Dee Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 Going along with Darlene's posts, how about making your own piecrusts. I used to make them with Crisco, but Betty (Betty Crocker) taught me how to make them with oil and, all of a sudden, it became so easy. Using the oil, it can be stirred right into the flour and none of that "cutting it into the flour". I've had a number of people tell me how good and flaky they are. When the kids were home, I made 6 at a time. They always needed something for bake sales or some such. I made them, put them each in a pie pan, in the freezer and froze. Once frozen I put a piece of waxed paper between each crust and stacked them in a box back into the freezer until I wanted one. Mine never lasted that long but I know they'll store for at least 3 months. With homemade you know there's nothing but flour, oil and water. I've never checked what's in store bought but I do know it's much cheaper to make your own. 4 Quote Link to comment
euphrasyne Posted April 10, 2022 Share Posted April 10, 2022 I usually use half butter, half crisco and crumb it in the mixer. I dont think I've tried oil. what is the ratio? Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 10, 2022 Author Share Posted April 10, 2022 (edited) For those of you wondering about my crust, here's the recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook. I got the book from the mother of a guy I was engaged to. She gave it to me for Christmas, with the sarcastic comment that if I thought I was going to marry her son I'd better learn to cook. Fortunately, we never made it to the altar.  However, I should be thankful to her as I've used it, with the man I did marry, for 55 years now. So, here's the recipe from Betty Crocker (circa 1965). I made the custard pie after getting home from church this morning. I timed myself from beginning to putting it in the oven and it took 18 minutes. Edited April 10, 2022 by Dee Spelling 1 5 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 Do I ever want custard now. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mother Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Doesn’t that look inviting? I’ve seen pictures of Dee’s pies before and they are always so beautiful I can almost taste them. 👍 3 Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Crap. It's 1:45 in the morning and I want need pie. I don't even have a Little Debbie in the house. Thanks a lot Dee. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Cricket Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Dee, will you post the custard part of the pie recipe? Pretty please? Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 Well, guess what! It's from the same Betty Crocker cookbook I mentioned earlier. It cracked me up reading the top of the page where it says, "Grandmother's pride.....now easy for the bride." Does that date this book or what? Anyway, here it is. I reduced the size, so if you can't read it let me know and I'll put the larger picture up. 2 Quote Link to comment
Annarchy Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 Dee, that looks like the old, old, book I have. Oh, you all don’t want me to pull out my 1900’s cook book…. Anyone know what a ‘cake of yeast” is. Lol Then, again…I might, if I have the time…. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mother Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 Why, yes, I do know what a cake of yeast is. Can you even buy it any longer? BTW, I love old cookbooks. 1 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) Red Star still sells cakes of yeast. The two-ounce cakes are equivalent to six tablespoons, and the new cubes of yeast are equivalent to an envelope apiece. The brown jar and a measuring spoon works better for me. Edited April 13, 2022 by Ambergris 1 Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 13, 2022 Author Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) I use the brown jar of powdered yeast too, Ambergris. I keep it in the freezer, and it seems to last forever. This morning I'm baking a rhubarb/mulberry pie. We have mulberry trees all over the building site of the farm. DH hates them because the birds love them and poop pinkish, purple all over the cars, etc. Every year he cuts down every tree he can find. It's so funny because he can never get them all and I always get plenty to freeze. It took me years to learn that you don't need to stem. The stem softens up while cooking and you never know they're there. What a great find because now I actually freeze bags of them, where I used to make only jelly since it was strained down to juice only. So, here's a picture of the mulberries with stems attached. If you are lucky enough to have mulberries, mainly because there's no work to growing them, give them a try. I think you'll like them. Edited April 13, 2022 by Dee 4 Quote Link to comment
Mother Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 Love, love, love Mulberries. 1 Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 14, 2022 Author Share Posted April 14, 2022 I do too Mother and the pie was delicious. I was glad to have a slice left to bring home to DH. He was too . 1 Quote Link to comment
SusanAnn Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 Oh it's been ages since I've eaten mulberries. When I was a little girl, many years ago, I went to a Convent Prep School and instead of a playground we used the Nuns garden which was a huge lawn with trees growing on it, in the middle of the lawn was a huge old mulberry tree, which was where I got my taste for mulberries from 3 Quote Link to comment
Mother Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 It is an unforgettable pleasant memory! We had a white mulberry in our yard when I was young…. They are fairly rare wild in our area but we are fortunate enough to have two. Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 14, 2022 Author Share Posted April 14, 2022 SusanAnn and Mother, I've never heard of a white mulberry tree. Sounds unique. Guess I'll look one up on Google! 1 Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 14, 2022 Author Share Posted April 14, 2022 Well, aren't those something. Maybe DH wouldn't mind the white poop on the cars so much! So, when you make a pie or jelly is it clear, white or what? I can't picture anything but the purple. Quote Link to comment
Mother Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 White mulberry berries are very pale purple. They do not stain as much are, to my mind, sweeter, and the birds don’t seem to be attracted to them as much. They do make a pale pie unless mixed with other fruit. Unfortunately, ours are pretty far into the timber and hard to get to unless walking. (read that as not wheelchair friendly) They are also, like so many of our wild fruits, closely guarded by mosquitoes. Bless grandson though. He sees we get at least a quart or so once a year. 2 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 This is a no-mulberry year. "Big" tree (about two inches thick in the trunk) died from grape-vine strangling and something else unidentified. Baby trees just...did nothing. I'm hoping it's just one of those years and nex year we get a bucketful. 3 Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 That's too bad Ambergris. Hopefully, some other fruit trees will do well and make up for the mulberry loss. 1 Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted April 16, 2022 Share Posted April 16, 2022 The citrus did well. The other fruit trees are too young to do anything. Quote Link to comment
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