Made with Love

I am of the belief that pies should be "just like grandma made". No fuss just true homemade goodness. I think making a pie crust seems really hard to many and so they never try. It so shouldn't be. Try it a few times and you'll be a pro in no time. My great-grandma is such an amazing baker..actually an amazing woman! She is in her mid 90's and still lives on her own. She has acres among acres. Her and my great grandfather had planted a huge vegetable garden and many fruit trees. My great grandfather has since passed(at the age of 99 might I add) but my great grandma still keeps the homestead goin'! My best memories are of her whipping together a pie when we stopped by after she made us a huge dinner. My favorite are her blackberry pies..mmmmm. I love that she has made everything for so long that she never once looks at a recipe. She never stops moving. Even in her 90's she still wants to make breakfast. lunch and dinner for you. And I am not talking some cereal or a Bologna sandwich...no way...I am talking homemade waffles and fresh boysenberry sauce and then a few hours later what I would consider a dinner she makes a huge roast or something along those lines. And you can't tell her your not hungry. I always plan on wearing my comfy pants when I am there:) So the point of this blog is to emphasize the importance of plain and simple rustic homemade pies. Keep the tradition alive. Below is my Award Winning Apple Pie Recipe. So simple but so good.

Apple Pie
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 medium green apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2 TBS. butter
Dash of salt

Directions:
1. Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and apples together. Place pie crust in pie plate(see crust recipe). Add mixture of apples to the pie crust. Dot with butter and then add top pie crust.
2. Slit top and cover sides with foil.
3. Bake @ 425 for 40-50 minutes.

9" Pie Pastry Crust
2/3 c. shortening, plus 2 TBS.
2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
5 TBS cold water

Directions:
1. Cut shortening into flour.
2. Add salt and water.
3. Shape into a ball and chill.
4. Once chilled roll out to fit 9" pie pan. Enough for top and bottom crust.