Makes one double crust:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 ¼ cups shortening
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 Tablespoon cold water (more if needed)
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar

Directions:

1. Use a pastry blender to cut the shortening into the flour and salt
2. If you don’t have a pastry blender use two knives and cut them against the shortening repeatedly until it resembles cornmeal
3. Combine the egg, water and vinegar
4. Pour the liquid mixture into the flow mixture all at once
5. Blend with a spoon just until the flour is moistened

This is an easy crust to handle and can be re-rolled without toughening.

It also keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Creative Ways to decorate your homemade pies to make them look even more scrumptious!

• Try a lattice top by rolling out the dough and cutting it into 1 inch wide strips. Criss-cross these across the top and secure to the edges of the crust.

• Roll out the extra dough and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes of leaves. Moisten with a little milk or water and use them to decorate the top of the pie.

• Before baking, brush the top of an apple pie with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

• After rolling the dough out cut three star shapes with a small cookie cutter- put the top on the pie and arrange the stars decoratively fairly close to the star shaped holes, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

• Another idea- using a small apple cookie cutter and cut out lots of apple shapes- then instead of a top crust just layer the apple shapes overlapping around on the edges of the pie tin and cook without a top crust

Really Easy Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Turn on the oven to preheat to 400 degrees F
2. Place all ingredients in 9 inch pie pan
3. Stir together with fork
4. Pat mixture into bottom and up the sides of the pan
5. Poke holes in bottom and side of crust
6. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown

Use with your favorite pie recipe. (Makes one 9 inch pie crust)