pumpkin Pie is below and its rather easy (if I can do it, you certainly can -- remember, I'm not a baker by any means, but am always up for a new cooking challenge cause its fun!).

Here are my useful tips for making the pie:

1. Double the seasonings - Ground cloves, cinnamon, ground ginger - it will add more flavor to the pie, trust me!
2. Fresh Ginger - really mash this up, or else you'll have mini-chunks in the pie
3. Pie Crust - Definitely get a 9 inch deep dish pie crust (you can make it, but why? I used Oronoque Orchards pie crust and it was really good - $4.29 for 2 pie crusts).
4. Pie filling - you may be tempted to fill the pie to the rim of the crust, but that would be a mistake. Leave about 2/3 to 3/4 of an inch from the top of the crust layer. This will make it easier for you to transport the uncooked pie to the oven w/o spilling (believe me, i had a few spills on the way to the oven). And, who doesn't like a little extra crust with the filling? BTW you don't want to put too much filling in the pie, otherwise, it won't cook all the way through (it'll look like jello).
5. Test to see if the pie is done. Use a tooth pick/knife and check the center; if nothing is on the instrument, then its done. I wasn't so lucky (of course not). So, after I cooked the pie to the specified time and then some, I realized I could not cook it anymore since my crust was already a dark brown. Don't despair if this happens to you. Just take the pie out of the oven, let it cool and then refrigerate and the filling will hold together.

6. Cool whip - I got the light cool whip and it tastes just as good and is 1/3 less calories!


Recipe Courtesy of Libby's Famous Pie -- (recipe is on the pumpkin pie can)
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 1o minutes (will vary depending on your oven)
Cool Down Time: 2 hours; recommend refrigerating too!

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust 3/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 eggs 1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin 1 (12 fluid ounce) can NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2.	Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
3.	Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees 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. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)