Pie oh My! (and a kitchen giveaway!)
(NOTE: Be sure to read all the way to the end for the giveaway!) When I first married Todd and we lived in a tiny apartment in Three Rivers, Michigan, I loved to putt around in our minuscule kitchen. The shiny new kitchen gadgets we’d received at our showers and for our wedding were a delight to me.
If you have read my book on hospitality, A Life That Says Welcome, you know I had about zero culinary skills when I began. To make matters worse, I married into a family full of people adept at interior decorating, sewing, baking, cooking and one who even ended up crafting a wildly successful bed and breakfast that was featured in Southern Living Magazine!
Well, I wanted to learn to be wildly successful in the kitchen too!
I started with pies.
Yes ma’am! I wanted to learn to whip me up a from-scratch crust, picked-the-fruit-up-at-a-southwestern-Michigan-roadside-stand, gen-u-ine perfect pie!
So I started with peach, since the fuzzy fruit was in peak season.
And folks, I took it waaaaay too seriously!
I stressed and obsessed.
I peeled and sliced, making sure all the slices were the same size.
I measured and sifted and rolled out the dough.
The result?
It was edible, but ugly.
Well, 24 years of practice has found me still making pies. (And it is true–practice does make perfect. Got myself three blue-ribbon rosettes from the Clinton County Fair to prove it!!!! Yes that is total bragging! But it was also to encourage you. If this Betty Crocker drop-out can learn to do it, anyone can!)
Seriously, pies are so versatile! They can break the ice with a new neighbor, say “I am praying for you” to a troubled family, “Thank you so much!” to the man who fixed your kitchen sink or “We are thrilled for you!” to the couple welcoming their first baby.
It has been a pie week around here. In our circle of friends pies were needed for two families who lost loved ones, one who welcomed baby number six, a dear grandpa of my son’s friend who ran him to baseball games at times we could not and we wanted to say thank you, a new friend who stayed home from work with a serious case of vertigo and couldn’t cook for her family, and yes, the friend who worked on the plumbing under my kitchen sink (uh…even thought that was many weeks ago and I’m just now getting him his promised peach pie. Sorry Doug!)
So, the total so far this week?
Seven and counting.
Now, while there are times I can make my blue-ribbon, flaky, from-scratch crust, let me just say, those roll-out refrigerated kinds work wonders too!!! And I did me some shortcut rolling this week to save time and my sanity.
Yes, I still love making pies. And I love the look on the faces of friends and strangers when I deliver one.
How about you? Will you set aside time this weekend to ask God who might be encouraged or cheered by a pie made from your sweet hands? Here are a few EASY recipes to get you started. (I’ll post the from scratch crust recipe here too for the brave.)
Easy Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
One box roll-out refrigerated pie crust
2 1/2 C. chopped, cooked chicken
1 C. sharp cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 bag Freshlike frozen vegetables for soup (don’t just use mixed vegetables, find one that has potatoes in it too)
Salt and pepper
Mix all but crust in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I use about 4 shakes of salt and 6-8 of pepper.) Roll out one crust in a pie pan, leaving the edges hanging over.
Place ingredients from bowl into crust. Roll out second crust on top. Use your fingers to crimp edges of both crusts tightly together to seal. (I like NOT to have them hang over the edge of pan, but instead push them in close to the pie so the edge of the pan still shows. This prevents the edges of the crust from burning.)
Seal well with Saran wrap. Add a note that says: “Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.” Note: if they’d like to freeze the pie for later, it will be all wrapped and ready. Just make sure they know to fully thaw it before baking or it won’t be done in an hour.
Fresh Peach Pie
(This recipe is taken from the 1963 Martha Dixon Cookbook. She was a local Lansing, Michigan TV personality whom my mother loved. Her cookbook was re-released in 1984 and my mom bought me a new copy for a bridal shower gift. It is now vintage with splashes and stains, the way a cookbook should be!!!)
5-6 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 C. sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter
One box roll-out refrigerator dough (or from-scratch recipe below)
Mix all but butter in a bowl. Turn into a crust-lined pie shell. Dot the top with butter. Cover with remaining edges. Crimp tightly, pushing toward pie and not leaving crust on the edge of the pan. (This prevents burning). Bake at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes until bubbly.
From-Scratch Crust:
2 cups unbleached flour
scant cup butter-flavored Crisco (about a teaspoon or two less than a cup)
1 teaspoon salt
6-8 tablespoons of water from melting ice (seriously–cold tap water will not work, so get out a bowl, fill it with ice and let it begin melting a while before you begin).
Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender (or two forks if you don’t have one) Stir water in lightly to form a ball. DO NOT HANDLE TOO MUCH! It will make the dough tough, not flaky. Divide in half and roll out on a well floured counter to make a circle just a bit bigger in diameter than your pie pan. Repeat with top crust. Follow recipe for your favorite pie.
