Friday, November 26, 2010

Pie Baker


The table is set with my grandfather's china.

Our American Thanksgiving is now a memory.
A very good memory.
Good friends and family sat around the table
for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
There was turkey, cornbread dressing, cranberry relish,
sweet potatoes, mash potatoes, gravy, brussel sprouts,
gingered carrots, fruit salad, homemade rolls, wine,
lovely tea, whip cream to top the pies, and
pumpkin, pecan, and mincemeat pies.
Everyone contributed to preparing the food,
which made it extra special.

I was asked for my pie recipes, but they are very simple
to find online.  I will say for the mincemeat, I always add a couple apples
to the pie.  Also, don't overcook the pecan.  My pecan was cooked
too long and though I loved the chewy nuts it wasn't as good as usual.
With leftover pie crust I roll it out, spread with butter, sprinkle with
a mixture of sugar and cinnamon, and bake until golden.  A very good
snack while you wait for the pies.

Here is my pie crust recipes, which I have used for many years and
comes from the Better Homes and Garden (red plaid) cookbook.
There are many editions of this cookbook and sometimes the recipe changes.
Mine comes from the one I received as a wedding gift many years ago.

Mix 2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt.
Blend into the flour mixture 2/3 cup shortening, until about pea size.
With a fork gently stir in 5-7 tablespoons of very cold water (I use 6 tablespoons)
With your hands gentle mix just enough to get it into a ball.
Divide in half and roll the bottom crust, add filling,
then if the pie requires a top crust roll the other crust and place on top.
Crimp edges, trim, and bake as required for particular pie.
The second crust could be frozen for another day or used for a second pie
if the top is not desired.

Enjoy and Make Pies,
from the Pie Baker

16 comments:

Adrienne said...

Dear Pie Baker -
Your pies look wonderful to this one who is trying to not indulge today! I'm so glad your Thanksgiving gathering was good - ours was, too. The little ones were fun to be with and on their best behavior - the olders did well, too. At least I think we did!
~Adrienne~

Jeanne said...

So happy you had such a wonderful meal.

Thanks for the recipes you share.
Love you
Jeanne♥

Laurie said...

We still make the cinnamon treats from the left over dough, it was always a special treat when Mom had these for us when we came home from school on pie baking day. She'd cut the dough in strips, butter, sprinkle, and roll them up. Oh I can smell and taste them just thinking of it! Glad your day was also so special!

La Tea Dah said...

Cosy and delicious --- it looks like it was a beautiful and JOYful day! Did Joey get any pie crust?

LaTeaDah

Unknown said...

Sounds like you had a great Holiday dinner. Since my wife has her Grandmothers dishes and my grandmothers dishes and she collects dishes, I have become an admirer of table settings. And yours is beautiful. I do believe we have the same glasses, that means we both have great taste.

koralee said...

Oh my goodness..your pies look amazing....Pumpkin for me! xoxoxoo

Weekend hugs

Jeanie said...

Oh, you pie-baker you! The photo looks so good! I don't think I've ever had mincemeat, but pecan -- yum! Th anks for sharing your crust -- making pies has never been my baking specialty and usually it's the crust. This looks good and easy!

Your table is gorgeous. Don't you love using the family china? Brings them to the table.

Steph said...

Thank you, and we loved being with you!

beth said...

WOW.....yum !

i have never made a pie.....ever. is that bad ?

Donna and Miss Spenser said...

Your pies looked amazing!! Love that you used your grandfather's china...oh so special!! Donna

Annie Jeffries said...

I had to read that again - my grandfather's china. How unexpected. I'm betting there is a story tucked away in there.

krys kirkpatrick said...

I live for pumpkin! We had 14 overnight guests...still recovering.

Time Traveling in Costume said...

And here I thought I wouldn't want any more pie, and now I'm craving pie.
Val

Rhonda Roo said...

Happy belated Turkey Day! Your pies look delicious! I especially like the one with the butterfly in the middle-adorable!

We had pumpkin cheesecake this year, which was pretty good. I made pumpkin pie for Halloween, and the boys requested something different but with pumpkin. For Christmas I'll be attempting a red velvet cheesecake--yummmm!

Right now i am working on turkey brunswick stew -and decorating up a storm! yippee!

Have a lovely week!
Rhonda Roo

somepinkflowers said...

lovely!



:-)


this
i do know ---->the (red plaid) cookbook!

hahahahhaaaa....

what a nice thing to think on
----->the (red plaid) cookbook

Angela McRae said...

I cannot make a decent pie crust to save my life, so I will have to give yours a try!