My Grandmother and Her Famous Pillsbury Bake-Off Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie

This is my grandmother, Frances Naontah Douglass, whom my daughter, Ashley Naontah was named after....she was a very inspiring, crafy, chef, visionary woman.   She won Honoray Mention (I was always under the impression that she won it)  at the first ever Pillsbury Bake-Off for her Pecan Praline Pumpkin Pie.

She won a trip to NY and stay at the Waldorf Astoria and was interviewed by Art Linkletter, and a full set of new kitchen appliances.  I find it very amusing and making sense to me why all my 3 sisters and myself are 'craft and do-it yourself, cooks, canners, decorators, gardeners, etc., when I see this photo of her kitchen walls decorated w/covers of Gourmet magazine....It all makes total sense to me now, why I find the need when I see something seemingly useless..that I want to save and make something out of, or how I can read a recipe, but just HAVE to add that one ingredient I think it needs....funny how your heritage all starts to make sense of how you became the person you are :)
You can find her recipe for Pecan Parline Pumpkin Pie here:  www.apresfete.blogspot.com, my neices blog.