I think I’ve said it before, but I really enjoy baking tasty treats because who doesn’t like something warm and delicious right out of the oven. I should really bake in tiny batches just so I can eat everything as soon as it out that golden warming box. Meh – instead I’ll just eat more.

As my family probably knows, I like to keep secrets when it comes to tasty desserts and what I’ll be making at upcoming events. But this one I just can’t keep a surprise. It was too awesome. So without further adieu, Dear Family, welcome to the deliciousness you will taste on Thanksgiving …

Last weekend I cleaned, cut, scraped and cooked a pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. It was very time consuming but oh so rewarding!!! Just look – num!

I typically don’t toot my own baking horn but this was a darn good pie …

Here is what I remember of the recipe …

Cut the pumpkin into a few pieces {the more pieces, the faster it cooks}. I found a really great way to cook it was to steam it. It made it so soft and easy to scoop. I then blended the pumpkin to make it smooth and not too gritty. I scooped that into a cup and put it in the fridge while I made a target run. $55 later, I returned to finish the pie. I then mixed the ‘goop’ together with all of the tasty spices and sugars.

Baked it at 425 for about 15 min then turned the oven down to 350 for 45 minutes. Now, please excuse the grit in the photo above and to the left. The rest of my kitchen is a lot cleaner than this oven dial and surrounding area. I promise.

In the end I pulled this out of the oven …

… delicious! My taste tester liked it, so it was a complete success. And all the while the kitties kept my recipe from blowing away. Thanks girls!