Pfeiffer's Perfect Pie Crust

Uncle Jan's mother is an expert pie maker. Her secret is in her crust recipe. She graciously gave my dad her recipe years ago. He claims there is no better pie crust recipe in the world, and I agree! The secret to a great crust is to not over work the dough. Keep that in mind if you decide to take on this scrumptious crust.

PERFECT PIE CRUST

3 C flour
1 1/2 C of shortening
1 1/2 t of salt
1 1/2 eggs
1/3 C water
1 1/2 T cider vinegar

Combine flour and salt in large mixing bowl. Cut shortening into flour mix until it is just mixed and has a coarse texture, like cornmeal. Add the eggs, water and vinegar. Blend the wet ingredients into the mix until it is just mixed. Put your hands into the dough to finish meshing all the ingredients together. Divide the dough in half. Roll out half of the dough onto a lightly floured surface. It should be about a quarter of an inch thick. Fold the rolled out dough in half, pick it up and place it in the bottom of a pie dish. Lightly press the dough into the sides of the pie dish. Trim the dough making sure to leave about an inch of excess dough around the edges. Fill the dish with the pie filling you prepared ahead of time. If you desire a top crust, roll out the other half of the dough, fold it and place it atop the pie. Trim excess dough off the sides and seal the edges. Put little slits with a knife in the top of the pie for ventilation. Sprinkle sugar over the pie. Wrap the pie loosely with foil making a tent to prevent the crust from getting too crispy. Bake according to pie recipe instructions, making sure to remove the foil tent the last 10 minutes of the bake time. P.S. Sometimes we save the extra dough and cut it into decorative shapes to bake atop the pie.

Dad's Cherry Pie

This ain't your momma's cherry pie, it's my daddy's! Gramma MAS and Dad had an ongoing battle on who made the best cherry pie. For the record, they both made a scrumptious pastry but my Dad's is out-of-this-world good! Why is it sooooo yummy you ask? Well, it doesn't taste like the regular, super tart, thick gel stuff inside of it cherry pie. This recipe is one of a kind. I actually do not like any other cherry pie, but Dad's is what a true cherry pie tastes like. If you venture to try this recipe it is very important you buy the right brand of ingredients.... no cheating!

DAD'S CHERRY PIE
2 cans of Oregon brand pitted pie cherries
1/3 C of cherry juice, reserved from the can
1/4 t salt
1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 C sugar
1 T butter, softened
2 1/2 T tapioca
1/4 t almond extract
1/2 t red food coloring

Open the cans of cherries and drain a third of the juice into a mixing bowl. Drain the rest of the juice into the sink. Combine all the above ingredients into the mixing bowl containing the cherry juice. Let the cherries sit while you prepare the crust. After the crust is prepared, rolled out, placed in the pie dish, trimmed and ready pour the cherries on top of the bottom crust in the dish. Place the top section of the crust over the cherries and seal the edges with a fork or your fingers. Slice a few venting areas in the top of the pie with a knife. Sprinkle a bit of sugar over the top of the pie. Wrap foil over the top of the pie and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 minutes. Open the oven and remove the foil layer. Bake for another 10 minutes until the crust has a golden brown glow. Remove from oven, when done, and let sit before serving.

Gramma MAS Snack

We called her Gramma MAS. Why did we call her that? Other than her initials being MAS, Mary Alice Smith, I really haven't the slightest idea! She was an amazing cook and homemaker, one of the best I'd say. She loved having her grandkids over and she often whipped this simple snack together for us after long hours of running around her house and yard. I make this snack for my babies now and every time I lay it out on a dish I think of my witty, talented, smiling Gramma MAS.

GRAMMA MAS SNACK

2 apples, cored and sliced
Ritz or Wheat Thin crackers
Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced into cracker sized pieces

On a large serving plate arrange apple slices, crackers, and cheese. Serve.

Milano Salad

My great grandparents migrated from Italy to America at the turn of the century. They brought a vivid love of gardening and vegetables from their homeland. This simple green salad is refreshing and lite in a way that only true Italians would know.

