Introduction to Allergies: Cinnamon

I know, I know, I just created my intro post and I'm already on a new one. OMG! I'm not going to create a blog with the intention of saying things without actually having something to say straight out!


Recently I've gotten *really* into baking. Two of my good friends helped me slaughter a bunch of leftover pumpkins from a Samhain party (Halloween) and showed me how to cook with them. They hated to see them go to waste, but already had 9 lbs of pumpkin in their fridge & freezer. I was skeptical of using huge pumpkins for cooking, but with the right ingredients and a little know-how, they add a good touch to breads and muffins. The pies weren't spectacular -- my mom's homemade pies using out-of-the-can pumpkin are too good, in my opinion, to try to out-do. I made 4 pies straight out of the box. I don't have a ton of room, nor an electric mixer, so I cheated and used store-bought pie crust. Everything else I did myself. Well, with the help of my boyfriend at times.

After making the first two pies I found out one of my friends is allergic to cinnamon. Either that or she just reacts badly to it. Anyway, after consulting with my mom, we came up with a spice mix that made apparently a pretty darn good pie and had no cinnamon in it. I brought it with to a gathering of friends and ended up with one slice for myself to take back home and try. It was even still warm when I brought it to everyone. That's the only reason I didn't try any earlier, I like my pumpkin pie cold. Unfortunately that one was eaten by my roommate the next morning before I woke up! They all apparently loved it. I asked what I should to do make it better and they couldn't tell me. Let me tell you how much THAT helped my self esteem!!!
I'm addicted to scouring the internet for recipes, so unfortunately I don't remember exactly where I got the basic recipe, but it was similar to what my mom's been using for years. What I finally made was the following:

Cinnamon-Free Pumpkin Pie
- 1 cup sugar (2 cups if using the huge jack-o-lantern pumpkins)
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups pumpkin
- 18 oz. evaporated nonfat milk

Mix all ingredients. Pour into crust, filling as deep as desired.
Bake @ 425 F. for 15 minutes. Turn down to 350 F. for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

I might try making this again with a can of store-bought pumpkin. My roommate's hosting a mid-winter feast at our place this weekend. This experience did teach me one thing, at least. I'm not scared of trying to use fresh pie pumpkins in my baking next year.