Tell one of your daughters to swing by my place to pick me up for the party. lol Everything sounds so good and with everyone else cooking too, I figured there's enough there to feed me too.

Shirley

Sure Nuff, plenty to eat and plenty for leftovers and plenty for to go boxes! Told Amber she didn't have to fix anything since it is at her house and she is really busy cleaning up messes from installing more kitchen cabinets and getting things put away in the new cabinets. Cheryl is there now helping her. That is why I have the puppy. I think they said rain for tomorrow. Wish it could hold off. We will be eating inside it looks like. So come on over!

Sue

I have been working on my comprehensive exam remediation questions. Eric and Steve are in charge of cooking this weekend- so far we have had hamburgers and hot dogs. Tonight we get steak. Not sure when we will see a vegetable but their grilling skills with the meat are wonderful!

Nothing here!

Ya'll enjoy!

I worked on propagation of new roses while you were doing all that! 7 pies- wow!

Trish

we were out the door at dark 30 this am...dh, ds1 and dil went golfing while i stayed with dgds...then ds2 called..he and dil wanted to stop by on the way to see her mom, so it was a quick pick-up when we got home...don't mind cause the lr is looking good! the rest of the weekend will be quiet...i sure envy your ability to make pies! even if i could we can't have sweets, and home-made pie is just too much of a temptation!

Sue, you get the medal for pie making!! That's a lot of pie. Sometime, not today because you must be exhausted, but could you give us your pie crust recipe? I can't find my mothers. Hers made 6 crusts and used a pound of lard!!! I think I could make the crusts and freeze them. I love pie.

P.S. Save me a piece of cherry please. ;-)

No special cooking here, either. Going to DGD's softball games tomorrow so it'll probably be fast food! LOL

I will take a slice of all the pies, after I have had a big helping of coleslaw, deviled eggs, potato salad, and buffet potatoes. Just reading that made me hungry and tired. Have a good time.
Clare

My Big Batch Pie Dough

Get a big bowl. Put 5 pounds of flour in it. At this point you can add around a half cup of white sugar, or other seasonings. It depends what you want your crust for. I use sugar for my pies, but you don't have to. Then to this add 3 pounds of vegetable shortening. I use the butter flavor. I have my flour in the freezer and my shortening has been in the refrigerator. Start cutting the shortening into small pieces as you can. You can use a pastry blender if you like. I have a Sunbeam mixer that I can take off the stand and I use it. After it is the way you want it, then to this add 2 cans of cold lemon lime soda pop. Let it stand a few seconds and then start mixing it all together by hand. I have found a flat meat fork works well for me. Use whatever works for you. Have some plastic wrap handy and start making flat rounds enough for a top and bottom or whatever sizes you want. Wrap in plastic wrap until all the dough is done. At this point either chill in the refrigerator for several hours or put the plastic wrapped rounds in plastic containers or big plastic bags and freeze. I use Rubbermaids Take Alongs. I usually have two of them filled with rounds of pie dough.

This is great to roll out ahead of time and freeze the shells and tops. I didn't have that part done for today so it took me awhile longer to bake my pies. Don't be afraid to add more flour as you roll out your dough, it is very soft and easy to handle. You can even patch it with pieces of dough if you have a problem. Good Luck. This is my favorite dough anymore. Let me know how you like it.

Sue

Sue - I am impressed! 5 lbs of flour! I don't think I have ever used that amount even with a couple loaves of bread. And I know I haven't made more than 2 pies at once. You are the Pie Queen!

Here is my favorite pie crust. I just started making this last year.

Foolproof Pie Dough
- makes one 9-inch double-crust pie -

The trick to this pie crust is the inclusion of vodka. Eighty-proof vodka, which is 60 percent water and 40 percent alcohol, adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation since gluten doesn't form in ethanol. Although the recipe includes 8 tablespoons of liquid, the alcohol vaporizes during baking, resulting in a tender crust that only contains 6 1/2 tablespoons of water. Because of the extra liquid, the dough will be moister than most standard pie doughs and will require up to 1/4 cup more flour.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

Procedure
1. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Clare

Whoa, Sue! That sounds really good. I don't think I'd use that many crust in a year, though. Have you ever thought of making $$ by selling your pies to restaurants in your area? You seem to like to make them. We used to have a lady in our community when I lived in IN who made the best pies ever. She would make pies for restaurants or individuals around holiday time. My DGM used to get them from her. You could have a whole new career!!

If I were younger, Patti, I might think of it, but now I am enjoying just about everything I do. I make pies and give them away, make them for church dinners and once in awhile I eat a piece. I did have a piece of the blueberry pie last night. I have everything all fixed and ready to go to Amber's in a bit. We are going over between 12 and 12:30. I cleaned carrots, radishes, grapes, made the cole slaw this morning and sliced tomatoes. The beans are baked and so are the buffet potatoes. I hope I don't forget to take some ice cubes! Can't find my ice bucket. So far it isn't raining here in Central Indiana. Hope it holds off. Makes it bad having to take dogs in and out if it is raining. I am all decked out in my red, white and blue today. Even my $.25 shoes say made in the USA! Have a great weekend everyone. Catch all later, I hope.

Sue