Deep (and true, IMHO) thought from Garrison Keillor two weeks ago: "Pumpkin pie is the essence of mediocrity. The very best pumpkin pie you ever tasted is practically indistinguishable from the very worst pumpkin pie you ever tasted."

respectfully disagree with you, Bob. I don't think there are many (if any) pies that I don't like. And, pumpkin is certainly in the top 5.

As you said, though, it's an opinion thing.

I'm with Joyce. We make 40+ pumpkin pies a year (serving size for my 21 year old son = one!). He and we can tell the difference when the spices start to get stale, when the eggs are not fresh, and when we cheap out on the crust.

I love punkin' pie, and if you'd rather buy than bake, call in an order to Weber's Cider Mill Farm in Parkville. Pricey, but really delicious.

Captcha is "Attendance mars." REElly??

When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmmm, boy. -- Jack Handy

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/wab/pie/

and of course ... andie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNcZwbxPmDg

(I'm up at 330am what do you want?)

My favorite pie-related Weebl and Bob episode is this one:

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/wab/art

Captch: Grier waldo

Unless it something personal can you tell us why you can't facebook?

Nothing personal. It has to do with anonymity issues, getting tagged in other people's photos, etc. etc. And I guess the personal part was when I asked my daughter if she thought I should FB and Twitter, she said, 'Only if you want to spend even more time on the computer. FB is a time suck.' The phrase stuck with me. EL

@ Bob - Hmmm. I dunno about that.

I like my pumpkin pie filling to have less 'jello' texture, if you know what I mean. And just about every commercial (read: buy and bake) pie I have ever had is more gel-like and less smooth and creamy with structure.

Maybe I'm just the type to quibbles about mediocre pie. Who knows...

**Listening to the 'captcha' phonetics is hilarious...

Not that I want to give this place more business because it will be even more of a clusterf...riend than it already is, but Bi*Rite in Gardenville had tons of pumpkin in cans when I was there 2 weeks ago.

Just sayin'.

So did the Giant this morning. :-) EL

I was at 2 stores this morning, Safeway and Giant, and both had plenty of canned pumpkin. As soon as any industry cries a "shortage", there go the prices...

Pumpkin Pie is ok, but would anyone opt for it over Pecan? I don't think so.

I'd opt for pumpkin pie over pecan pie. I know, that makes me a heretic. I don't like sticky desserts like pecan pie, baklava (sp?), etc.

Pumpkin pie wouldn't be my first choice, either. I'd rather have apple, blueberry, or cherry.

Captcha: Chapel daintily

Mince pie, people, mince pie for Thanksgiving! You've got that bland turkey (unless you tart it up with sauerkraut or salsa). You want a bland pie too?

Professor, are you talking about real mince pies made with suet, or some PETA approved version made with shortening?

Yeah what are those things? Haven't had one since childhood.

Net result captcha thing: I really hate commenting. What a pain

Professor, I was at my local Giant this afternoon, browsing through the bakery department, when I overheard one person (presumably the department manager) say to another "I only ordered one mince pie. Nobody buys them except older people." I guess you have to be over 50 or so to realize and appreciate that not all pies must be sweet.

My grandmother made several pumpkin and mince pies to feed 20-plus people every year, but somehow I never liked minced meat--even Grandmother's. I did love seeing pies all over her bedroom dressers, though!

Real mince is amazing. Bad mince (which is most of it) is really bad.

I'll always have a soft spot for pecan pie, though.

most artificial? That nearly makes sense...

Right on, Maggi! A good custard pie filling, which includes pumpkin, is delicate and might even lean a little when a slice is lifted out of the plate. That's why it's delectable.

Prof. McI, you're SO right, but few people appreciate mincemeat; most everybody in my circle would rather eat nails than mincemeat, poor souls. My Other Half and I love it so much that I found a wonderful apple-based recipe on-line to make my own. (If you'd like it, ask EL to email me. It's not difficult, but the prep work is labor-intensive.)

Captcha: Lobo," brundage. Hmm....