Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

This is great grandma Lois's recipe, and it's dad's absolute favorite pumpkin pie in the world! (Mine, too - but the way he goes on about it you'd think it was his grandma's recipe.) We love it with a homemade graham cracker crust, which is super easy to make.

It doesn't require an oven (except for the pie crust), just a stovetop and a double boiler.

Ingredients

3 Eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1 Cup Sugar
1 1/4 Cup Pureed Pumpkin
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Ginger
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbsp Unflavored Gelatin
1/4 Cup Water
1 Graham Cracker Pie Shell

Directions

1. Heat water in the bottom of a double boiler until boiling. In a mixer, beat egg yolk plus 1/2 cup sugar til thick. Add pumpkin, milk, salt and spices and mix together. Transfer this mixture to the top of a double boiler and cook until thick.

2. Soften gelatin in the 1/4 cup of cold water for five minutes. Stir into hot mixture.

3. In the mixer, beat egg whites until stiff, then add 1/2 cup sugar. Add to double boiler and mix.

4. Pour into pie shell and chill for at least three hours. Serve with whipped cream.

Butternut Squash Pie

Oh, how I've been DYING to spot that first butternut squash so I could make this pie!

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Butternut Squash, cooked
1 Cup Brown Sugar, lightly packed
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Egg, beaten
1 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Pinch Allspice
1 Pinch Cloves
1 Pinch Ginger
1 Pinch Nutmeg
1 Pie Shell (we're partial to graham cracker crusts around here)

Directions

1. Throw all of the ingredients, minus the pie shell, of course, into a blender and blend. Pour the blended mixture into the pie shell.

2. Bake between 350 & 400 (my oven runs on the cool side so it's closer to 400 for me, but if your oven is not ancient, 350 will probably be fine for you) for about an hour or until a knife comes clean out of the center.

Serve with whipped cream, yummy!

Mom Tip

To prepare the squash, first cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place in a shallow baking pan (I use a jelly roll pan) flesh side down and add some water to the pan. Bake in the oven at about 400 for about an hour, until a fork pierces the flesh easily. Once the squash is cooled, you can easily scoop the flesh from the rind.