Jack-O-Lantern Custard Pie
by "Talzhemir"

Makes 2 9" pies and 1 Jack-O-Lantern.

1. CARVE A PUMPKIN.  Cut a hole in the top of a pumpkin.  Angle the knife 
so the lid will not fall in.  After you pull the stringy guts and seeds 
out of a pumpkin, use a large pointed spoon to scrape the inside.  It will 
come off in little shreds.  Use it all right away or freeze some for 
Thanksgiving time.  Thin the pumpkin wall to no less than 3/4".

2. PRESERVE AND DISPLAY THE PUMPKIN.  Cut out the face (or other design).  
Rub the cut areas with Fruit Fresh (citric acid preservative).  Take the 
pumpkin outside.  Spray the pumpkin, inside and out, with a mosquito 
repellant such as Deep Woods Off.  (If it is going to fertilize your 
vegetable garden later, however, do not use mosquito repellant, use Neem 
spray instead! or chop it up with a shovel and bury the pieces fairly 
soon.)

3. SPICE AND MICROWAVE THE SHREDS.  Start with 4 cups of fresh pumpkin 
shreds.  Add:
   1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  1/2 teaspoon salt
Cook in microwave in a glass bowl for 10 minutes at power 7 (70%).

4. ADD IN BUTTER AND SWEETENER.
   3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
  1/2 cup Splenda
   1 cup brown sugar
Cool the mix down by stirring (--you don't want it so hot it will cook the 
eggs instantly).  Set this bowl aside for now.

5. PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 degrees F.

6. BEAT EGGS.  In another bowl, beat until very foamy:
   8 eggs (2 1-cup cartons of cholesterol-removed Egg-Beaters)
   1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
   Optional:  2 Tablespoons Rum or 1/2 teaspoon Rum extract

7. COMBINE SPICED PUMPKIN AND EGGS.  Pour into two "deep dish" 9-inch pie 
crusts.  (Optionally, you could use a graham-cracker-and-butter crust but 
this recipe is rather rich as it is.)

8. COOK 60 MINUTES OR UNTIL CENTER HAS FIRMED.  Jiggle the rack just a 
little.  If the filling sloshes, it's not done yet.

9. LET COOL FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES.  Keep refrigerated if it isn't going 
to be eaten right away.

10. OPTIONAL:  PREPARE A STENCIL AND SPRINKLE POWDERED CINNAMON THROUGH 
THE STENCIL...or... TOP WITH COOL WHIP.
a 
fast Jack-o-Lantern 
pattern for pie stencil (or for simple jack-o-lantern carving

11. BONUS:  BAKE THE SEEDS.  (If you garden- pick out twenty seeds for 
next year.)  Rinse the seeds off.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Cover a 
baking sheet with foil.  Spray it with butter-flavored no-stick spray. 
Spread seeds in a layer 1 deep.  Sprinkle on salt.  Bake for 45 minutes or 
until golden-brown.


Happy Autumnal Equinox!