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WILKES-BARRE — Certainly you can buy a pumpkin pie at your favorite supermarket, but if you agree that holidays are a time for tradition, why not bake a dessert the way your grandmother used to? Rolling pin and all.

Buying the ingredients and baking at home probably won’t save you any money compared to purchasing the finished product, but think of the pride you can take in telling Thanksgiving guests you made it yourself. Plus, you can’t beat the spicy fragrance that permeates your home when a pumpkin pie is in the oven.

For a recent baking adventure, I used the two-pie recipe that came with a 29-ounce can of Shurfine pumpkin.

It is very easy to mix: 4 slightly beaten eggs, the 29-ounce can of pumpkin, 1 ½ cups of sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves and 2 cans (12 ounces each) evaporated milk in a bowl.

Stir those the ingredients together in the order given, pour the mix into two unbaked pie shells and bake them for 15 minutes at 425 degrees followed by 45 minutes at 350. You’ll know it’s done when you insert a knife in the center and it comes out clean.

Now about those pie shells. You could buy ready-made ones.

Or you could embrace the spirit of your ancestors and add 2/3 cup of butter to 2 cups of flour and a pinch of salt. You can cut the butter into pieces with a hand held pastry blender or, if you don’t have one, use two knives. When the flour-coated butter begins to resemble coarse crumbs, add 4 to 5 tablespoons of water and knead it a little by hand to form a ball of dough.

Using half the ball of dough for the first pie crust, dust it with flour. Also dust your rolling pin with flour and the flat surface on which you’ll be rolling it out. Then roll away, adding more flour to any and all implements if the dough or the rolling pin or the flat surface become too sticky. Roll the dough into a circle big enough to cover the inside of your pie plate. Then use the second half of the dough for the other crust which will go into a second plate and make another pie.

Mix your pumpkin filling, pour it into the waiting plates and bake, savoring the smell of the spices as your first reward. (Eating the pie and hearing compliments ideally will be the second and third rewards of your efforts.)

By the way, I added a half teaspoon of nutmeg to the array of spices that went into the pie, just because other pumpkin pie recipes have called for it. Guess I was in a spicy mood.

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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-013.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">Ingredients for the pumpkin pie included canned pumpkin plus sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk and spices. The crust was made with flour, butter, water, a pinch of salt and, of course, love.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-013.jpgIngredients for the pumpkin pie included canned pumpkin plus sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk and spices. The crust was made with flour, butter, water, a pinch of salt and, of course, love. Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader</div>
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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-014.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can cut butter into pieces with two knives. The idea is to mix it with the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.</div>
</div>
<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-014.jpgIf you don’t have a pastry blender, you can cut butter into pieces with two knives. The idea is to mix it with the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader</div>
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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-018.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">With my trusty rolling pin, I rolled out half the pie dough to make a crust for the first of two pies.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-018.jpgWith my trusty rolling pin, I rolled out half the pie dough to make a crust for the first of two pies. Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader</div>
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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-019.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">Then I fit the crust into the first pie plate. In the background is the second crust, almost completely rolled out.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-019.jpgThen I fit the crust into the first pie plate. In the background is the second crust, almost completely rolled out. Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader</div>
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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-016.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">The pumpkin, evaporated milk and other filling ingredients are mixed in a mixing bowl.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-016.jpgThe pumpkin, evaporated milk and other filling ingredients are mixed in a mixing bowl. Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader</div>
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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-020.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">The filling gets poured into the crust.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-020.jpgThe filling gets poured into the crust. Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader</div>
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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-021.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">Then it bakes in the oven until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-021.jpgThen it bakes in the oven until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader</div>
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<img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-022.jpg" />
<div class="neCaption">Ta-da! The pie is finished.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-022.jpgTa-da! The pie is finished. Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader</div>
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<strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong>

mbiebel@www.timesleader.com

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<strong>What you’ll need:</strong>

4 slightly beaten eggs

29-ounce can of pumpkin

1 ½ cups of sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

2 cans (12 ounces each) evaporated milk

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Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT

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Making a pumpkin pie with a homemade, from-scratch crust