Thanksgiving Pies

The year I turned eleven, my mom let me make the pies for Thanksgiving dinner, for the first time...

The year I turned eleven, my mom let me make the pies for Thanksgiving dinner, for the first time...I was so excited, this would show her how grown up I was now.

First off, I would need to make a list of ingredients. That meant going through mom's tattered cookbook. Turning to the Pie section, I read each and every recipe, practically drooling onto the cookbook's pages. Apple Pie would be a good seasonal pick, but did I want a two crust pie or a crumb top? Maybe a Sour Cream Apple Pie? They all sounded so good! Finally, I decided on a Dutch Apple Pie. I continued on to the “B” section, Blueberry was good, but not in season. Banana Cream seemed more like a summer pie to me. And so I went through the alphabetized pie section of the cookbook. Cherry, Chocolate Cream, Lemon Meringue, Pecan, Peach, Raspberry, and Strawberry were all considered and rejected. No, it was Thanksgiving, after all, the other pie had to be a pumpkin. There was still a pumpkin left over from Halloween, no need to buy canned pumpkin.

My finished list included: Flour and shortening for the crust, Granny Smith Apples, sugar, canned milk, ginger, allspice, cloves (I didn't need cinnamon or nutmeg, mom already had them). I perused the grocery store ads, to find the ingredients at the best price. I would show mom I could be thrifty, too.

Dad drove me to the grocery store. Using my list, I carefully checked each item off as I placed it in the shopping cart. At the check-out, the total came to within 24 cents of what I had estimated. Dad gave me the money, and I paid the bill.

I would need to bake my pumpkin first. Having seen mom bake squash, I tried putting the pumpkin right into the oven, but it was too big. Using a serrated knife, I cut the pumpkin in two, then decided I needed to remove the seeds. I cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces, then placed them on a baking sheet, and put them into the oven. I kept checking to see if the pumpkin was tender, poking it with a fork. It took just over an hour to bake. When cool, I scooped the flesh out, and then, since it seemed a bit too hard, I put it in the blender. Now the flesh looked watery and not at all orange, more a yellow color. I put the pumpkin puree in the refrigerator until the next day.

The day before Thanksgiving, I assembled my ingredients along with bowls, mixing spoons, measuring cups and spoons, paring knife, and pie pans.

Perfect Pie Crust

1 ¼ Cups Flour

1/3 Cup Shortening

¼ teaspoon Salt

4 to 5 Tablespoons Cold Water

But this would only make a single pie crust, and I was making two single crust pies. Oh, the notes say to make a double crust, add 1 more cup of flour, ½ teaspoon more salt, double the shortening and cold water.

The instructions said to combine flour and salt, then use a pastry blender to cut in the shortening until pea-sized. What is a pastry blender? I didn't want to ask mom. Cut in the shortening, I guess I could use scissors. So using scissors, I tried cutting the shortening. It didn't look like peas to me, but I finally gave up. What's next? Sprinkle with water, a Tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork. That sounded easy enough. Mix until all the flour is moistened, but don't mix too long or the crust will be hard, then form into a ball. I was having trouble, the flour didn't want to all moisten. I was worried that I was mixing too long. There was no ball forming! Roll out on a floured surface. I tried rolling it out, but it was just a cracked, floury mess. I was covered in flour, and so was the kitchen. I finally got something that looked somewhat like a crust and put into the pie pans.

Dutch Apple Pie

Filling:

8 Cups Sliced Apples

¼ Cup Flour

½ Cup Sugar

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon Nutmeg

Topping:

½ Cup Butter

1 Cup Flour

2/3 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Sugar

I peeled and sliced the apples, then placed them in a bowl. When I went to toss them with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of flour, I noticed that they had turned brown. I wondered if they were they still OK to use, but put them in one of the prepared pie crusts anyway. When I got to the topping, it said to use a pastry cutter again, I decided to mix it with my fingers, but everything stuck to them. I couldn't seem to get the guck off! I eventually got the topping dumped onto the apples, then used a whole roll of paper towel trying to clean up. I put my pie into the oven to bake, put the temperature to 400 degrees and set the timer for 45 minutes. The timer went off, but the pie didn't seem done, so I put it back into the oven and went off to watch a little TV.

Beep, beep, beep...beep, beep, beep...it was the fire alarm! Grabbing a chair, I removed the fire alarm from the ceiling and turned it off. That is when I noticed the smoke rolling out of the oven. Pulling the pie out, I burned my fingers. The filling was running over, and the edges were burnt. I ran around opening windows then attacked the mess in the oven.

I still had the Pumpkin Pie to make. So I reluctantly started.

Grandma Marg's Pumpkin Pie

1 ½ Cups Pumpkin

1 Egg

1Cup Canned Milk

1Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Flour

¼ teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Cloves

1/8 teaspoon Ginger

1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon Allspice

½ teaspoon Salt

This wasn't too hard, but it sure looked pretty runny. I poured the mixture into the waiting pie crust and popped it into the oven. Relief poured over me at the thought that I was almost done with the pie making. I set the oven temperature to 450 degrees and timer for 20 minutes. When the timer went off, I turned the heat down to 350 degrees and reset the timer for one hour. The timer went off, but the fire alarm didn't this time. I opened the oven to a still runny pie with a burnt crust. A tear rolled down my cheek. I had so wanted to show mom and dad how grown up I was, but my pies looked terrible.

I went to work cleaning up the kitchen, washing dishes, and sweeping the flour from the floor. Finished, I looked at my ugly pies and tossed them in the garbage. I took the garbage out, then ran upstairs to change my clothes. I retrieved my piggy bank from its place on the shelf and emptied it out. I had been saving up to buy the new Beatles album, but this was an emergency.

The aroma coming from the bakery was marvelous. The glass cases held cakes, cookies, donuts, and pies, the most beautiful pies I had ever seen! Selecting a Dutch Apple Pie and a traditional Pumpkin Pie, I still had enough money for a yummy chocolate chip cookie. I paid the cashier, then carried the boxes home. At home, I discarded the boxes, making sure they were well hidden in the garbage can outside, setting the pies on the counter.

Mom and Dad never knew that I bought the pies. Everyone raved about how good they were, but I just couldn't tell them the truth. The following year, Mom asked if I wanted to make the pies again, but I turned her down, saying I had too much homework. It would be years before I would attempt to make a pie again.

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© 2017 Wendy Seames Garner

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Tegon Maus

I love this one Wendy ! Nothing I like better than a good recipe... I love to cook ! The first time I cooked for my parents I made eggs pouched in orange juice. Unfortunately all I had was concentrate... not my best dish. I enjoyed your story very much.