Happy Thanksgiving!

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is eating the pumpkin pie. I like turkey, ham, stuffing and potatoes, but it's all just "filler" until we get to the pumpkin pie - straight up, no ice cream or whipped cream. I let others have their pie with all that creamy accouterments, but I like mine neat, all by itself. I love the spicy flavor - it doesn't need anything else for me.

My recipe for pumpkin pie starts with the instructions on the can of Libby's pumpkin - that requires 2 eggs, a can of canned milk, a small amount of salt ....but then I add more. Much more. About three times the cinnamon (or more if I'm feeling cinnamony), at least 2 times the recommended amounts for ginger and cloves, and then I add a half teaspoon of allspice and a hefty grind from my nutmeg grinder. A spoonful of good vanilla gives the pie a nice aroma.

I substitute brown sugar for the white sugar (and if I'm dieting, I use half brown sugar and half splenda) and then I add another egg (using 3 in all) and about a 1/4 cup of half n half (if dieting, omit the cream and use fat free canned milk and 4 egg whites) .

I also like to gussy up the crust - using festive autumn pie crust cutters. Because I use more egg and more liquid, the pie pan I use is a bit larger than the usual smallish metal pie pan. I think it's supposed to be used for an apple pie but I rarely make that...I'm a pumpkin pie person. This is not a pie for those people faint of tongue...don't try this unless you like spicy sweet things.

Happy Thanksgiving!