These Southern Treats Tough to Beat

you are ready to embark on one of the best-tasting treats that ever came from the south. And everyone can make it very easily. No complex instructions or ingredients. Just good homemade items and a lot of the cook’s love and before you know it, you have delicious Southern Treats that cannot be beat. I know. I have helped to consume many of these pies. I have to brag on my mom for cakes and pies (like this one) because she was THE best in my eyes.

Below are only two of her most-memorable pies that she would make each Thanksgiving and Christmas. But I will let you into a treasured-secret: all of our holiday family get-togethers were not about us telling jokes, talking, hashing-around old memories. Our holiday suppers or dinners were made possible when my mom would say so gently, “dinner!” And this is the truth.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup shortening

• 3 1/2 tablespoons cold water

• Filling:

• 2 cups mashed, cooked pumpkin

• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Add all ingredients to list

Easy-to-Follow Instructions:

Prep 20 minutes Cook 40 minutes Ready in 1 hour

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Prepare you pie crust by mixing the flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour; add cold water

3. 1 tablespoon at a time (you may require only 3 tablespoons, or up to 4 tablespoons). Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together.

4. With lightly-floured, hands shape dough into a ball. On a lightly-floured board roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inch larger than the upside-down 8- to 9-inch pie pan. Gently roll dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right-side up onto the pie pan. Unroll, easing dough into the bottom of the pie pan.

5. Then in a large bowl, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt with an electric mixer or immersion blender. Mix well. Pour into a prepared crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a knife is inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.

Then in a short time and by following these directions, you should receive many words of appreciation for creating this delicious treat and I can assure you that no one of your family (and friends) will refuse this original southern pumpkin pie.

Now I offer this very-popular southern treat that I will assure you (like the pumpkin pie) that you will receive many compliments and pats-on-the-back for cooking such a simple, delicious pie such as this one.

Old-Fashioned Homemade Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

• Two (9 in) unbaked pie crusts

• One 1/4 cups white sugar

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Four cups fresh strawberries

• Two tablespoons butter

• Add all ingredients to list

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Put one crust in a nine inch pie pan. Simple enough.

2. Mix together (thoroughly) sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix lightly-through the strawberries. Pour filling into pastry lined pan, and dot fruit with butter or margarine. Cover with top crust, and cut slits in the top. Seal and flute the edges—just for the great looks.

3. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is slightly browned.

   Then it was time to eat.

   See? I told you that in most-any homemade recipes, they are not complex, but easy-to-prepare and cook because home-cooking was one of the many popular staples in the early south that kept growing all the way to 2020—and still growing. Thank God for these great dishes.

Enjoy.

January 22, 2020____________________________________________________