Holiday Season! – Pies

It’s been a while since my last notation.  Internet has been lacking in my life these days!

Thanksgiving with family!  What a lovely time filled with good food, company and of course cooking.  The project was to conquer making my Nana’s pies!   There isn’t much to do differently in order to make them lower in carbohydrates or lower in fat.  We could alter the recipe to make them gluten free, but didn’t try that this year.  Health wise; these pies aren’t “bad”.  I think the problem is portion distortion! I definitely over ate…

I couldn’t change the pie crust, we used Crisco.  I was trying to teach my Nana about food labels and trans-fats. She even tried making it with butter one year, margarine another, even canola oil.  The oil works well but takes a bit more work to get it together…  It just wasn’t the same without the Crisco. During the conversation my Nana asks “well we could use lard like the traditional way?”…. “Nina looks at camera, as if there was one and we were on a TV show…, my reply: it’s ok Nana we can stick to the Crisco for now”.   Me and lard just don’t mix.  I avoid it at all costs, even in corn bread and biscuits I just… can’t. Trans-fats vs. Saturated fats, just can’t win.

We started with making the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie or RUBAB as we say here in bean town.  Very simple, I didn’t realize how simple…. Will I share the exact recipe with you?  Unfortunately I cannot.  Out of simple pleasures, it is one of those old traditional secrets, held close to my heart.  Never said I couldn’t make it for you one day though.

Next we made the apple pie.  That was pretty easy and not really a secret.  The only fat added to this pie is in the crust.  There was very little additional sugar to it.  The apples break down to make it sweet.  It is pretty much apples and cinnamon for the filling.  No syrup or additives and it can still come out THAT good.

Last we finished with my Nana’s “Pumpkin Pie” we don’t follow the traditional recipe.  I will share that my grandmother uses fat free evaporated milk instead of condensed milk.  This cuts the carbohydrate content of the pie significantly.  If your recipe was to call for condensed milk, you could try replacing it.

Need help with pie recipes or alteration contact me for details!  Also I would love to hear some of your family traditions!  Thanks for reading.