Homemade Pie Please!

What's Thanksgiving without a homemade pie? No, I'm not talking about your local grocery store pies that are full of crap. You can't REALLY enjoy pie that is store bought - come on now! Well unless you have never had a homemade pie...which is just completely sad in my opinion.  Let me emphasize what you are getting with a store bought - not frozen - "fresh" pecan pie. 

Corn Syrup, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Eggs, Pecans, Vegetable Oil (Palm And Soybean Oils), Sugar, Margarine [Palm Oil, Water, Soybean Oil, Salt, Mono- And Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Annatto (Color), Calcium Disodium EDTA (Preservative), Vitamin A Palmitate], Brown Sugar, Contains 2% Or Less Of Each Of The Following: Salt, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Maltodextrin, Molasses, Caramel Color, Carrageenan, Skim Milk, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Modified Corn Starch, Mono- And Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Soy Flour. Allergy Warning: This Product Contains Wheat, Eggs, Pecans, Milk, Soybean. Allergy Alert: Produced In A Manufacturing Facility That Contains Peanuts, Treenuts.


Sound yummy...Yeah, I didn't think so! Pecan pies are one of the easiest pies to make! I make a couple every Thanksgiving and they always go fast. I remember everyone fighting over the last piece last year. Yes, I baked my own pies last year even with 4 month old twins. I just don't do store bought...no matter how tired I am! (:  I challenge you to make your own pies this Thanksgiving...your family will LOVE them! 

Pastry dough
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose four
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water


Directions
In a small bowl of a food processor combine four, salt, and sugar. Add butter and process until mixture looks like coarse meal. Approx 10 seconds.
With machine running, add the ice water slowly through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. To test squeeze a small amount together. If it is too crumbly add more ice water 1 Tbsp at a time. 
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour before use. 
Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9-10 inch pies.

Add an extra touch to your pies by cutting out fall leaves,
pumpkins, etc out of pie dough and place on the crust edges!

My Favorite Pecan Pie
1 C. Dark Karo Syrup
1 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Butter, melted
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C Pecan Halves
1 unbaked pastry shell
Directions
Mix syrup, sugar, butter, and salt. Add beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix in pecans. Pour into unbaked pastry shell. Bake 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees or until a knife inserted near the center of the pie comes out clean. Enjoy!