Pumpkin Maple Pie with Fresh Pumpkin

You wanted more pumpkin and we heard you! This delicious take on a traditional pumpkin pie comes to us from Real Life. She has a great Mom Blog with lots of frugal tips and a Christian perspective. Check her out!

1 unbaked single pie crust
1/2 cu sugar
1/3 maple syrup
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 lg eggs
1 cu evaporated milk
1 (15oz) can pumpkin or 2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin**


Place pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate, coated with cooking spray. Beat sugar and next 5 ingredients at medium speed until well-blended. Add milk and pumpkin. Beat well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. (Do not remove pie from oven) Bake an additional 50 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

Tips & Tricks: Want a home-made pie crust look without all that work?
I love Pillsbury refrigerated roll out pie crust. You can use your own decorative pie dish and decorate it any way you want. The easiest way to decorate the crust edge is to fold the extra under, and press a fork around the rim.

**How to cook with fresh pumpkin:
This is super easy, and, in my opinion, always tastes better than canned pumpkin. You can use it in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin.

* Cut a medium sized pie pumpkin in half sideways (not up-and-down)
* Place the halves open-side down on a baking sheet
* Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until the "meat is easily scraped out and mashed
* Scrape the pumpkin out with a spoon into a bowl, then mash with a potato masher. If you need a super fine texture, such as for soup, blend in a food processor.