Memories...16º

Measuring the flour for pie crust on Wednesday, I double the amount to 4 cups, sliced up two cubes of butter and added that on top of the flour, along with 1 1/2 tsp. salt...I hit the start button on the, 14 cup, cuisinart, then pulsed it a few times...Then I measured out two scoops of soft lard (approximately 2/3 of a cup) and added it to the mix, pulsed a few times...I dumped all of this into my extra large, yellow tupperware bowl, added about 1/2 cup of ice water and stirred with a fork and then with my hands, squeezing butter/lard/flour into one large chunk of dough...Divided it into 5 equal pieces and shaped into discs...I used two for the cherry pie and usually I would freeze the others for another time, but in the back of my mind, I had another use for pie crust.

Many years ago, when our kids were toddlers+, during the summers in Utah, Herb was always ready and willing to go on forest fires...While he worked, we had a mini vacation, we had no set schedule, eat, sleep, play, in whatever order we wanted...I took full advantage of this in the cooking department...A tiny drive-in cafe only a block from our house was a favorite place for burgers, fries and milkshakes...$2.00 bought our dinner...Mac and cheese made from a box, might appear on our table, as well as frozen pot pies, cooked for about 1 hour and turned out on a plate, the first bite guaranteed to burn ones tongue, it happens every time.

Yesterday morning with pie crust, leftover pot roast and lots of fresh veggies in the fridge, I had a brilliant idea...Home made pot pies, simple...I had slept late that morning, but stuck to my routine of shoveling the snow off the deck, one more time, before I started dicing and slicing, potatoes, carrots (from last summers garden) celery, onions, red pepper and beef...I simmered the veggies in broth, to cook, before adding the beef and gravy...I left this in the pan, put on the back porch in a snow bank to cool, showered, dressed and made it to water therapy on time!

Back home at 2pm, we usually eat about 3pm, I turned the oven to preheat, rolled dough, lined small pyrex bowls with the dough, added the veggie and meat mixture, covered with a small piece of crust and "popped" them into a 400º oven, baked for 30 minutes and reduced heat for 15 more minutes...Yes we still burned our tongue, did they taste as good as the ones that I bought 50 years ago, 3 for $1.00?..Not really, it was a lot of work and sort of anti-climatic, maybe because I was exhausted...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Pot pie tumbled onto a plate, I

forgot the before photo.

Cienna brightened my day with a

chat and sunset photo.