Get Me a Hat with a Buckle and Call Me a Pilgrim!

Guess who got her Pilgrim on last weekend?
Oh yes.
Your's Truly!

CuppaPilgrim Fact: Pilgrims eat olives.

First up, I got my craft on with the lovely EMJ the other night - at her Crafts and Crap evening.
Thankfully, with a name like that, Masters of Disasters are totally allowed.
Because usually when I craft, it ends up pretty crappy.

But, with the pressure off.
My crap turn out pretty freaking awesome.

I whipped up a journal for April of The Gingerbread Blog's Journal Swap (on it's way to you Steph!!)

And then I helped Ellen whip up this beauty of a thankful journal....for someone yet to be named....

I got rolling on a friendship bracelet.
Okay...maybe my skillz aren't exceptional in friendship bracelet world.
My 4-knots need a little work.
Especially on the blue row.
Let's just not bring up, okay?

And my favorite project, the fall garland.
I chose colors that were both fall-ish.
And match my living room.
Mission Accomplished.

So yes, handmade goods - very pilgrimy.
Don't you think?

But wait.
I'm about to take it to another level.

I made pumpkin pie.

Oh.
Just keep waiting.

Wait.
For.
It.

From these babies.

Yep. You can give me that buckle hat and cornucopia now.

While those suckers roasted, I whipped up my homemade crust.
I have been baking pumpkin pies since my Aunt gave me this crust recipe when I was around 8 years old.
But I always make them with canned pumpkin.
I didn't even know you could make a pie from actual pumpkins (I thought they needed to go to some crazy processing plant or something!

Do you love my recipe box and cards?
Back when I was 8, my mom gave them to me - since she wasn't using them.
Retro chic.

Then I cooled. Scooped. And pureed.

Before I went to EMJ's on Friday night, I whipped up THIS homemade pumpkin pie spice to add to a batch of Pumpkin Fluff (so good).

I told you, I'm straight Pilgrim these days.

I wasn't on a cruise. I was on the freaking Mayflower. Then growing some maize.

I used the TJ's recipe sticker that came on the pumpkin.

1 1/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree (each pumpkin made just exactly that)
1 Container of Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 1/3 cup)
1 Cup of Hot Water
1 Egg

and I spunked it up with 1 1/2 teaspoons of my own spice!

Bake at 375* for 55 minutes.

And voila!
Pumpkin pies from sc-rizz-atch.!!!

Not exactly the most pumpkiny colored pies.
Who needs Red 75 and Yellow 23 anyway.

It was very tasty.
OF COURSE!

Have I mentioned I'm not a perfectionist?
Rough edged crusts are my signature technique.
You should try it sometime.
It's very freeing.

You know what else you should try?
A slice of this pie.
The crack down the center gives it character.

DUH-LISH-US.