Have you ever wanted to try your hand at a recipe even though it could be faster to simply go to the store and buy it? With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I wanted to see if I could use the sugar pumpkin I had bought as part of my fall decorations. Like all things, made with love, the results were pretty amazing.

1 lb sugar pumpkin, washed and pierced with a knife
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs, beaten
1 c heavy whipping cream
1 ready-to-bake pie crust

Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the pumpkin on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven for 2 hours to roast. When the flesh of the pumpkin feels softened, remove from the oven to cool. Cut pumpkin in half and remove and discard the seeds. Remove the pumpkin flesh and place it in the bowl of your food processor.

Place the sugar, cinnamon, ginger powder, and cloves in a small bowl; mix together well. Add the sugar mixture to the processor along with the egg and cream. Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.

Put your ready-to-bake pie crust in a 9” deep dish pie tin. Pour the pie mixture into the shell.

For easy handling, place the pie on a rimmed sheet pan and put into the oven. Cover the edge of the crust with a piece of foil in order to keep it from getting too dark during cooking.

Cook at 425F for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350F and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes. Using a toothpick, poke the center of pie. If it comes out clean, the pie is done! Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before serving. After trying this recipe, I would recommend letting the pie set up over night. The pie firmed up nicely the longer it sat.

In my opinion, no pumpkin pie is complete without whipped cream. And whipped cream is so simple to make:

1 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 c powdered sugar

Using a hand mixer blend together the cream and sugar, in a medium sized bowl. Start slowly and gradually build the speed do not splash. Whip together until there are soft peaks, careful not to over whip as it will turn to butter. This process should take about 5 minutes.