I use Betty Crocker receipe from 1961. 9 in.2crust pie 2 c flour, 1tsp. salt, 2/3 plus 2 level tbls. Crisco(white-plain) 1/4 c water. Mix salt & flour, I use 2 old table knives & mix until the flour has no particles larger than a pea. If it is not mixed enough you will have problems, you will see shortening "marble" through the crust. Add water & mix with fork only until it is forming a ball. finish gathering up with your hands. Dough that is handled a lot will be tough!! So it isn't floury or falling apart I use a piece of waxed paper & masking tape & tape all 4 corners to smooth clean, dry surface may have to use table if your counter is tiled. Once wax paper is down & you have 2 balls of dough(if it won't all gather quickly with your hands, just kind of patting it then sprinkle few drops more of cold water. cover 1 ball with wax paper in bowl while you take other 1 & sprinkle very little flour on wax paper in about a 6-8 in circle put ball on it cover with 2nd piece of wax paper roll out about 6 in wide & lift off waxed paper & turn over-the floured side is up now, cover with wax paper & roll out 1st left to right couple of times & then up & down so it stays a circle, don't be trying to squish it, roll it out, set your pan on top & you should see crust about 2 in or more all around, you need enough to go up sides of pan & to make an edge. When it looks right, remove top wax paper carefully,if it starts to break go to different area & peel back. When top wax paper is off turn pan upside down on pie circle & remove the masking tape on bottom waxpaper by carefully pulling back so you can put it down again for 2nd crust. When you have all 4 corners of wax paper free flip the waxpaper with crust & pan over,you can grip it with both hands,Crust is now in pan, get it evenly placed & peel off waxpaper,then fit crust into bottom & up sides fill & stick the waxpaper down on table using same tape as before roll top crust & edge however you like. Never falls apart this way,& not floury. Cleanup just take the 2 sheets of wax paper & toss in trash. If you use this method you should have good results every time. You can use the wax paper with any receipe but if has egg & vinegar etc may need bit more flour, if it is sticking & can't roll it off paper with your finger it needs more flour. Just make sure you don't shortcut mixing the salt/flour mixture with Crisco or you will have problems. If there is a gob of Crisco it will stick to waxpaper.Last yr. 11 yr old granddaughter wanted to learn how to make pumpkin pies, I said great. Was she surprised when she had to do all the work & grandma just watched & told her pretty much what I just said above. She took home 2 beautiful pies. Only thing she couldn't get was flipping the pan & crust on waxpaper over. I think she was afraid she would drop it. I did put them in oven & took them out of oven. She's quite small & I didn't want her to get burned.She was very proud of herself & I told her I thought I "learned" how to wallpaper until I was alone & then had to have friend come back & make me do it so I really knew how, watching someone often is not enough! Good Luck! Jan

Ginger, yah, thanks, I thought very briefly of pre-cooking the apples but didn't really want to. I guess I've done it in the past - years ago. Thanks for the reminder. Lindac, you, too, have a good reminder that this kind of cooking is more art than science and needs flexibility. Still, in my memory, Granny Smith apples have always been pretty much the same - tart, stiff, etc. Taking your tip, I could have changed the second pie to account for the extra juice. Roselin32 and khandi, likewise you have a tip that may be necessary - but I've been doing this for a long time and have never have added thickeners. May have to change. I appreciate your thoughts which got me thinking. Today I remembered that in the past I always layered apple slices in the shell, sprinkling each layer with sugar and cinnamon. This made rather compact pies. Last week I mixed the sugar and apples in a bowl and dumped it in the pie shell. What this did is to create a pile of fruit which probably didn't collapse much, so the juice cooked out to the bottom while most of the apples - firm granny smith - stayed in a pile. I'll try again.

Happy to. This is a complete reprint cookbook of the 1950 Betty Crocker. RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE (9" pie) Fill pastry-lined pie pan with rhubarb custard filling. Use: Beat slightly. . . 3 eggs Mix together & stir in. . . 2 cups sugar 4 TBL flour 3/4 tsp nutmeg Mix in. . . 4 cups cut-up pink rhubarb Dot filling in pan with. . . ` TBL butter Cover with lattice top. Bake until nicely browned. Serve slightly warm. (Preheated 400 oven for 50-60 minutes.) Seems pretty eggy to me unless the rhubarb gives up a lot of juice during baking. Let me check another old cookbook I have & see if there's a cream recipe.

The traditional Shepherd's Pie is made with minced lamb. (Shepherds deal with sheep, remember?!) If it's made with another meat, then it becomes Cottage Pie. I like to top it with strips of mashed potato and mashed kumera (orange sweet potato). You can put slices of tomato underneath the spud if you want. It's a dish that's wide open to interpretation, but it's always GOOD! Shepherd's Pie This is the traditional recipe, designed to use up leftover cooked lamb and vegetables. Minced lamb or beef may be substituted. Finely chop, or process, a large amount of lean lamb, and mix in grated carrot, onion, celery, parsnip, mushrooms or other vegetables as available. Add a large spoonful of tomato paste, herbs and spices to taste, and a tablespoon or two of apple juice if liked. Place into a large, lidded saucepan, bring to the boil, then cover with enough water or stock to make a thick sauce consistency, and simmer, covered, until the vegetables have softened. Boil some potatoes or red sweet potatoes, drain and mash with an egg or two (depending on the quantity) and a little milk. When the meat is cooked, transfer it to a casserole dish, cover it with mashed potato, and sprinkle over some grated cheese. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.