From scratch, you say?

When Craig and I picked up our carving pumpkins, I also picked up a pumpkin pie pumpkin. I had never baked a pumpkin pie from scratch so I wanted to give it a try. Before I start, I will tell you that it was a ton of work and while it was yummy, I don't think it was worth the work! Granted, I know there was probably more nutritional value to making it this way versus the famous Libby, but I don't think I'll ever do it again. If you do want to know how to make this pie from scratch, then just let me know and I'll give you the recipe. This post is simply going to show some of the work and not the exact ingredients.

First, you start with a pumpkin pie pumpkin, cut it in half and start to scoop out the guts.
Once the guts are scraped out, place the pumpkin face down on a cookie sheet and cover with foil.While the pumpkin was baking away in the oven, I got together the rest of my ingredients.
The pumpkin looks golden when it's done and is very soft.
Time to scoop all the good stuff out! But don't eat it. Unseasoned pumpkin is actually really yucky.
Then, you puree the pumpkin to make it smooth. And since my food processor isn't huge, I had to grind about 6-7 times so all the glop got really smooth!
Time to combine??? Not yet. The puree seemed runny, so I strained it for a few hours.
Now it's time to combine. A pinch of this, a teaspoon of that and you get the runny sweetness of a pumpkin pie. I was surprised at how runny it was, but it baked up very nicely.
Time to bake! I placed a sheet of foil underneath the pies and around the edges so the crust would not burn. This was not in the recipe, but I don' t liked burned crust, so I improvised.
And wouldn't you like to see the final product? Well, this whole post is a tease because I totally forgot to take pictures of the finished pies! I KNOW! I promise they turned out just fine and dandy (even though I totally forgot to turn down the oven 20 minutes into baking the pies).

The pies were very good, but because I didn't have a canned pie at the ready to sample alongside the fresh pie, and I have not eaten a pumpkin pie for about a year, I cannot really tell you which tastes better. I am glad I made the pie, but I think I'll stick to my Libby can from now on. I don't buy the pumpkin pie can, but the regular pumpkin can and add my own seasoning and spices. I also freeze my left over pumpkin and add it to pancakes - my favorite!

I'll just make my crust from scratch (super easy), not the pie goo (not so super easy).