My easy pumpkin pie, all dressed up for Halloween/ Credit: AJC

Stop! Don’t discard that pumpkin you just scooped from your jack-o’-lantern. Fresh pumpkin tastes terrific in pies and cakes and is easy to use if you have a blender or food processor.

Make sure the pumpkin is free of seeds and stringy pulp, chop it into chunks, then puree it until smooth with a food processor. Once the pulp is smooth, cook it, stirring often, over low heat until the moisture in it is almost evaporated and the color has darkened (1 cup of pumpkin will take about 30 minutes to cook). Now you can use it in a recipe that calls for cooked, mashed pumpkin, like the pie, below.

Very Easy Pumpkin Pie

8 servings

Hands on: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Make it even easier on yourself — especially if you’re like me and crunched for time: Use a pre-made pie crust for this super-easy classic, inspired by the one on the Libby’s can, and you’ll have pie in no time. Use the directions above for making your own mashed pumpkin, or substitute canned. I decorated my pie with bats cut and baked from leftover pie crust and sprinkled with orange-and-black sprinkles. Top the pie with a little whipped cream and a candy pumpkin, if desired.

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin, or 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin)

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in medium bowl. Beat eggs lightly in small bowl and whisk them into the sugar mixture. Add the pumpkin and evaporated milk and combine well. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees to brown the crust, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the center of the pie appears firm and doesn’t jiggle when moved.

Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Freezing is not recommended.

Now, what to do with all those seeds:

Remove them from the pulp as much as possible, then place in a colander and rinse until the remaining pulp loosens and can be discarded. Spread the seeds on a towel or parchment paper and let them dry (about an hour, or overnight if desired). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the seeds are dry, spread them on a shallow baking pan (they can be seasoned with a little melted butter and salt, if desired) and bake until toasted and browned, about 10 minutes.

They are ready for eating, or can be used in recipes such as Healthy Pumpkin Nut Mix: 2 cups pumpkin seeds, 2 cups toasted whole almonds, 1 (6-ounce) bag dried fruit (we like Welch’s berry medley of blueberries, cherries, cranberries and golden raisins). Toss it all with 2 tablespoons melted butter and a sprinkle of Adobo seasoning or salt.