Happy Thanksgiving

Farmers’ markets, cozy coffee shops, and your last chance to enjoy some of your favourite attractions make Calgary the perfect place for a long weekend adventure. Be thankful for time with friends and family and discover all the great things to see and do this Thanksgiving long weekend in Calgary.   Here are a few ideas for fun activities to do with your family and friends this holiday.

• Harvest Pumpkin Hunts at Butterfield Acres -Weekends in October.
• Fall Fest at Kayben Farms – Weekends in October.
• Pumpkin Festival at Calgary Farmyard – Weekends starting October 5.
• Thanksgiving Weekend at Heritage Park – October 12-14.
• Backstage Pass Tours at Studio Bell – October 13.
• Calgary Farmers Market Pie off – October 10 & 11
• Saskatchewan Roughriders at Calgary Stampeders (CFL) - October 11
• Saskatoon Blades at Calgary Hitmen (WHL) – October 14

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Recipe

• Cook time: 1 hour
• Yield: Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 cups pumpkin pulp purée from a sugar pumpkin* OR 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin purée (can also use puréed cooked butternut squash)
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream or one 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
• 1 good crust

METHOD

1 Preheat your oven to 425°F.

2 Beat eggs, mix in sugars, salt, spices, lemon zest: Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the brown sugar, white sugar, salt, spices—cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, cardamom, and lemon zest.

3 Add pumpkin and cream: Mix in the pumpkin purée. Stir in the cream. Beat together until everything is well mixed.

4 Pour into pie shell and bake: Pour the filling into an uncooked chilled or frozen pie shell. Bake at a high temperature of 425°F for 15 minutes.

Then after 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350°F. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes more. The pie is done when a knife tip inserted in the center comes out wet but relatively clean. The center should be just barely jiggly.

(About half-way through the baking, you may want to put foil around the edges or use a pie protector to keep the crust from getting too browned.)

 5 Cool on a rack: Cool the pumpkin pie on a wire rack for 2 hours. Note that the pumpkin pie will come out of the oven all puffed up (from the leavening of the eggs), and will deflate as it cools.