Pumpkin, we meet again.

So I cheated this year. I bought my entire Thanksgiving dinner. After several years of ripping turkey guts out, I just couldn't do it this time. So thank you, Whole Foods, for the lovely dinner. If anyone is curious for future reference -- it was super tasty, not much more than paying for all the cooking accouterments, and only took a little bit of time and a few pots to heat everything up. Highly recommended. And hey, it's a free-range turkey, so you can at least know your turkey lived a decent life!

So I didn't feel like a total fraud, I decided to whip up some pumpkin pies. With real pumpkin! And what a disaster! Ha ha! As I was making them, I realized how long they had to cook, which overlapped with turkey heat-up time, so I started to get a little flustered, thus starting my pumpkin downfall. First, a handy tip.

HANDY TIP! So I've made pumpkin all different ways. Each method has gotten a little bit easier. And now, my friends, I have super triple easy pumpkin flesh-getting method! Microwave it! Here is the recipe I followed for my pie, and included is the new super easy getting method: real pumpkin pie. Pros: Wow! Easy! Cons: I actually kind of like the process of simmering my pumpkin flesh, watching it slowly turn into something useable. Yes, I am a nerd. But hey! I like to chop! And simmer!

Okay, back to the mess. So I have two pie crusts, stuff for two pies. I mix everything up, put one in the oven... And realize I've forgotten to put the evaporated milk in!!! So I have to pull it out (luckily I realized right away) and dump the goo into a bowl for remixing. What does this mean? I have to use the other crust for pumpkin number 1! Sheesh.

The result: The pie turned out pretty well. It definitely looked homemade :) I would definitely use this recipe again, although I think I'd put a little more sugar in. It could have used a touch more sweet. And I remembered to buy whipped cream, so Brad was happy.

On a final, unrelated note, I finally did some crafting this weekend. As I've mentioned, I've gotten a ton of family photos, from both sides, this past year, and I want to scrap them into one big book. Layouts done: 1. Go me! This one is a two-page layout of my grandma Choppy. On the beach. In her bikini, which is how I choose to always remember her. *The text reads "Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini."