Monday, November 25, 2013

A Tale of Two Pumpkin Pies: Ina Garten's Ultimate Pumpkin Pie w/ Perfect Pie Crust & Fresh Ginger Pumpkin Love Pie

Reeeee-Poooooost! In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to repost two excellent recipes for that oh-so Thanksgiving-y treat, pumpkin pie. Ina Garten's Ultimate Pumpkin Pie and Perfect Pie Crust is totally quintessential. 

The spiciness of this pie packs a punch but it's definitely THE traditional pumpkin pie, perfect for those who want to hit the nail on the head. 

For something a little more outside-the-box, I highly recommend this recipe for Fresh Ginger Pumpkin Love Pie. The zesty, sweet, fluffy, chiffon-like pumpkin interior along with the crunchy, buttery streusel topping is out of this world. The crust is also wonderfully flavorful and loaded with spices and ginger. 

I have to be honest, I don't really like traditional pie/tart crust. Even if it's perfectly made (flakey, buttery, melt-in your mouth, perfection level) I'm like, meh, I just want the filling and a tiny bit of crust to help me transport it to my mouth. I much prefer toasty, nut-infused, or better yet, graham-based crusts, but that said, it's cool to know how to make good crusts of all kinds and both of the crusts above are worth adding to your repertoire. I'm not sure what pie I'll be making yet for this year, but I have a salted-caramel chocolate pecan pie bookmarked, so keep an eye out for that!  

I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday and hope that, if you are celebrating, you get to do so with the ones you love. It's so important to take the opportunity to tell each of your loved ones just how much they mean to you. We never know how much time we'll get with our dearly beloved, so be mushy and sentimental, or don't and just help with the dishes. Every effort is worth it.

Give squeamish teenage nieces and nephews bear hugs, snuggle chubby cheeked wee-ones, sit with and really listen to the stories of your the grands and greats, remember those who are no longer in this realm, and try to just be yourself and let that be good enough for everyone, especially you. ....Also, take lots of cat naps! 

That's our cat, Phil, demonstrating.




Peace y'all!