Today is my grandmother's birthday. She would have been 92 years old. I like to think upon the things that she gifted me with. Her faith and her love for family are just a couple qualities on a very long list.
So when a special day rolls around, I try to do one thing in remembrance of her -- something that keeps her traditions alive. Today, I mulled over what to do. It was a beautiful day and I could have gone out and worked in my yard - something my grandparents did practically every morning. Yeah, I should have done that for I believe that their gardening is one of the things that kept them healthy for so very long. It was a pleasurable type of exercise for them, and they did take great pleasure from the beautiful things they grew together.
Yet, I was stuck inside most of the day with projects and commitments, so at 8:00 p.m. I was determined not to let the day pass without doing something the way my grandmother would have done.
Spying some dried apricots, I soaked them in water. Then I hastily made a homemade pie crust. After years of making homemade pies, I no longer have to reach for a recipe card. My hands worked methodically, sifting flour, adding crisco, a pinch of salt, a little water and then kneading it all into a soft dough.
I rolled the dough out, thin and even, trimming the sides and was happy to note that it had taken me less than 6 minutes to make the dough from scratch and get it ready for the filling.
After soaking the apricots I placed them in a saucepan with a sliver of butter. I added sugar and some instant tapioca (about a Tablespoon I would guess) I really don't know how much, I just tossed some in. Then I added a little rum (don't know if Granny did that, but I think she would have approved) some cinnamon and nutmeg and heated the mixture until it was bubbly. After cooling the filling slightly, I poured the apricot mixture into two small circles, saving some of the spiced juices. I folded the small circles over to make a turnover and glazed the dough with the remaining spiced juice and fried the little four inch pies up. Oh my goodness. Memories can taste so good.
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2 comments:
What a beautiful remembrance of Granny and her apricot fried pies. We were just talking about this the other day! Granny taught you granddaughters how to make a pie crust (your Mother NEVER could! Keep all of the beautiful, delicious memories of your Beautiful Angel Grandmother and remember all of the gardening and cooking lessons she gifted you with! She's still very much alive through her beloved grandkids!
I worked in my yard most of today...thinking of Cyndie and Granny. My patio is becoming my secret garden, with a swing and lots of blooms. I have an oleander, as from our house where we lived when I was born. And, there is a deep purple Althea, like the one from Granny's house, and she got the cutting from Sophie. There are mums, geraniums, an oleander (remember how Granny had that big oleander that always "bit" Richard when he mowed?) so, it was a good memory day. 8/25/07 Dody
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