I know there are many ways to make a pie crust, but to me, this is the flakiest of all the ones I’ve tried:

For a nine-inch pie–two crusts, although often I double the recipe to make “Whirligigs” with the leftover dough.

Two cups SIFTED Gold Medal Flour  (that means, you sift the dry ingredients, THEN measure the two cups.)

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cups plus 2 T Crisco

1/4 C ice water

Put the sifted dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, and with a pastry plender, cut in the shortening until the shortening particles are the size of giant peas.

Sprinkle the ice water a tblsp. at a time, mixing lightly with a fork until all the flour is moistened.

Gather the dough together with your fingers and place on waxed paper, folding the paper around it and pressing firmly..

When ready, roll out on a floured pastry cloth, cutting it in a circle about an inch larger in diameter than the pie dish.  Crimp the edges.

(If planning to bake the crust without a filling, make sure you add either dry beans, or ‘dock’ the bottom and sides to prevent swelling.)

WHIRLIGIGS

Always a favorite with children (and they can help.)

Gather the leftover dough into a ball and roll out on a pastry cloth.  Cut to make a rectangle.

Spread softened butter over the entire surface and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.

Roll up tightly and cut into 1/3 inch slices.

Place on cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.

Remove carefully and place each one upside down on a plate until cool, and then turn over.  (The reason for placing the whirligigs upside down until they cool is that the bottoms will be ‘sticky’ and may stick to the plate.)

 

From the time he was a little boy, my oldest son, Mike, requested this pie rather than a cake with candles, for his birthday.

I have never cared for plain rhubarb pie–too bitter–nor have I had a penchant for rhubarb/strawberry pie, for it neither tastes like rhubarb or strawberries, but rather something indescribable!

Rhubarb custard pie, however, raises the bar, and the luscious addition of the custard only enhances the rhubarb.

Ingredients for a nine-inch pie:

Beat slightly 3 eggs

Add 3 T milk

Mix together and stir in:

2 cups sugar

1/4 Cup Gold Medal flour

1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Mix in:

4 or 5 cups cut up pink rhubarb

Pour into a pastry-lined glass pie dish

Criss-cross the top crust and dot with butter

Line metal foil around the crimped edges for the first 20 minutes of baking

Bake about 50 minutes at 400 degrees.

(My favorite recipe for pastry dough is added in this category.)

The first time I tasted this cake, I offered to BUY the recipe from my hostess; however, she was kind enough to share it.  After my family ate it for the first time, they declared they never wanted another kind of coffee cake—this was it!  I have also served it for dessert, with a dollop of ice cream snuggled up to it. Rich, moist and yummy! A Christmas breakfast specialty.

Ingredients:

One Cup softened unsalted butter combined with 2 Cups sugar.  Beat together until soft, fluffy and light in color.

Two eggs and 1/2 tsp. real vanilla–beat into mixture one egg at  a time.

One Cup Sour Cream-FOLD into mixture

Sift Two Cups flour with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. baking powder, then fold into mixture.

Combine 6 T  of sugar and 1 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon with 1 and 1/2 Cups chopped pecans.

Procedure:

In a greased and floured Bundt pan, place 1/3 of the batter. 

Sprinkle on 3/4 of the nut mixture

Spoon in the rest of the batter

Sprinkle the remainder of the nut mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for approx 50 minutes–remembering that all ovens are different. 

Test with toothpick—don’t overcook.  If the nuts get too dark, then you’ll know your oven should be turned down a notch. You DO NOT want the coffee cake dried out–it should be moist.

When done, invert and cool on rack.

Let sit for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

This is especially good around the holidays!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Place 1/2 C pecans , 1/2 C sugar,  and 1 C gingersnaps, broken up (about 20 to 30 gingersnaps)  in a food processor and zap until fine.  Remove to a bowl and pour in 5 T unsalted melted butter.  Stir untill all are combined and press mixture into bottom and sies of a 9 or 10 inch pie dish.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes and remove to cool.  Leave the oven on.

In a large bowl, beat 1 lb. cream cheese, softened and 2/3 C packed brown sugar intil soft and well blended.  Stir in 1/2 C sour cream and 1 C canned pumpkin.  Gradually beat in 3 eggs, one at a time, 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground clove and ground ginger.

Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and pour the filling into the pie dish.  Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 45 to 50 minutes or until filling is barely set.  Remove from oven and let cool on rack.  Decorate top with pecan halves.