Yet Another Pumpkin Pie

Sometimes I stumble onto a new recipe without ever intending to or even noticing it right away.  This little dandy here is a direct result of poor planning.  I made a special trip to the market this morning to grab some pumpkin to feed my pumpkin craving.  I have been experiencing symptoms of withdrawal for over a week now.  I just can't get it off my mind.  And, I intended to just grab a small can to make some of my delicious Pumpkin Pancakes for dinner this week.  Well, I stood there with that little can in my hand, just starring at the big can that was next to it on the shelf.  And I asked myself, yes I talk to myself out loud, "Are the pancakes gonna be enough on their own?"  And then I answered myself right back, yes out loud again, "Nope, but a pie too will do the trick."  So I skipped my way home and started getting it all together.  I made my Tonya's Special Pie Crust, rolled it out, placed it in the pie dish and began grabbing my ingredients for the inside.  And that's when I realized that I did not have evaporated milk.  I had already opened the can of pumpkin and there was absolutely no turning back for me.  So, I considered condensed milk and no sugar.  Nope I thought, can't remember if that one was out loud or not, but 5 to none it probably was, I have done that before.  And the longer that I have been cooking, the less and less I like to use old tricks on new games.  So, I used some milk and changed around my spices.  And here you have it, yet another pumpkin pie from Tonya.

1- 15oz. can of pumpkin
2 eggs (that have stood at room temperature for about 20 minutes and are beaten well)
1 cup of milk (I used 2%)
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. of ground ginger
milk and a pinch of sugar for brushing on the crust to garnish
1 pie shell from my Tonya's Special Pie Crust recipe:  http://tonya-justcooking.blogspot.com/2010/11/tonyas-special-pie-crust.html

-Preheat your oven to 375*.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin, eggs and milk; set aside.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  Add this to the pumpkin mixture and stir well.  Pour this into your unbaked 9" pie crust.  Once you have shaped your edge to your liking (I re-rolled my dough trimmings and just used a cookie cutter that I found in my kids play kitchen to make little heart shaped cut outs to finish off my edges-just slightly press them into the crust to make sure they stick after being baked), brush the edges with milk and sprinkle well with some sugar.  Cut a medium-sized circle out of a large square of aluminum foil and place it over the pie (you want the inside of the pie exposed, but the edges covered).  Bake at 375* for 50 minutes, remove the foil cover and continue to bake for no more than 5 minutes or so more.  Remove from oven and let stand to cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.  Serve with a dollop of cool whip and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.  Serves 8.  Enjoy!