Every few years, I like to perform the public service of providing my mother’s pumpkin pie recipe, which is now known in the family as “my” pumpkin pie recipe. But I don’t mind taking false credit, since I’m pretty sure Mom got it from somebody else in the first place.

I took time from my busy work schedule and madcap whirl of social obligations this morning to make pies for our family gathering tomorrow, at an undisclosed location. The picture above is not those pies; it’s a picture I took of a long-departed pie pair from a bygone year. But they are enough, they will suffice; I did not make any notable innovations.

The thing about this recipe – WHICH IS REALLY SIMPLE – is that it produces a more nuanced pie. There are people out there, I understand, who like the traditional pies with their in-your-face, extreme, street-level pumpkin spice flavor. If you’re one of those, God bless you. Enjoy your gustatory shock.

But if you like things a little more gentle, here’s what you do:

1. Follow all the instructions on the can of pumpkin pie filling. All brands work equally well, in my experience.
2. Instead of the two eggs called for in the recipe, make it seven (7). YES! SEVEN EGGS! DEFY CONVENTION!
3. Pour the resulting mixture into two (2) deep dish pie crusts.
4. Bake as instructed.

What you get is two (2) delicately flavored, custardy pies.

Enjoy.

And if you think of it, pray for whatever long-dead lady in Kenyon, Minnesota Mom lifted this recipe from.