Living From Scratch: Thanksgiving Baking

I spent ALL morning baking for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities. As you can tell, I'm a seriously messy cook. Here are my projects:

DRIED CITRUS ORNAMENTS

All you need are 1/4" thick slices of citrus fruits. Lay them out on a baking sheet (I greased it, i don't know if its necessary or not) and pop them in a VERY low oven (I put them in at 200 degrees) and l eave the door ajar just a bit (i shut a wooden spoon in the door). Thats it! Wait for a good long time, probably more than 4 hours, checking on them occasionally until they're like little hard stained glass windows. If you only want them for the year, then just poke a hook through them and hang them on a tree, but you'll need to shellac them if you want them to last.

PIEROGIES

Mashed potatoes, seasoned with sauteed onions, cheese, bacon, or whatever your heart contents and pasta cut into bigger circles than for tortellini. Put a small dollop of potato on the circles, wet, fold over and press the edges with a fork for a tight seal. Boil for about 2 minutes, but until they float. Fry up to taste or freeze on sheets and put in bags for later use.

PIE CRUST

Since I got married, I've been using the pie crust recipe that came with my bread machine. I like it mostly because it's made from things I have on hand. So many recipes call for shortening, which I never keep around. This one calls for vegetable (or Canola oil, as I prefer to use). Lately, however, I've been frustrated with it. It's never as crisp or flaky as I'd like it to be. As such, I decided to use my mom's pie crust recipe (with my own little spin, of course).

1 3/4 c Flour (I just can't bring myself to use Whole Wheat in pie crusts and organic White is so expensive, I bought All Purpose, it's a treat afterall)

3/4 c Crisco (I used Organic vegetable shortening, which i discovered is just palm oil. The dough was a little harder to work than I remember my mother's being, but even if it was the shortening, I wouldn't trade it. I'll have to soap with it at some point)

3/4 tsp Salt

1/3 c Cold Water

Put the all the ingredients but the water in the food processor until you have crumbs, then add the water. It'll form a ball (rather like when you make buttter). Makes a top and a bottom or two bottoms.

SPICED PUMPKIN PIE

In years past, I have mad a more mild pumpkin pie. My mother-in-law, however, makes a very rich spiced pie from a 50's cookbook that is absolutely to die for (unless you're my father-in-law, who gets heartburn from it).

1½ cups Pumpkin

3 Eggs - beaten

½ tsp. Salt

¾ cup Brown Sugar

1 cup Milk

2 Tbsp. Molasses

1 tsp. Cinnamon

¾ tsp. Ginger

½ tsp. Nutmeg

¼ tsp. Cloves

¼ tsp. Allspice

2 Tbsp. Melted Butter

Mix it all and bake @ 450 for the first 10 minutes, then @ 375 for 45-55 or until it sets.

DINNER ROLLS THAT PEOPLE WILL THINK YOU GOT AT A BAKERY

No, seriously, my fam honestly thought I bought them the first time I made them.

4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
2 cups warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
6 tablespoons shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
7 cups all-purpose flour

If you're gonna use a bread machine, you have to half this recipe. Let the dough rise fully, then beat it down and shape and let it rise again before baking @350 for 20-25 min.