pie.

this weekend i went to visit my family (that will be another series of posts altogether) out in missouri.  my mom's entire side of the family lives out there, her sisters and their families, my gaga, everyone.  they didn't know i was coming and it was so cool to surprise them with a visit!  i hadn't been out there in a year and a half, and it was time to visit for a happy reason.

my gaga is such a good cook.  she's the queen of comfort food.  i could always count on there being some sort of sweet treat at her house; i love her gingersnaps, snickerdoodles, pies, just thinking about it makes me hungry.  she can do some good beef brisket too, but i guess that will be a lesson for another day.  i made a post about firsts, my first pie.  i wasn't exactly a miserable failure, but i certainly wasn't pleased with the results, so i asked gaga to give me a lesson in cherry pie.

she taught me first how to thicken the cherries to make my own pie filling, adding what i decided was the secret ingredient to it to make it absolutely perfect.  i had made a shortening crust before, and she taught me how to make an oil crust, so much easier to work with, and how to roll it out so it doesn't give you fits.  she showed me how to make designs in the crust that are not only functional but add a little flair to an otherwise typical pie, how to pinch the crust so it looks good and the filling won't ooze out.  all in all, it was piemaking 101.


do you  know that was one of the best pies i've ever had?  my uncle said it tasted just like a gaga pie, which was good.  it was his birthday pie and he loved it.  i was so proud.  he even called my dad to tell him how great it was.  making that pie was one of the best parts of the trip because not only did i learn something, it was so neat to bond with my gaga and learn her tricks.  one of my favorite things about families are the traditions and skills we pass down, and i'm very thankful i learned the secrets.

i can't wait to make another one.  the way it went over i have a feeling it won't be long before i do.