Mother’s Pumpkin Pie

My grandmother was originally from the small bootheel town of Cooter, Missouri. “Mother,” as I called her (apparently I’d heard my mom call her this when I was little, so I started calling her this too), was a great cook and I loved just about everything she made, including fried okra, “country spaghetti,” and her special pumpkin pie. Most of her dishes weren’t too complicated but had a little something extra that elevated them: bacon grease, almond extract, an extra egg; and in the case of the pumpkin pie, it was a cup of butter. Even people who don’t particularly like pumpkin pie seem to like Mother’s pumpkin pie.

To me, Mother’s pumpkin pie is a reminder that sometimes just one extra ingredient can make something go from good to great. And, not everything has to be complicated to be great. Also, everything is better with butter… (and bacon, but there is no bacon in this recipe).

When I moved to Washington, DC, after college, my mom, MJ, gave me a book of family recipes. Of course, Mother’s pumpkin pie was included and I made it for a Friendsgiving dinner. I’ve been making it ever since, and now my daughters and I make Mother’s pumpkin pie together each Thanksgiving. Here’s a downloadable copy of the recipe, in case you’d like to try it for yourself. 

Happy Thanksgiving,

Mindy Mazur