GRANNY

By Terry Orr

For those that may have difficulty reading this:

Grandma’s Pie

Grannie made such beautiful pies!

One day, I asked her, “How do you get such beautiful pies with the crimps around the edge so even?”

“It’s a family secret” she said. “So promise not to tell.”

“I roll out the dough, then cut a bottom layer and carefully put it in the pie plate.  Then I slowly pour the filling, making sure it’s not too full. Next I cut a top layer and put it over the filling.”

“Finally, I take out my teeth and just run them around the edge of the pie crust and they make the nicest even impressions you ever did see.”

My ‘Granny’ was truly a compassionate, loving, and caring role model. A friend and source of many ‘tales’ and life lessons to guide her grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and impact their lives in a well grounded and positive manner.

While her methods of doing things might have seemed strange at times – the results were always a special treat.

Corn on the Cob – the water was to be boiling on the stove - before we could pick the ears off the stalk and clean the ears on way to the house.

Hamburger gravy – Saturday night would be hamburgers cooked in her old cast iron skillet.  The skillet was NOT cleaned when she was done.  It was covered for Sunday morning – when she would prepare her fantastic ‘hamburger gravy and biscuits’ for breakfast.

She had a good way of frustrating future baker’s trying to copy her recipe for Granny’s Chocolate Cake.  She never used measurements – just threw in what she thought would be enough – and only measured the boiling water – one cup!

 

Celebrating National Pie Championship

By Chef Diane

Pie

Pie

Me oh my

Nothing tastes sweet, wet, salty and dry

all at once o well it's pie

Apple!

Pumpkin!

Minced

an' wet bottom.

Come to your place everyday if you've got em'

Pie

Me o my

I love pie

This is a little song that was sung in the movie Michael, a movies with John Travolta, who played an angel whose job was to introduce two people for the purpose of falling in love.  The woman, was an aspiring song writer, and came up with this song while the group had stopped at a restaurant.  This little tune has always stuck in my head to be pulled out on days like today.

If you are a pie lover, and happen to be around Florida this weekend, you are in luck!  For the twelfth year in a row, the town of Celebration, Florida will become the Pie Capital of the World on April 27th and 28th, 2013 when thousands of pie lovers, tasters and bakers gather together the Great American Pie Festival sponsored by Crisco®. The highlight, as always, will be the Never-Ending Pie Buffet, featuring award-winning pie, ice cream, toppings, cheeses and beverages from some of our fine sponsors!

While it may be too late to enter a pie in the contest, its not to late to sample the many different types of pie, and even get ideas for your own pie at home.  The first place winner will bring home a $5,000.00 check for their efforts, not to shabby for baking a delicious pie.

If you are not fortunate enough to be in the Florida area, never fear, you can just stop by a local diner, and order up a slice of your favorite pie.

If you will be in the area, don’t miss this opportunity to check out the pie contests, and maybe even think about entering your own pie next year.  For more information, click here: http://www.piecouncil.org/2013AmateurRules

(All images from Google) 

National Pie Day - 2013

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By Chef Terry

What is a Pie?

According to Wikipedia:

A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients.

Pies are defined by their crusts. A filled pie (also single-crust or bottom-crust), has pastry lining the baking dish, and the filling is placed on top of the pastry, but left open. A top-crust pie, which may also be called a cobbler, has the filling in the bottom of the dish and the filling covered with a pastry or other covering before baking. A two-crust pie has the filling completely enclosed in the pastry shell. Flaky pastry is a typical kind of pastry used for pie crusts, but many things can be used, including baking powder biscuits, mashed potatoes, and crumbs.

Pies can be a variety of sizes, ranging from bite-size to ones designed for multiple servings.

How many kinds of Pies are there?

There is no clear answer to that question, though some folks/organization have attempted to that question.  They ranged from nine to a million to infinite number of possibilities.

What is the best estimate on when Pies were known to be eaten?

While Wikipedia and other resource indicate that date being around 9500 BC, Egyptian – but as we begin getting a better understanding of other cultures, Native Americans, for example, Pies may have been around much earlier.

What your favorite pie says about you?

by Ericka Lynn , posted Nov 25 2011 3:58PM

Apple	Wholesome and a bit middle of the road, playing it safe.
Banana Cream	An overachiever who just wants to relax and not be in charge.
Blueberry	Outdoorsy and determined.
Cherry	Oversweet, in need of tartness and passion.
Chocolate	Suave, seductive, strong, addictive.
Coconut Cream	Probably a man seeking an exotic-lite escape from reality.
Lemon	Bright, energetic and sharp-tongued.
Mincemeat	An Anglophile who watches Masterpiece Theater, listens to NPR and fantasizes about being in England, sipping port with pie.
Peach	A sun worshiper who's found sunshine on a pie plate.
Pecan	Simple in your tastes and seeking more sweetness in life.
Pumpkin	Attached to your past but comfy in your present.
Rhubarb	Old-fashioned (or a total hipster).
Sweet Potato	Family-oriented with a real sense of Southern hospitality.

(Written by Food Network's Gale Gand.)

What is your favorite(s) kind of pie?

Pies have been family favorites for decades and there numbers significant as well as excellent eating with good friends and kin folks. Unsure that I could just have one favorite pie myself – there are so many that are just plain good.  I am sure to say thank you each and every time and look forward to the next one.  Please do not forget that wonderful scoop of ice cream with you pie. Yum!!!

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References and Links:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,different_types_of_pies,FF.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pies,_tarts_and_flans

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-pies

http://www.roundamerica.com/pie-list.htm

http://www.the-top-tens.com/lists/best-pies.asp

http://www.bourbonandboots.com/top-ten-southern-pies-and-cobblers/

Pumpkin Pie Day

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By Chef Diane

I normally eat one piece of pumpkin pie a year, after Thanksgiving dinner.  However, this year was different.  My mother, who is not a fan of pumpkin pie, had one there for dinner, but my son, who had recently started a new job had to provide a dessert for his work's bi-weekly pot luck lunch the next day.  My mother offered the pumpkin pie, but when she went in to check the dessert table, other guests had already cut into the pie.  My mother, not to be deterred, wrapped up the remaining half and sent it off with my son, and I was left without my annual piece of pie.  5 weeks later, and I still miss that pie!!

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As luck would have it, today is National Pumpkin Pie day, so I have another chance this year to have a piece.  If your family serves it for Christmas dinner, then you are in luck.  Hopefully you still have some left over.  If not, here is a simple recipe to make one yourself from allrecipes.com, or you can head to your grocery's freezer and pick up a frozen one.

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Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Cooked, strained pumpkin(or canned)

2/3 cup Sugar

¼ cup Brown Sugar

1 1/2 cups Evaporated Skim Milk

3 Eggs

3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon Ginger

1 teaspoon    Grated Orange Peel

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 Unbaked Pie Shell

How to Make Traditional Pumpkin Pie:

1.         Preheat oven to 425 degree.

2.         Mix pumpkin, sugars, orange peel and spices in large bowl.

3.         Add evaporated milk and eggs.

4.         Mix all ingredients well

5.         Pour pumpkin filling into pie shell.

6.         Bake at 450 degrees for fifteen minutes.

7.         Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes more.

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