Pumpkin Pie

Just as with the apple pie, pumpkin pie plays a key role at Mom's Thanksgiving. I love both apple pie and pumpkin pie, but I think my current favorite is pumpkin pie. Actually, I can't get enough of anything made with pumpkin: pumpkin scones, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin granola, pumpkin latte. I could go on. If it has pumpkin in it, you can bet I will like it.

This pumpkin pie recipe is fairly standard, as far as pumpkin pies go. You will need to adjust the cooking time to suit your oven. Mom says that it usually takes longer time in her oven for this custard-style pie to set. Be patient and let the pie cook properly, otherwise you will have a gooey mess on your hands.

Pumpkin Pie

• pie pastry
• 1 can (15 ounce) canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup milk

Line a pie pan with the pie pastry. Blend all other ingredients and pour the pumpkin mixture into pie shell. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 and bake for 50 to 60 minutes more until the center is firm and a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting. 

Apple Pie

There was so much good food at Thanksgiving, but Mom's pies might be my favorite. Despite being stuffed with stuffing, turkey and all the rest, I would eat pie and sometimes have a second helping of pie later in the night. Mom always made apple and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I hear about others having different Thanksgiving pies--such as pecan or chocolate--but only apple and pumpkin mean Thanksgiving to me.

Mom often made the pies in large 9x13 rectangle pans, instead of pie pans, to make more pie. When there are seven kids, there needs to be enough pies for everyone. I also remember what a treat it was to have whipped cream from a can on top of the pie. Now that I am older, I like whipped cream made from actual cream, but the taste of whipped cream from a can brings back memories.

Mom always made a crumb topped apple pie. A double-crust pie looks pretty, but does not taste as good as the delicious sugary crumb topping. On Thanksgiving morning, after the stuffing was made, we would get put to work peeling and slicing apples. I remember eating a fair amount of apple slices before they could make it into the pie. Mom usually assembled the apple pie early in the day and leave it in the fridge until after the turkey came out of the oven.


Apple Pie

Pie Pastry
(yields 4 single crusts)

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 pound (1 cup) vegetable shortening
• 7 Tbsp cold water
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp vinegar

Mix flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, blend in the vegetable shortening. Use a fork to blend in the water, egg, and vinegar. Divide dough into four balls. Individual balls can be frozen for later use.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the pastry on a floured surface. The pastry should be rolled into a shape just larger than the pan you will be using for the pie. If the pastry is too dry or cracks, use a little water to smooth over or repair the cracks. Carefully transfer the pastry into the pie pan. Use your fingers to create a fluted edge.

Apple Pie Filling

• 5-6 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon to coat the apple pieces. Transfer filing to the pastry-lined pie pan.

Crumb Topping

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. butter

Mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle over the filled pie.

Preheat the oven to 375. Cover the edges of the pie with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more until top is golden and fruit is tender.

Stuffing

Now that it is November, my thoughts have turned to Thanksgiving. The single best item from Mom's Thanksgiving is her stuffing. I know someone who is happy just to eat a plate of stuffing all on its own. The batch of stuffing that I made for this post disappeared so quickly that I never got a second serving.

Thanksgiving is a holiday when the food takes center stage. I remember not eating all day on Thanksgiving in anticipation of the feast. The smells of the turkey, stuffing, pies, and other goodies cooking all day made me so hungry, but I would resist the temptation to eat knowing that the dinner would be delicious.

On Thanksgiving morning, the stuffing was the first thing that Mom made so that it could be stuffed into the turkey. Whoever was around would get recruited to help tear up the bread after it was toasted. Mom would toast the bread on cookie sheets in the oven. Each time a pan would come out, we would happily tear the bread into pieces. When there wasn't bread to tear, Mom would put us to work peeling apples for the pie (a post for another day). Mom used a large stock pot to mix up the stuffing because that was the largest container available and it is helpful to have a large container. Mom always managed to get all the stuffing into the bird. I often make a smaller bird, so I end up cooking some of the stuffing separately in a baking dish. Despite the name "stuffing," this recipe easily cooks up in a dish without being stuffed into a bird.

This stuffing recipe is always the best stuffing to me. I have tasted other stuffing recipes, but this one tastes the best to me. Maybe it is because it is the stuffing that I grew up with or maybe the flavors are just right, but to me nothing compares.

Old Fashioned Sage and Celery Stuffing

• 1 bunch of celery, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 cup margarine
• 3 bullion cubes
• 1 1/2 loaves of bread
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp pepper

Saute the celery and onion in margarine and bullion, until tender. Meanwhile, toast the bread and tear it into small cubes. Add the salt, sage, poultry seasoning and pepper. Add the celery and onion to the bread mixture. Stir to evenly combine and add just enough water to moisten (about 1/2 to 1 cup).

The stuffing can be cooked in the cavity of a turkey. Or, place the stuffing in a baking dish and cook on 375 for 30 minutes.