Tasty pumpkin pie

[blue_jay]

• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 (15oz) can pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
• Probably other spices would work too.
• 2 frozen pie crusts (the recipe called for 1, but the above made too much.)

Mix ingredients in roughly the above order, then pour into pie crusts. Preheat oven to 425, cook for 15 minutes, lower temperature to 350, bake for 40-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean (which for us was around an hour and a half...). Let cool to room temperature. Apparently freezing the pie will make it separate, but you'll want to finish it in 1 sitting anyway. Top with whipped cream if you want; we forgot. The top comes out caramelized, and not looking like any pumpkin pie I've seen, but it was delicious. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures.

I also had no idea cranberry sauce was so easy to make: 1 cup water; 1 cup sugar, 4 cups == 12 oz cranberries, spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc. Boil to dissolve the sugar, then add cranberries and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce gels, then let cool. Remember to save some for when the guests arrive.