My Evening…

• Make dinner (white chicken chili. yum.)... check
• Go grocery shopping... check
• Make pie with kids... check
• Read stories and shadow hand puppets... check
• Prayers and goodnight kisses... check
• Bake pie...check
• Watch Gran Torino...check
• Reflect on God's many blessings to me...double check. Children touch a place in my heart that desires above all to love.

My Grandmother Effie (my father's mother) was an award winning pie maker. Therefore my dad grew up with delicious pies and when he married my mom (who didn't make a whole lot of pies) an interesting conversation was bound to take place. Now my mom and dad were newly married and one day my grandpa got wind of the lack of pies that she had apparently not been making. The next time he came over this is what transpired. Now my Grandfather would kind of take over a kitchen when he would walk in, so I can only imagine what my mom must have been feeling to have her newly acquired father in-law in her kitchen. Here's the story my mom tells: Grandpa... "Have you made Robert any pies?"

Mom... "Nope" (Actually she said she was thinking "No way am I going to compete with his mom")

Grandpa... "Are you going to make him any pies?"

Mom... "Nope"

Grandpa (very sternly)... "I'm telling you, you have to make Robert pies"

My mom said that she was totally horrified at the "order"  she had just been given. (Lord have mercy on me and give me quiet in-laws) :D So she started making my dad pies and has (of course) become an amazing pie maker. :D Her crusts are always flaky and her lemon meringue pie is a thing to behold. Literally it is probably the most beautiful and tasty pie I have ever seen. So as a teenager I made it my goal to make a good pie and after 10 years I'm still baking them. She graciously says that there isn't any difference between hers and mine, but I still call her every once in a while freaked out that something has gone terribly wrong and if she's ever around I still drag her into the kitchen at various points of the baking and ask for her advice (mostly reassurance that I haven't destroyed it beyond repair). She always laughs and tells me that it's fine. The times when I refuse to be consoled she just cuts a little dough off here and pastes it there. Amazingly just her presence comforts me and lets me know that the pie will survive. She has been the most amazing teacher since no one has yet complained or died from eating a pie of mine. ;-D This pie is a new one for me... actually my first mixed berry pie. Hope it tastes as good as it smells...

Recipe

2 pie crusts
2 cups  Blueberries, picked over and rinsed
5 cups Strawberries , roughly chopped                                                                  1 cup Blackberries, picked over and rinsed
3/4 cups sugar, plus some for sprinkling top
2 tablespoons cup flour, plus some for rolling the dough
2 tablespoons cornstarch
zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. The dough should be in a ball in wax paper for 1 hour. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough, 1/8-inch thick, to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Chill the shell while assembling the filling.

In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, sugar, flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, cinnamon and ginger. Stir until well combined. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator and pour in the fruit mixture.

Roll out the other half of the door on a lightly flour surfaced. Cut into strips to make a lattice topping. Arrange the dough into a lattice pattern. Crimp the edges. Sprinkle sugar over the top.

Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place foil over the edges because they will be browning lightly. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees. Let bake for an additional 35-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the fruit filling has started to bubble. Best served with vanilla ice cream.