If you like making things from scratch this recipe is for you. "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

• 1 whole fresh pie pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups sieved, cooked pumpkin
• 2-1/3 cups evaporated skim milk
• 1 ready-made pie crust

Preparing and cooking the pumpkin

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 - a smooth knife is more likely to slip and hurt you! If you use a regular Jack O' Lantern (larger) 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.

Using a spoon scrape out the seeds and stringy core. Remove the stem, and put the pumpkin into a microwaveable dish. You may need to cut the pumpkin further to make it fit. The fewer the number of pieces, the easier it will to scoop out the cooked pumpkin afterwards. Put a couple of inches of water in the bowl, cover it, and put in the microwave. Cook for 15 minutes on high, check to see if it is soft, then repeat in smaller increments of time until it is soft enough to scoop the innards out. Normally it takes 20 or 30 minutes in total.

Using a broad, smooth spoon, gently lift and scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the skin. If your pumpkin is watery (there should not be any free water), let it sit for 30 minutes and then pour off any free water. Puree the pumpkin, to get a nice, smooth consistency. With the hand blender, it just takes 2 or 3 minutes!

The pumpkin is now cooked and ready for the pie recipe. The pie mix may be frozen (NOT CANNED)for future use.

Making Your Pie Preheat your oven to 425°F. Mix all ingredients well using a hand blender or mixer. Pour the mixture into the pie crust up to about one quarter to one half inch from the very top.

Bake at 425°F for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350°F and bake another 45 to 60 minutes, until a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the pie Enjoy! Warm or chilled, with whipped cream , ice cream or nothing at all - it's great!

This recipe serves 6 people. Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 6 only.

Per serving: calories 510, fat 13.4g, 23% calories from fat, cholesterol 191mg, protein 18.5g, carbohydrates 84.3g, fiber 9.8g, sugar 59.8g, sodium 374mg, diet points 9.9.

Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.8, Vegetable: 2.3, Fruit: 0.0, Bread: 0.6, Lean meat: 0.8, Fat: 2.1, Sugar: 2.8, Very lean meat protein: 0.0

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