Luxury on the Cheap
 
Question: Who doesn't love pie?  Answer: Dead people.  Every Body Loves Pie!  It's a universal truth!  Look it up!

So what does pie have to do with tightwaddery?  Well, if you make your own, it's way cheaper and tastier than the store-bought version.  It's not full of artificial ingredients and preservatives, and you're in control of the salt and fat and sugar.  In your hands, it becomes a healthy snack!  And what's more thrifty than being healthy?  See?

Growing up in rural East Texas, I had access to that food of the Gods, Fraahd Paah.  Or, Fried Pie, for non-Texans.  My grandmother has a tree in the back yard that grows pears the size of cheewawas, and every summer, when they get ripe, is Fried Pie Season!  It's better than Christmas and Halloween and Mardi Gras all rolled into one!

The point is, you can use whatever fruit you have available.  Use what you have; use what's in season.  Here in soggy Seattle, we have lots of blackberries (free to pick almost anywhere but beware of sprayed areas), cherries, and apples. 

What you do is make a basic crust.  Let that chill in the fridge until you're ready for it.  This is important, because it keeps the dough from falling apart when you fill it.  Then take about two cups of fruit, add half a cup of sugar, and put it on to simmer until the fruit gets soft-ish.  Roll out the dough and cut out a saucer-sized circle, and put a couple of spoonfuls of fruit on it.  Wet the outside edge with your finger and fold it over, taco-style.  Then crimp the edges with a fork all the way around to seal it shut.

After you've done this, slide that baby into some hot oil. (That sounds a little dirty.)  I prefer lard for this.  The Lard cooks in mysterious ways!

...... preachy aside following......

Lard has gotten a bad rap.  For milennia, it's been used safely to deliver a tender, flaky crust.  Flakiness may be bad for your relationships, but it's aweome on your pie.  Crisco, on the other hand, is some franken-food-type-product that some chemist invented in a lab in New Jersey.  If you can't spell it, why would you want to eat it?  Tightwad tip:  Eat Real Food.  Not chemicals posing as food.  Much healthier that way.

                                                                      .......aaaaaand, rant over........

When both sides are golden brown, it's done.  Say hello to heaven. 

These pies can be made in advance and frozen.  They make a perfect dessert, tightwad treat, after-school snack, or breakfast.  If you're willing to trade a little bit of convenience for time, you end up with something that's much healthier, much tastier, and you kids will worship you for it.

You'll never buy those cardboard abominations that pass for pie from McEvil's again.

Fried Pie!  A tasty tightwad treat!

Big love,

Nacho Mama!