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bonnieupnorth
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Name: Bonnie
Country: Canada
State: Nunavut
Metro: Iqaluit
Gender: Female
Interests: Too many projects on the go...house renos, creative writing, photography, gardening, swimming, cycling, x-c skiing, dogs...Outdoor activities keep me grounded, whether cycling, a brisk walk, gardening, my dogs, Dysis, a Siberian Husky and new dog Nanuq a husky/lab mix from Arviat, x-c skiing, a visit to the farmer's market or an outdoor pool. Occassionally I will grab my book or journal & go out for a beer or coffee or chat with a friend.
Expertise: Not much but as they say anyone from more than 300 kms away...
Occupation: Social Worker with many hats..
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
4/21/2004
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| Step 10 - Mix the pie contentsThis is continuing from my previous post same recipe source but interspersed with my photos....the first time baking experiment has been fun and tasty and took one pie to the church Advent potluck last night.
All the hard work is behind you! Here's where it gets really easy. If you start with a fresh 8" pie pumpkin, you will get about 3 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin. The right amount of ingredients for this is as follows:  - 1 cup sugar - or 1 cup Splenda, or 3/4 cup honey (honey may make a heavier pie, though)
- 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- one half teaspoon ground ginger
- one half teaspoon salt (optional, I don't use any)
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups pumpkin glop (ok... "sieved, cooked pumpkin")
- 1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk (I use the nonfat version) (note for those in France: evaporated milk in France is called "lait concentre'"; "lait evapore'" is powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional) (metric: 20 grams)
Mix well using a hand blender or mixer. Note: You may substitute 2 tablespoons of "pumpkin pie spice" instead of the cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger. But I think you get better results with the separate spices. Note: The vast majority of people tell me this is the best pumpkin pie they've ever had. It's light and fluffy - however... if you want a heavy, more dense pie, use 3 eggs instead of 4 and 1 can of evaporated milk instead of 1.5) Step 11 - Pour into the pie crust  I like a deep, full pie, so I fill it right up to about one quarter to one half inch from the very top. Don't be surprised if the mixture is very runny! It may start as a soupy liquid, but it will firm up nicely in the oven! Note: the pie crust is brown because I used whole wheat flour! Tastes the same, but is healthier. TIP: What do you do if you end up with more filling than will fit in your pie crust(s)? Easy! Of course, you can make another, smaller pie crust and fill a small pie pan... or just grease any baking dish, of a size that the extra filling will fill to a depth of about 2 inches (see the photo at right), and pour the extra filling in.. then bake it. It will be a crustless pumpkin pie that kids especially love! TIP: You may want to cover the exposed edges of the crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent them from burning! Bonnie's note: I used my favorite Granny's no fail pie crust with Tender flake
lard and lemon juice  and used cookie cut outs to decorate the tops 
Step 12 - Bake the pie Bake at 425 F (210 C ) for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 F ( 175 C ) and bake another 45 to 60 minutes.
PUMPKIN CHEESE CAKE.....same source for recipe easy pumpkin cheesecake
A graham cracker crust,  two layers  and extra tin foil in the oven to prevent spills.  The blender worked well for mixing and don't forget to cool and refrigerate before serving.
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| With the changing seasons from summer to Halloween and Thanksgiving and now Christmas & getting ready for north I have been using up extras in baking, dehydrating and canning. The process is as interesting at times as the results...some successes and some bombs! 
Lots of learning!
 The cherry liquors in which I had jars with sugar,cherries and vodka on top of the fridge turing over every day for a few weeks were fine until the door got slammed and red juice everywhere in the fridge and floor....now since sealed in small jars. 
Baby cherry garden tomatoes halved and put in salt have been great dried as well as pumpkin seeds salted and apples and pear slices dipped in a sugar and lemon solution. It makes for a sticky dehydrator but lovely results in glass jars.  Cutting the apples is tedious as alot of the local fruit has had brown spots or trails. just two small jars of apple pear sauce.
With celery, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, peppers green and chili ones made some spicy salsa.  ....the blender worked well for chopping and blending after some initial simmering on the stove, but saved some larger pieces to give texture.
The Halloween pumpkin  has been the most labour intensive but also fun....  the pumpkin cranberry muffins were tasty but too doughy as i used the pumpkin puree and frozen cherries. Nanuq was certainly interested in the smells. 
