Pumpkin Pie Anyone?

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate the holiday.

I have a confession to make public. I don't like pumpkin pie. I don't like pumpkin anything, bread, muffins, etc. I don't like the taste of pumpkin, period. I know it's practically unAmerican to admit this, but there it is.

I married a man who likes the taste of pumpkin. A couple years into our marriage, I decided to find a compromise that we could both enjoy at Thanksgiving.

I made my version of pumpkin pie from a recipe I found in a magazine. It uses only 1/2 cup of pumpkin and has lots of other tasty things such as cool whip, chocolate chips and nuts. Rob liked it, too, so we're both happy.

When we lived in Maryland, my best friend, Sue, lived next door. One year her husband had to work on Thanksgiving, so we invited Sue to have dinner with us. I made the whole deal, turkey,stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, some veggie, hot rolls etc. Sue is from England, where they don't celebrate Thanksgiving the way we do and she had never had a big T-day dinner before. For dessert I offered her a piece of my pumpkin pie and she liked it.

A couple days later, Sue and her husband went into the city for a nice holiday lunch. When they were finished eating, the waitress told them that there was pumpkin pie for dessert. Sue said she'd like a piece. Her husband asked her if she was sure and she said yes, she'd had it before and liked it.

When the waitress set a piece of traditional pumpkin pie in front of her, Sue said, "What's that?" The waitress said, "It's pumpkin pie." Sue said, " No it's not. I've had pumpkin pie and it didn't look like that!"

Steve ate the pie and when they arrived home, he knocked on my door and asked me, "What did you serve Sue for dessert?" I brought him inside and gave him a piece of my pie. Then he understood. We've all laughed for years over the pumpkin pie incident. Sue and I both prefer my version. The men like both types.

For the last two or three years, I've made a traditional pie for Rob and he has eaten it by himself with a little help from the dogs. This year he requested my version and last night I made it. It's in the refrigerator now waiting for dinner this afternoon.

If anyone would like my pie recipe, leave a comment or drop me an e-mail and I'll send it on.