Halloween is for pumpkins!

Happy Halloween internet!

So, after my rousing success with scones a few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to bake something else. Specifically, I wanted to try and bake a pie. And as it was almost Halloween, I wanted to bake a pumpkin pie. Conveniently, I wasn't able to make a pie until tonight, so this is an actual Halloween pie. Hooray being busy but it working out OK.

I used Paula Deen's pumpkin pie recipe, because really, when I am making pie, I want to make it as fattening, butter-y, creamy and Southern as possible, and I figured her recipe would be the best.

The only things I changed up were:

1. I used fat-free half and half, rather than half and half.

2. I used a smidge less butter

3. I used 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, because I had them out.

4. I only used half my filling, because all the reviews said it either made too much, or that it took almost 2 hours to set. I froze the rest, and I think it will make a good cookie base later.

Plus, I liked that this recipe called for cream cheese instead of evaporated milk. Evaporated milk REALLY creeps me out. I mean, if its evaporated, why is it.. liquid?? Why evaporate it at all? Why can't I just use milk? And why does it come in a can that makes me think its baby food? I really don't like it.

Anywho, I digress.

Before I even touched the cheese-y filling, I had to deal with the crust, which I figured would be easy, since it literally came in a box, and all I had to do was pre-bake it for ten minutes with some weight in it. However, in the true spirit of Halloween, I first was tricked. As you can see, I cannot pre-bake very well. My first attempt utterly died, cracked in half and wound up in the sink/becoming my dinner. As a side note, cream cheese on pie crust is pretty good.

Also, unlike the kitchen of all the food bloggers I read, my kitchen was horrifying tonight. Food bloggers always manage to measure out their ingredients into little glass ramekins, and never make any messes. This is what My kitchen looked like. No where near as awesome. I would blame it on Halloween, and say I was trying to scare you, but I wasn't. This is the fear level in my kitchen every time I cook anything. I think I have convinced the roommate that she needs to hide in her room/the library every time I cook.

Oh well. At least I got pie!