I started with a search on the web and found a great site....."Just have a Jack O Lantern? If all you have is a Jack O Lantern pumpkin (no pie pumpkin or butternut squash) then see this page for the recipe to make a pie from an ordinary carving pumpkin."
These are some of the instructions from the above site and I have interspersed some of my own photos
Directions for Making Pumpkin Pie from ScratchStep 1 - Get your pie pumpkin  "Pie pumpkins" are smaller, sweeter, less grainy textured pumpkins than the usual jack-o-lantern types. Grocery stores usually carry them in late September through December in the U.S. In some parts of the country, they are also called sugar pumpkins or even "cheese pumpkins". Go figure that one. Note: the Libby's can of cooked pumpkin is just there for reference - it is the small can, so that gives you an idea of the size of a typical pie pumpkin. They're only about 6 to 8 inches in diameter (about 20 to 24 inches in circumference). TIP: If you're in a pinch and can't find a pie pumpkin, here's a tip: butternut squash taste almost the same! Commercial canned pumpkin is from a variety of butternut, not true pumpkins! If you insist on using a regular Jack O' Lantern type pumpkin, you may need to add about 25% more sugar and run the cooked pumpkin through a blender or food processor to help smooth it out.
Step 2 - Prepare the pumpkin for cooking Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap. Cut the pumpkin in half. A serrated knife and a sawing motion works best -
Step 3 - Scoop out the seeds...  And scrape the insides. You want to get out that stringy, dangly stuff that coats the inside surface. I find a heavy ice cream scoop works great for this. Note: SAVE THE SEEDS: The seeds can be used either to plant pumpkins next year, or roasted to eat this year!
Step 4 - Cooking the pumpkin Bake in Oven – Basically, you cut and scoop out the pumpkin as for the other methods, place it into a covered oven container, and bake at 350 F for 90 minutes or until soft.Add about 3 cups of water to help prevent it from drying out and pop it in an 350 F (200 C) oven. It normally takes about 45 minutes to an hour; just test it periodically by sticking it with a fork to see if it is soft!
Step 5 - Cook the pumpkin until soft
Step 6 - Scoop out the cooked pumpkin  Whether you cook the pumpkin on the stove, microwave, or even the oven, once it is cooked until it is soft, it is easy to scoop out the guts with a broad, smooth spoon, (such as a tablespoon). Use the spoon to gently lift and scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the skin. It should separate easily an in fairly large chucks, if the pumpkin is cooked enough.  Many times the skin or rind will simply lift off with your fingers (see the photo at left) . I'll bet you didn't realize making your own pumpkin glop... err, "puree" was this easy! Note: there are many varieties of pumpkin and some make better pies that other (due to sugar content, flavor, texture and water content. Drier, sweeter, fine-grained pies; the small (8" across) ones called "pie pumpkins" are best. Watery pumpkin? If your pumpkin puree has standing, free water, you may want to let it sit for 30 minutes and then pour off any free water. That will help prevent you pie from being too watery! Beyond, that, I have not found that the water makes a difference - I wouldn't be TOO concerned about it!  Step 7 - Puree the pumpkin  To get a nice, smooth consistency, I use a Pillsbury hand blender. By blending it, you give the pie a smooth, satiny texture; rather than the rough graininess that is typical of cooked squashes. A regular blender works, too (unless you made a few frozen daiquiris and drank them first..). Or a food processor or even just a hand mixer with time and patience. With the hand blender, it just takes 2 or 3 minutes! Another visitor says using a food mill, like a Foley Food Mill, with a fine screen, accomplishes the blending/pureeing very well, too!  Step 8 - Done with the pumpkin! The pumpkin is now cooked and ready for the pie recipe. Get the frozen daiquiris ( or Alley Kat Pumpkin Pi beer ) out from step 7 and take a break! :)  Note: You may freeze the puree or pie filling to use it later! Just use a freezer bag or other container to exclude as much air as possible. It should last a year or more in a deep freezer On the other hand, you may NOT "can" it:
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A number of breeds from the far north are collectively called spitz dogs. Spitz is German for “pointed,” in this case referring to a pointed muzzle. Other characteristics shared by spitz-type dogs are prick ears, a thick double coat, a bushy curled tail, and a robust and confident personality.
Huskies, Norwegian Elkhounds, Akitas, and Pomeranians are all spitz dogs. 
From my "page a day calendar" on dogs...
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| Need I say more 
but after the carpenter and my prep work no more bungy cords and wire
but new hinges, green paint and easily opening latch. 
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