From Pumpkin To Pie

First get a couple of small sugar pumpkins.

Pop off the stems and whack 'em in half.

Scrape out the seeds. Don't worry too much about the stringy stuff, it's hard to get out when the pumpkin's raw, but easy after it's cooked.

Put on a jelly roll pan, or a cookie sheet with raised edges, that has been sprayed with Pam and bake at 400° for about an hour. (I know the oven's gross, but heat sterilizes and I'm allergic to oven cleaner.)

These are a little overdone, but not bad. Let them set until they're just cool enough to handle.

Then gently scrape out the stringy stuff you didn't worry about earlier. Trim off any burned parts.

Flip the pumpkin over and peel off the skin.

Tah-dah! Chunks o' pumpkin.

It's easier to process if you do it while it's still warm. This was refrigerated over night, so it's lost a little color and is more cohesive than warm pumpkin.

If, at any point, you find stringy stuff or bits of skin in the pumpkin, pull it out. Puree in a food processor until nice and smooth, then it's ready to use in the recipe of your choice.

Pumpkin Pie! The crust and filling are made and ready to put together.

Roll out the pie crust.

Pour in the filling and bake.

Cool the pies.

Now comes the best part... Eat the pie.

True, this is pretty much a repeat of my 10-21-2008 blog post, but it has photos to prove it really works.