Okay–now for the giveaway. Leave a comment from now til midnight PST Sunday on pie. What kind of pie you like. What pies you make. Why you have never, ever made a pie. A funny flop-of-a-pie story. What kind of pie your hubby likes. Anything! One random winner will be chosen to receive a copy of my book A Life That Says Welcome along with a Paula Deen Apple pie-scented candle and a gen-u-ine kitchen pastry blender.
Happy Baking!
I love baking. Pies are not my #1 thing to make but I do make them. My husband likes any and all pies that i make. My grandmother made the best apple pie and occassionally my husband says mine is right up there with hers. Thats enough said to keep me baking pies! A funny on myself about pie baking. I served my made-from-scratch banana cream pie to visiting friends one night. Something happend that kept the pie from getting thick. One of the guests, asked for a straw!! That was years ago and I’m still teased about it. Thank goodness, my cream pies are no longer runny!
Thanks Karen for the chance to win your book. Blessings
The only pie I ever make is Mr.s Smith’s Dutch apple pie. The house smells great when i’ts baking and my husband loves it a la mode. Thanks for your encouraging website!
Why does pie making sound oh so wonderful, I love to cook and am called “Chef Mamma” by my kids and I a so afraid to tackle pies!!!!! 3 of my kids and I went blueberry picking this summer and eneded up with 12lbs. of fresh blueberries, fat and juicy and they begged to be put in a pie shell and I froze
3 gallon size bags and we ate the rest. I am a chicken! I believe it is the crust issue, I have never tried one and can’t find prepared ones that don’t have red dye 40 or high fructose corn syrup so i don’t use them. What to do,peaches are great right now so do I dig in and go for it? We’ll see! Thanks for the great recipes!
The first time I tried to make pie crust from scratch I used my grandmother’s recipe which called for a “touch” of vinegar. Well, I ended up adding more like a splash of vinegar. The whole kitchen smelled like vinegar while this pie baked. Luckily, no one seemed to notice – well, they all ate the pie anyways!
I love most all pies, except pecan. Can’t stand pecan pie! That peach pie recipe looks awesome.
My very first attempt at making a pie was for a home ec assignment my sophomore year of high school. I was so proud of myself as I rolled and patted my crust out. I honestly don’t even remember what I filled the crust with but do remember the first bite into the crust. It was disgusting or as my 7 year old would say it…D-scusting! It took us a little bit of sleuthing to figure out what had gone wrong…I had forgotten to add the salt. Salt might not seem like an important ingredient but let me tell you it was. I honestly don’t think I have attempted to make a pie crust from scratch since then. Pillsbury does a fine job and I am happy to let them!
All pies are tasty,well most pies! ha!!! I have made a few pies in my time but my first pie really sticks out because I worked so hard on that pie and I was a teenager so I was a little ignorant but I did a good job and I gave this pie to my grandfather as a fathers day present.He cut the pie open and started laughing so hard! I was getting really upset and I grabbed the pie to see why he was making fun of me and do you know that I dropped the peeler that I peeled the apple with in the pie before I put the dough on top!My grandfather said “did you think I was gonna get arrested? It was supposed to be a file anyway not a peeler.” He just made me so mad.I laugh now!
Karen- just want to say I love your simple ways from cleaning to cooking. Enjoyed seeing you in Normal, IL last March. I do not make pies, however I love crisps. Not much of a pie crust person. I like the crumb-like crust in the crisp better.
I loved your article on pies! I’ve been cooking since I was nine (I’m now approaching 55!). A few years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, thus no wheat or other gluten!!!!! I’ve tried to make several types of pies–pumpkin, pecan, apple–but I haven’t found a great gluten-free homemade crust yet. Peach sounds sooooooooo good right now; maybe I should go try making a GF crust right now and make peach!!!
Bless and Highly Favored from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (:
Pies oh my! I love blueberry pie but have never made one. An easy pie that I do make and the family enjoys, especially in the hot summer is Lemonade Pie.
I love a good Key Lime Pie and my husband will do most anything for a Banana Cream Pie!!
I love several pies, but really make just one. I love fresh strawberry pie from Marie Calendars; French Silk pie from Bakers Square. I make pumpkin pie from scratch at Thanksgiving. My hubby is a big apple pie and banana cream pie fan.
Karen,
My favorite pie is lemon meringue! Yummy!
I love love loved your message from She Speaks, thank you! I am trying to fast from certain things and to instead feast on God’s Word. I’ve already memorized the verse I took from the cross that day and am working on the book of James too!
