The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie: Recipes, Techniques, and Wisdom from the Hoosier Mama Pie Company by Paula Haney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There’s just something homey about a fresh-baked, homemade pie. It fills the air with delicious aromas and just cries out “Home!”. Well, for all you pie-lovers out there, this is the pièce de résistance of pie cookbooks. Oh. My. Word. You have to taste to believe!
As anyone who has read my blog for very long knows, I’m not a huge sugar person (though I do love a good dessert now and then), so I didn’t run to the sweet pies for my first foray into this book. I chose an old classic, Shepherd’s Pie. Best shepherd’s pie I have ever put in my mouth! The filling is utterly delectable, but the Garlic Mashed Potatoes used on top are just to die for and were the perfect finishing touch. My family raved over it–and not all of them are big lamb fans! Definitely our go to recipe for Shepherd’s Pie now!
I then moved on to the sweet pies. A sweet older man in our church shares the bounty from his garden with the church members often, and a few weeks ago brought probably 20-30 home grown pumpkins to give away. I somehow ended up with four of them! Let me tell you a little secret. I don’t really LIKE pumpkin very much!! However, I know my husband does as do a couple of my girls. I figured I’d cook them up and freeze them and have pumpkin for the next year….or two, or three. i thought it would be a nice gesture to make a pumpkin pie for our weekly Sunday potluck lunch at church so he could see that someone was actually using them. I figured I’d better make two so we could taste one the night before and make sure it was okay before we took it to share with others.
Now, I’ve made pie crust before, but it’s been awhile. Life is busy, and I usually end up cutting corners and using pre-made. I was initially shocked by the number of steps to the pie, and as I was running out of time, I didn’t really get to freeze the crust first. I think that’s why my flutes kind of melted away somewhat. It had been a crazy day where everything seemed to take much longer than it should, so here I was on Saturday night at nearly 8:00pm finally taking the first pie out of the oven! (I have a small oven, so could only bake one at a time.) I used the propped bowl method and low and behold–no cracks!! It smelled good. It looked good. But, wait! I don’t LIKE pumpkin pie! …or so I thought! Heavens to Betsy! That pie is AMAZING!! Yes, I am a convert, and I now love pumpkin pie–if it’s made from this recipe!
Hang, on! There’s much more to this book that just these. You HAVE to try the Vinegar Chess Pie!! I know, I know. It sounds horrible. Trust me here! I actually grew up on this pie. Other than the pie crust recipe, it’s pretty much exactly what I’ve been eating for…well, we won’t say how many years! I’ve never fed it to a person yet that wasn’t an instant convert!
There’s so many more pies to make! I can’t wait to try the Chicken Pot Pie with Thyme Crust, and there’s a multitude of sweet pies awaiting me. I’m trying to be sweet to my husband who is watching what he eats and losing weight, so I can only make one once in awhile, so this book will be cooked from for a long time!
Thanksgiving is coming, and Christmas will be here before you know it! Give everyone the gift of amazing pies at your holiday dinners this year! Yes, the crust can be a little time consuming, but it can be frozen ahead of time which will make baking day shorter! Give this book a try. You won’t be disappointed!
I received a copy of this book from Agate Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Sandra's Kitchen Nook 