So, today, I used my sugar pumpkin to make a gluten free pie. Making a pumpkin pie from scratch is a lot easier than you would think. And, you get to decide what ingredients to use in it. Start with one of those little “sugar” pumpkins available in grocery stores this time of year.

To get a pumpkin ready for using in recipes, cut it in about 8 pieces, scrape out the seeds and goo inside. Spray the pieces with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil. Place another piece of aluminum foil over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. Remove from oven and let cool.
When the pumpkin pieces are cooled, peel off the rind. At this point, you can freeze the pieces. I put about half of my pumpkin in the freezer in zip lock bags for another day. Out of the other half, I made a pie and a savory vegetable dish. For this post, I am talking about the pie.
Measure out about 2 1/4 cups of the cooked pumpkin. Put it in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1/3 cup melted butter. Mix well with an electric mixer or a whisk. Pour into an uncooked pie crust.

For my pie, I used Mixes From The Heartland Pie Crust Mix, but you can use any gluten free pie crust mix. I used 1 cup of the mix, 1/4 cup of butter,1 egg, and 1 tsp of vinegar. Mix well, and form the dough into a ball. Place on a piece of plastic wrap, put another piece of plastic wrap on top, and roll out very thin. Place the pie crust in a pie dish, trim the edges, and then press with a fork to form a decorative edge. Pour in your pie filling, and bake for about 1 hour in a 400 degree oven. Serve plain or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. MMMMMMMMMM…………..
