Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving Pies - memories of Mom

One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions - baking pies! I can remember my mom filling the kitchen with pie dough and all the yummy ingredients. My mom made the best pies!



The ingredients for successful pie-making, fresh apples, pecans, red tart cherries, pumpkin, evaporated milk and a holiday drink from Starbucks :-) She never had the Starbucks but you have to modify traditions to fit your own family - right?

Mom's cherry pie recipe. She always used the Minute Tapioca recipe with almond extract. Not the prettiest pie, but I bet it is yummy! I use the prepared pie crusts but crimp the edges between my fingers the way she taught me. She always cut the ( ) in the center of the top crust with the dashes down the middle. Hers usually looked better than this one - guess I need practice. I'm sure my brother Bill would say so- his favorite pie and he ALWAYS got the piece with the cherry pit in it- there is always one!

I don't remember my mom ever making a pecan pie - I'm sure she must have since the driveway was lined with pecan trees. I use Betty Crocker's recipe for mine.

Pumpkin pie - wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it! It doesn't show in the photo but Mom always used a knife to check the center of the pie so there was a telltale 'slit' in the center. I do it the same way .

French Apple Pie - another Betty Crocker recipe. Mom usually made a two crust apple pie but my family likes the crumb topping. I don't know what makes it French but the topping is not just a crumb topping that is 'sprinkled' on. It is packed on top and some settles down into the pie. I am not a big apple pie fan, but this one is so good served warm with some vanilla ice cream!

What are your Thanksgiving baking memories?

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