I searched for years for my perfect piecrust recipe - then one day I found it. Here it is: These quantities make enough pastry for 3 double-crust pies or 3 1/2 dozen tart shells - muffin size. 5 cups flour 1 teasp salt 2 teasp baking powder 1 lb (454 grams) Tenderflake lard 2 teasp white vinegar 1 egg - slightly beaten. Add water to vinegar and egg to make 1 cup 1) Mix together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in lard until crumbly (using two knives.) 2) Add liquid and mix gently with hands. (I use a fork to help me here.) Roll into a ball. 3) Roll out amount needed on a floured board. Refrigerate or freeze remainder. Source: 'I've GOT To Have That Recipe' Doubleday Canada - Victoria, B.C. 1986 My tip: After step two I often put it in the fridge for an hour to make it firmer and easier to roll out. *************************************** When I use it for apple pies....here's the fruit mixture: 3/4 cup sugar (or a little less if you wish) 1/2 teasp salt 1 teasp cinnamon 1/2 teasp nutmeg 1 1/2 TBS flour 2 TBS butter 4 1/2 - 5 large apples *(I prefer Granny Smith)- peeled and sliced. Nathan's pastry - enough for double crust pie 1 TBS milk and 1 teasp sugar for top of crust * Check quantity of apples by slicing them first into empty pieplate before lining with pastry to see if you have enough. Then remove and wipe plate clean again. 1) Preheat oven to 425 F (218 C) 2) Peel and slice apples into a mixing bowl. In another small bowl combine the dry ingredients and pour them over apples. Toss well to coat all over. 3) Line pieplate with pastry and pile coated apple slices into pieplate. Dot apples with pieces of butter. 4) Roll out top crust and put on pie, flute edges, brush crust with the milk and sprinkle with sugar. 5) Bake 10 minutes at 425F (218C) then lower heat to 350F (177C) for 35 - 40 minutes or until crust is golden. SharonCb

I don't often come here, I mostly hang out of the Cooking forum....but stopped in and saw the request. this recipe came from a cookbook that is out of print, called "J.T's Cuisine"....and it is the best I have ever had. Carrot cake Julie T�s 3 eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup buttermilk 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 tsps cinnamon 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained 2 cups grated carrots 1/2 cup raisins chopped with 1 Tablespoon of flour Buttermilk glaze 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup butter 1 Tblsp light corn syrup 1 tsp vanilla Orange Cream Cheese Frosting 1/2 cup softened butter 4 oz softened cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla 3 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp orange juice 1 tsp grated orange rind Preheat oven to 350 With a mixer Beat eggs, add oil and buttermilk, sugar and vanilla. beat to combine. Stir together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and stir into batter. stir in pineapple, carrots and raisins. Pour into a greased 8 by 13 pan or 2 greased round 9 inch cake pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until set in the middle. Remove from the oven and immediately spread with the buttermilk glaze. Cool completely and frost with the cream cheese frosting. Buttermilk glaze: In a medium sauce pan ( don't use a small pan) combine all ingredients but vanilla. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes stirring often...it will bubble a lot. It should be a light caramel color, stir in vanilla and pour over the cake Cream cheese frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until light add vanilla powd. sugar and juice and rind...beat until smooth and frost the cooled cake

Growing up in my small hometown in Indiana, pie baking was an art and if you made a good pie, you could probably have a statue of yourself on the courthouse lawn! LOL! This recipe came from one of the many bake-offs the Home Extension office put on during the year. It is the recipe from a lady who was famous for her pies. She made them for the best restaurant in town and was the go-to person if you wanted pie for a special occasion. Her crust was made of lard and just about melted in your mouth. Anyway, here is her cherry pie recipe. It's the only one I use. I haven't made one in years (but now I'm craving) and the recipe doesn't give the oven temp and I don't remember??? CHERRY PIE 2 c. canned tart cherries, drained (save juice) 1 c. cherry juice 1 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 3 Tbsp, flour 1/3 tsp. red food coloring (optional) 1/8 tsp. almond extract 1 Tbsp. butter Mix sugar, salt and flour together. Add cherry juice, food coloring and extract. Stir well. Carefully add cherries.

I've had wild blueberries and I've had cultivated blueberries. I've found that the local berries which I pick myself at the U-pick places taste delicious, and that flavor varies from variety to variety. I usually go from bush to bush tasting until I find the ones I like. The huge ones seem to have less flavor, usually. Grocery store berries are the bottom of the heap, usually, like the ones I have today which are from Washington. By the time they are picked, packaged, shipped and sold, they aren't optimal. The fresh, locally grown ones, just picked? Oh yeah, a different thing altogether. I haven't picked yet this year, I'd better get moving or it'll be too late! I have cinnamon for blueberry crisp, lemon for blueberry muffins, no spice at all for pancakes, pies or jam. It's all good. Annie