Healthy Tips – Pumpkins

References to pumpkins date back many centuries. Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes. University of Illinois Extension

The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.

This recipe is close to the famous classic pumpkin pie, but with less butter and skim milk instead of cream. The flavor is just as good as Grandma’s pie. Make your own crust or buy a frozen crust and allow it to thaw for a few minutes at room temperature.

One 9-inch unbaked pie shell 2 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 can (16 oz) solid pack pumpkin 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon grown cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine 1 cup skim milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, add filling ingredients in order given. Mix well with electric mixer or by hand. Pour into pie shell. Bake 15 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 45 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly and serve warm or chilled. Makes one 9-inch pie. University of Illinois Extension

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups pumpkin (pureed, cooked) 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 1/2 cups flour 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 teaspoons cinnamon