Seriously, it's just what the cookbook calls "plain pastry", and there are only three ingredients other than water: flour, salt, and shortening.
I've been making it since childhood, so of course it seems simple to me, but I suppose if I was 40 and deciding whether to try doing this (relatively boring) thing for the first time, those pre-made crusts in the grocery store would look pretty attractive.
Meanwhile, across town, my DIL was enjoying her own "foodie" tradition, roasting the turkey with butter/herbs under the skin... delicious as always.
Her mother brought the mashed potatoes and gravy. DIL also tried a new recipe for cranberry sauce that included the berries, and it was wonderful! Tasted like cherry pie filling, only cranberry flavored... the texture was mindful of a cherry pie.
So it went, we have so many blessings, the greatest of which is being together! If I remember rightly, the roots of Thanksgiving were gratitude for surviving a Winter in a new land.
After the meal, the dogs helped with the cleanup. They brought their energy and chaos into the house while we put on Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol on the TV. I brought Ember home after dark (remember dark starts at 5 p.m. these days). We can add to my thankfulness that she did not get carsick either going or coming, and that she was well enough belted in so as not to reach the pies in transit! LOL!
DIL is discovering the joys of parenthood and how something has to make room for the extra things one does with a child in the house. She decided she did not need to save the turkey carcass to make soup stock for the coming Winter. Guess what? It's one of those "nice if you have the time and energy" things... she did so much with the cranberries from scratch, and the turkey roasting... that's enough for one holiday.
Ember is quietly napping in her crate this cold Friday morning, while I'm updating the blog. I expect she won't complain much about me deferring her leash walk until later in the day when it gets above the freezing mark. It was 17F when I got up.
Hope everyone who celebrates had a fine Holiday... and that we are all a little more appreciative of all the good in our lives because of it!
Life is good. Spark on!
Sounds like your Thanksgiving was filled with blessings for which to be grateful.
ReplyDeleteWhile I stake my claim as a good baker, pie crust is not included in the claim. My MIL said that I "worked" it too much. It came from years of kneading bread dough. She made the very best pie crust!
A compliment from the grand is worthy of bragging rights, no matter the food source, or made it. ☺️
The weather forecast for a light dusting of snow overnight has now transformed into a winter weather advisory. *Sigh.*
Stay warm. Stay safe. 🤗💖
I know I've had a few "flops" over the years, and overworking the pie dough is among the lessons learned young. I only ever made bread from scratch when I was PG with my son... and on a NO SALT regimen. I cried when the Dr. put me on it, and I learned to make a no-salt version of bread that year.
DeleteAgree about those compliments from grands... to be prized and appreciated whenever received!
We got a little dusting of snow yesterday afternoon, but not enough to measure.
Oh I cannot eat pie (the crust anyhow) now but used to make tons of pies w/my paternal grandmother. She was a wonderful baker. Always used lard for her pie crusts! They never failed. And for sure, make many things my Grandma used to make (and my parents) and it is as if they are there w/me. Comforting, indeed.
ReplyDeleteThat’s how I learned to make the turkey, too. Always butter under the skin and seasonings. Of course, I do season the top of the turkey, too. So good.
I always make my cranberries w/fresh cranberries and like the texture of the intact cranberries. Mom always had the canned jellied cranberries, and was always careful to make sure the can imprint was intact. LOL Makes me smile.
Awww. Glad the boy approved! Good lad.
OMG, I haven’t seen Mr. Magoos Christmas Carol in ages. What a delight!
Glad the car ride went well for Ember and you! Awesome.
Yup . . . definitely have to pick and choose your priorities when you’re the parent of a youngster! Well learned, DIL!
Sounds like a wonderful holiday. Beautiful.
Hugs
Barb
1cd
My older sister is on gluten free, so makes her pumpkin pie crustless. This was the first time I had ever had the cranberry sauce with the berries intact... worth the wait for a recipe my DIL approved! Looking forward to Christmas and her cranberry tart, which is a project and a half, and a work of art. And yes, when I was a kid, having those rings from the can imprint was important for the jellied cranberry sauce... it helped measure the slices! LOL!
DeleteGlad you and your DH had a good holiday just as you needed, and geesh! What your Clara has been through with the multiple Covid episodes! Hope your dental "adventure" gets to completion soon and you don't have to worry about it any more!
It sounds like such a good day for all! So glad the pups wore each other out and that Ember did not have carsickness. :D
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty decent at baking, but pie crusts not so much. My mom didn't really teach me to cook; she gave it a tiny try, but think she didn't have the patience and I never really was her cup of tea. Of course, I had the mandatory one year of Home Ec, but really taught myself as an adult through trial and error, cook books, and cooking shows.
These days I'm pretty pooped after prepping a holiday meal. So, I just wrap up the carcass or hambone really well and throw it in the freezer. Then some other day when I'm not pooped I pull it out and make the stock/soup/hambone soup.
So glad you all had a wonderful time.
I figure our moms did the best they could with the circumstances and the kids they were given... being human, they have their limitations and preferences, and as we become adults and in many cases only when we become parents ourselves do we come to realize, accept, and if necessary, forgive our moms for things that bothered us when we were younger.
DeleteTossing things in the freezer and dealing with them later sounds like something I would do. I think many of us do some things "ONCE" and never again... with me, it was the year I boiled down the pumpkin flesh from the gourd. It took two days, if I recall correctly, and while it was the best pumpkin pie I'd ever made... the can from the store is "good enough".
Hope you recover from your own holiday efforts... both pups were pretty good dogs today, tired from their Thursday ramblings!
Oooh, a cranberry tart. I will be interested in that as we are cranberry people. I make bread like you do pie. With my eyes closed (I need both hands). I produced 4 loaves, then 28 cinnamon rolls. My shoulder is complaining from mixing. There is no mechanical instrument in my baking except me!
ReplyDeleteI sounds as though you've all fit in to each other's lives nicely.
I'm smiling over your final comment... yes, the two-generation grouping got us through the pandemic, and DIL and her mom have skills that I lack, and I make sure I let them know how much I appreciate the work they put in!
DeleteOMG, they went to a family wedding in Texas in early November and ended up doing the manual labor of setting up the venue (as guests). These ladies are just that organized, talented, and generous!
I hope you are able to give your shoulder a rest from all that mixing... I don't have mechanical instruments in my pie-making, either! All hands and hand tools!