Pumpkin Pie

My husband grew up in West Virginia and I grew up in Texas. My family hadn't been east of the Mississippi since before the Mexican Revolution, which took place long before the Texas Revolution.

Despite the gap of centuries our families have so many things in common that it is hard to believe they aren't just extended branches of the same family. Since both families originated in the area along the border of Scotland and England being removed from there in the mid-sixteen hundreds to Ireland and from there to the New World we do both come from a small gene pool so maybe the likenesses aren't so unusual.

One thing we both learned as children was when a piece of apparently pumpkin pie was put before us never, ever say "Thank you for the pumpkin pie." We had a very good chance of being wrong.
If my mother served it then, most likely, it was pumpkin. If my grandmother or her sisters had baked it all you could be sure of was that it was pie and it would be good. My husband's family had a similar pattern. The thing is, the women in both families would use pumpkin if they had it. If they didn't, then sweet potatoes (sometimes called yams but most likely not) or any deep orange veggie, such as acorn squash, would do. One great-great aunt even served up a mean carrot pie.

Regardless of the base the recipe was the same. Simple, yet producing a good pie.

Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Acorn Squash or Carrot Pie.

1 ½ cups of well mashed pulp (or 1 can of pumpkin)
2/3 cups of sugar (1/3 brown, packed down and 1/3 white sugar)
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla (my family's secret ingredient)
1 can evaporated milk (to this day a pumpkin, or whatever, pie doesn't taste right to me unless evaporated milk is used.

Add ingredients in the order listed and mix well. Pour into pie crust and place on a cookie sheet in a 450º oven for ten minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325º and continue baking for about forty to fifty minutes. The pie is done when the center is firm to the touch or a clean knife comes out clean. Allow to cool for awhile