DZ #65: bake a pie from scratch & #48: cook a true thanksgiving dinner

DONE.

I may have had a LITTLE bit of help from sous chef little d. :)

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (see below)


• 3/4 cup white sugar


• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger


• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves


• 2 eggs


• 1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin


• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.


2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shells.


3. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

Pie Crust:

Two cups flour. Add in chopped, softened two sticks (1/2 c each stick). Add in 1/4 c water then continue adding water by 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is reached. Chop dough in half, spread out by rolling pin onto floured surface, place crust in pie plate. Repeat with other half of crust.

Cooking a true Thanksgiving meal for me means learning to do everything but the turkey... that's for boys to worry about, anyways :) So while my dad worked on the turkey I made, with a wonderful amount of help, homemade pumpkin pies (with acorns made of caramels+chocolate+sprinkles), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (see next recipe), corn, and green salad. And Mr. D took the part of looking super handsome post-workout. Seriously its not fair to the rest of us that he looks that good after running around for two hours while I look like death after a half marathon. Sorry for the serious red-eye.

Ellie Krieger's Sweet Potato Casserole With Meringue Topping

"My whole family oohs and aahs over this casserole because it looks so gorgeous with the poofed meringue peaks. I am always tickled that everyone requests it each year. And it has a third of the calories of your run-of the-mill sweet potato casserole." — Ellie, HOST OF HEALTHY APPETITE WITH ELLIE KRIEGER ON FOOD NETWORK

Prep time: 25 minutes 
Cook time: 60 minutes 

3½ lb sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
⅓ cup honey
1 large egg, slightly beaten
½ tsp each ground cinnamon and salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 large egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¼ cup superfine sugar

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Fill a large pot with 3 inches water; insert a large steamer basket into pot and top with sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil; cover pot and steam potatoes 14 to 16 minutes, until fork tender. 

2. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and cool slightly. Add honey, egg, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg to bowl. Mash with a potato masher or beat with a handheld electric mixer until mixture is smooth. Spread into prepared dish and bake 30 minutes or until potatoes are hot.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar 1 Tbsp at a time, beating for about 10 seconds between additions. Continue to beat 4 to 5 minutes until stiff peaks form and meringue is smooth and glossy.

4. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and place on a heat-proof surface. Using a spatula, swirl meringue over hot sweet potatoes to cover completely. Return baking dish to oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes longer or until meringue is set and lightly browned in spots. 

Makes 8 servings.