MILANO SALAD

Core ingredients:
1 head of leaf lettuce (red or green)
tomatoes, cut up into desired size
cucumber, peeled and sliced
bell pepper, cored and chopped
celery, cleaned and chopped
2 T light olive oil
1-2 lemons, cut in half and ready to squeeze
1 t Lawry's seasoning salt
1/4 t garlic salt
1/4 t lemon pepper

Optional ingredients:
avocado, pitted and chopped
1 can of black olives, drained
mushrooms, sliced
carrots, sliced
any other type of lettuce
cheese, cubed
anything else you'd like to add to your salad

Cut lettuce into salad sized pieces. Add all other vegetables. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle salts and pepper over salad. Squeeze the lemons juice into a small strainer that is atop the salad. Toss the salad, coating all of the vegetables. Taste. Adjust seasonings according to your taste then serve immediately.

250 Dollar Cookies

I'm sure most people have a version of this recipe. The story is that some lady asked how much it was to purchase the recipe for the cookies sold at a fancy department store's bakery. The baker quoted her a price of two fifty so she bought the recipe. When she received her credit card statement the charge for the recipe was not $2.50 but $250.00. She was outraged and tried to get her money back but the department store refused her request. In retaliation this woman made copies of the recipe and sent it out to everyone she knew. My friend Samantha gave this recipe to me while we were at Ricks College. It is still one of my favorite cookie recipes. Thanks lady who got mad and sent this recipe out, I have enjoyed it immensely.

$250 COOKIES

1 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 C flour
2 C regular oats
1 1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
4 oz. chocolate bar, grated
1 C chocolate chips
1 C walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour oats into a blender and blend to achieve a finer texture. Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla to creamed mix. In a separate bowl combine oats, flour, salt, soda, powder and stir. Slowly add the flour mix to the cream mix. Stir well until blended. Add chips, grated chocolate, and nuts. Stir well. Roll dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet that was coated with non-stick spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges and top are golden brown.

Chicken a la Creme

When my mom was a hair dresser she coaxed many of her clients into revealing their top secret recipes. This is Evangeline Russell's most prized dinner recipe... the dinner she fed all the General Authorities when they dined in her home. It is a rich yet rustic recipe that will leave you feeling very satisfied in a good way.

CHICKEN A LA CREME

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 pints of sour cream
2 jars of chipped beef
1 pound of bacon

Slightly brown the bacon in a skillet. Place bacon strips on a dish lined with paper towels and let sit. In a large bowl mix the soup and sour cream together. Spray a 13" x 9" casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the dish with the chipped beef. Take each chicken breast and wrap a slice or two of bacon around it. Place the chicken in the dish atop the beef. Pour the wet mixture over the chicken, completely covering it. Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours. The top of the chicken will look golden brown and the sauce will be bubbling. Make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through then remove from the oven and serve.

Hummingbird Cake

Last Easter my mother found this recipe in Woman's Day magazine. The thought of this cake made her mouth water so she challenged me to try baking it. I did so and all I can state is that it was the perfect grand finale to our Easter festivities.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

3 C flour
2 C sugar
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
3 eggs
3/4 C vegetable oil
2 t vanilla
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice
2 C mashed, ripe bananas (about 4-5 bananas)
1 C pecans, finely chopped (optional)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 bricks of Neufchatel cream cheese
1/2 C butter
2 t vanilla
3 C powdered sugar
2 C flaked coconut (optional)

Adjust racks to divide your oven into thirds. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. In another large bowl whisk eggs, oil, vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and pecans until just blended. Add wet mix to the flour mix and stir until just combined. Divide batter evenly amongst three non-stick spray coated, 8 inch round cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick, inserted in the middle, comes out clean. Cool cake in pans on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Invert and remove cake from pans and let cool completely on racks. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until lite and creamy. On low speed gradually mix in powdered sugar until fluffy. Place a cake layer on a serving platter. Gently slide pieces of wax paper under the edges of the cake layer to prevent a messy looking frosting spread. Spread about 3/4 cup of frosting over the top of the layer. Put the next layer on top of the bottom layer and repeat. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top, allowing some to fall over onto the sides. Cover the cake until you serve it. You may refrigerate the covered cake just remember to take it out 45 minutes before you serve it so it can get back to room temperature.