Mondays with Mariah... No. 3

"Promises and Pie Crust are made to be broken." - Jonathan Swift

Something you might not know about me... I am the self proclaimed "Pie Queen." I love everything about pies; making them, smelling them, sharing them, and mostly eating them.

Listening to music and baking pies is my favorite form of relaxation.

The best part about my pie making is that my husband is the biggest pie fan on the planet, so I always have an enthusiastic audience for my creations. Without sounding too full of myself, I think it's safe to say I make the best crust in the world. Clearly humble pie is not my strong point. Here's a blueberry beauty I made this summer.

"The man for me is the cherry on the pie. But I'm the pie and my pie is good all by itself. Even if I don't have a cherry." - Halle Berry

My step daughter Emily bought me this AWESOME pie recipe book for Christmas. I highly recommend it if you think you might like to make a pie for yourself or someone you love.

Here's the link: Pie.

"Pie is Love." - Mariah Ashley

And because I am trying to be more giving of myself this year I am going to do the unthinkable... Here's my super secret recipe for blueberry pie. (I can't believe I am doing this...)

Blueberry Pie

Crust: (9-inch two- crust pie)

2 1/2 cups Flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 3/4 cup shortening *(I use Crisco sticks, like them the best!), 6-7 tablespoons cold water( put cold water and ice in a bowl and let chill in fridge).

Mix flour & salt. Cut the shortening in with a pastry knife. be careful not to work the dough too much, just until it looks crumbly like small pebbles. Add the cold water one tablespoon at a time, and mix in lightly with a fork. Here's the most important part: dough should be kind of dry- only wet enough to stick together when you press lightly into a ball. Divide the dough into two even balls. Roll each ball out between two sheets of wax paper. Peel one of the crusts off the wax paper and ease it into the pie plate.

Filling:

4 cups FRESH blueberries, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon butter.

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add the berries. Mix with your hands, crushing a few of the berries to moisten the mixture. Add the lemon juice and toss with your hands. Pile the filling into the pie shell. Dot the top of the pie with small chunks of butter. Add the top crust and crimp the edges of the two crusts all around the pie. Cut several vents in the top of the pie with a knife.

Finishing touch:

Beat an egg and add a bit of water to the egg. Brush the egg wash over the top of the crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake pie at 350 for 1 hour. Crust should be golden brown and the blueberry filling should start to bubble out a bit.

Share & Enjoy!