Blueberry Pie

Fall is just around the corner.. I feel it! .. Actually I feel really hot and muggy, but I also feel Fall coming! Last year I said I was going to make pies. It really was on my Fall "to-do" list. But it never happened. So I'm getting a head start this season! I made my first pie today! .. Well, okay, I've made cooked chocolate pudding pies for Thanksgivings, but this is my first "other kind" of pies. And I have to confess, it's not completely homemade. The crust is homemade, the blueberry is canned pie filling. hehe! Baby steps, people!

I found Your Homebased Mom's pie crust recipe on Pinterest.

I read on other websites to use COLD shortening and COLD butter. So I scooped out what I need of shortening, and stuck it in the freezer for a few minutes. It's usually in my pantry and the humidity here keeps it super soft. I cut my butter up in little chunks. Then just followed the recipe. My dough didn't turn out very flexible and .. non-tearable. Lots of recipes say not to handle the dough too much, but I don't really know what that means.. cause I try to get it all together and mixed well. I guess pie crusts is an area I will need some practice in! It still looks okay! I just had a hard time getting the top crust over the pie and fixing it pretty without it breaking a little in places. 

I made sure to poke holes in the bottom crust several times with a fork to prevent it from bubbling and poofing out during baking. While I rolled out the top crust, I kept the bottom crust in the freezer to keep firm. I used a little paring knife to cut out the heart on the top. A little fondant cutter would work perfect too! I'll have to get some just for things like this. In went the canned pie filling, on went the top crust.. which was the part I struggled with most, because the dough was starting to tear. I snipped away all the excess dough hanging from the sides, pinched the edges, then brushed water on top of the crust and sprinkled a little bit of sugar. I watched Martha do it in this video. 

The instructions on the can of pie filling said to bake it at 425* for 30 minutes. I put it on the bottom rack and baked it for 15 minutes, then took it out and covered the edges with tin foil pieces so they wouldn't burn. I put it back in the oven, on the top rack, for about 10-15 more minutes. 

And here's my pretty blueberry pie! It's just so cuuuute!

Y.U.M !!

For this "Perfect Pie Crust" Recipe, visit Your Homebased Mom