Blessings to you,
Andrea Fortenberry
I love to bake … cakes & brownies and a nice strawberry pie which is so simple..the on thing you bake is the pie crust…which oh yeah is in the package. I have never learned to make my onw crust but will try your reciepes they look great. We love chicken pot pie but I could never make it myself before … I will try now thank you so much! Oh and my husband loves apple pie and the only time he gets it is when we go out to dinner…so I am going to try and surprise him with a homemade apple pie of his own…can’t wait to see his face. The girls love chocolate so after I conqure the homemade crust my girls will be more than happy to help me with the fillings…can’t wait….thanks again!!!!
Thanks for your pie recipes — I can’t wait to try them. I am always looking for new recipes. :) I started making pies for my husband after we got married (14 years ago). His favorite is apple. My son is nine — he requests a pie for his birthday every year instead of birthday cake. My first pies were not very pretty, but I’ve had lots of practice and yes, totally bragging, I won first first prize in a pie bakeoff. It’s a fun way to serve my family and other loved ones . . . :)
Karen,
I am 54 and have never made a homemade pie. I have always thought that the crust would be to hard to handle. Your recipes sound great. May have to try my hand at my first pie.
I have made a cobbler – plenty of times. Peach is my favorite.
I love to cook, but baking is another story. Oh sure, I can handle the basic brownies, cookies and cakes. But pies, bread, anything more elaborate…forget it. Fortunately, I married a man who likes to experiment in the kitchen. He’ll bake bread, pie, and my new favorite, cheesecakes. It’s great to have a partner that fills in the gaps for my timidity in the kitchen!
Hi Karen,
Last summer my family and I picked a lot of marionberries, dark berries that resemble blackberries and grow in the NW. When we got home I not only decided to make a berry pie, but I decided to make the crust myself for the first time since my Grandma showed me how 25+ years ago. It was a stressful but successful process: the pie was beautiful! We decided to freeze it to eat in the fall or winter. After I placed it gently into the freezer I realized that I had forgotten to wash the berries before adding the sugar and baking the pie. I spent months worrying, fretting, dreading the day I’d finally have to serve the pie. I told my pie-woe story to anyone who would listen. This spring my husband had had enough of my pie-phobia so he bravely defrosted and ate the pie. He didn’t choke on sticks or gag on leaves! It was almost anticlimactic after all that worry. This summer I made and froze a raspberry pie. I washed the berries twice…..
I love to bake, cook, and create. Time is my only enemy in this department; however, since taking the plunge of faith to come back home, I hope to have more time for these special memories. I do intend on baking a pie this very weekend. We are going to either have pumpkin or buttermilk/sugar creme pie.
I remember many years ago when my oldest was four years old and we just gave birth to our youngest son, I decided to create our own lil family Thanksgiving tradition rather than get with the whole family. I took my hands to making a pumpkin pie garnished with maple (pie crust) leaves and vines. I was so nervous I would burn the maple leaves/vines but was pleased it turned out very pretty along with our Baked Tuxedo Turkey and other goodies. It was a very memorable Thanksgiving! I am so thankful that I stuck with it-all those hours-for my oldest still talks about that special day. Great Memories!
We are a pie loving family! My pie story … My husband taught me how to make pies when we were first married. I had never made one and only thought “Marie Callender’s” made them. :) JEFF showed me how to make from scratch crust and make great pies. It birthed our yearly “pie bake off,” when Jeff and I both make a pie and compete. :) Our friends and family judge the pies, and we give one the title of “prettiest” pie and one the title of “best tasting.” It’s a great family tradition. And … I love your book “A Life That Says Welcome” ~
Yummy! You have inspired me to make a peach pie this weekend. Can’t wait. I’m drooling already!
Hugs,
LeAnn
My mom and I get together for pie and coffee at least once a week..heck any pastry in a pinch! We have done this for quite some time…years, and we enjoy it alot. Mom was diagnosed w/ a life threatening illness earlier this year so those “sweet get togethers” mean the world to me. We talk about everything and anything and get a tasty treat all at the same time…what can be better than that? We love coconut and banana cream and pumpkin. But if we go to the store or out to eat, if a pie catches our eye (and our taste buds!) we’ll buy it to share over some coffee and chat.
i LOVE good, homemade lemon meringue pie!
I like to make pies. I usually make them with the store bought crust. My favorite pie is the French Silk pie from Baker’s Square restaurant, but my husband likes all kinds of fruit pies, so that is what I make.
In our family I make the crust and my loving husband who says his favorite pie is “pie with one crust and pie with 2 crusts”…he does love pie that much and our 6 yr old is following in that family tradition.
We love strawberry rhrbarb pie as after a long winter (we live in northern MN) when the rhubarb is in season we know winter is done for another year! Just have to remember to freeze some strawberries over the winter.
Tonight I’m making your fresh peach pie for the first time and some chicken pot pie (since I’ll have the pie crust made already)..yumm.
I am new to rolling cust but we continue on and keep at it as homemade dough is the best.
Cannot wait for Heart in MN. Happy pie baking.