Patriotic Pie

This pie is kind of a challenge to make, but it is so cute that it is worth the effort once a year.

Patriotic Pie

Crust for double crust pie
1 large can cherry pie filling
1 small can blueberry pie filling
milk
sanding sugar
plastic sheet from a bacon package

Cut plastic tray so it can be folded into a wedge shape. Taper edges to fit against the side of the pie pan.
Place bottom crust in pie pan. Place plastic in pie pan so that it separates the upper left fourth of the pie from the rest. Fill the upper left corner with blueberry pie filling.Fill the rest of the pie shell with cherry pie filling. Gently remove the plastic piece.

Roll out top crust, cut into ½ inch strips and about 7 1 inch stars. Arrange the strips to be stripes over the cherry filling. Trim and flute edges. Place the stars on the blueberry filling. Brush stripes and stars with milk and sprinkle sanding sugar on top.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425º then reduce heat to 350º and continue to bake for about 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown.

Meat Pies

 For the first couple of years of our marriage we didn’t have a washing machine. We did our laundry every Saturday at Allan's mother's house. I would go to my mom's house on Wednesday's to wash diapers in her wringer washing machine (but that's a different story). We would usually eat dinner with Allan's family on Saturday evening. His mom almost always served Morrison Meat Pies. Allan grew up eating them. I had never heard of them before I met Allan. When Allan's dad was growing up, the Morrison Meat Pies factory was across the street from his school, Lincoln Junior High on State Street.  He would quite often stop there on his way home from school to get a meat pie, for a nickel, for a snack. So, Morrison Meat Pies were a long standing Strong family tradition. We always eat them covered with  Campbell's vegetable soup. Some people serve them with chile or with gravy. A few years ago, the Morrison Meat Pies factory company went out of business. Allan was very disappointed and went on a quest for the perfect meat pie recipe. After much trial and error, this is what we came up with.

Scotch Meat Pies

Crust

2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk (for egg wash)

Filling

1 small onion (chopped)

1 teaspoon butter

1 pound lean ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 saltine crackers crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 4 4” ramekins or spring form pans with cooking spray.

Put Flour in a mixing bowl, form a small well in the middle.

Place water, butter and salt in a pan and bring to a boil.

Carefully pour water mixture into flour. Stir until flour is wet.

When cool enough to handle, knead flour mixture just long enough to mix completely.

Set aside 1/4 of the dough. Form the rest into four balls. Place in fridge until the meat mixture is done.

Sauté onions in butter. 

Mix with raw hamburger, salt, pepper and cracker crumbs in a bowl and set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll each small dough ball in to a circle large enough to cover the bottom sides of the ramekins.

Roll the larger ball of dough into a larger circle. Use a ramekin or four inch cutter to cut into four circles. Set aside.

Add 1/4 of the meat mixture to each dough lined  ramekin, making sure meat is pressed into the corners.

Top with the pastry rounds. Pinch sides and top together to seal.

Brush top with egg wash and cut a small vent hole in the center.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until it reaches a temperature of 160 degrees.

Serve with vegetable soup, chile or gravy.