Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. I hope you have a wonderful-gute day filled with food, family, laughter, and love.
One thing we try to do in our family on Thanksgiving is to recount our many blessings and remember those who went before us and made it possible for us to have what we have today. We like to tell this story:
“Thanksgiving Day is the expression of a deep feeling of gratitude by our people for the rich productivity of the land, a memorial of the dangers and hardships through which we have safely passed, and a fitting recognition of all that God in His goodness had bestowed upon us.
“In early New England, it was the custom at Thanksgiving time to place five kernels of corn at every plate as a reminder of those stern days in the first winter when the food of the Pilgrims was so depleted that only five kernels of corn were rationed to each individual at a time. The Pilgrim Fathers wanted their children to remember the sacrifice, sufferings, and hardships through which they had safely passed — a hardship that made possible the settlement of a free people in a free land.
“They wanted to keep alive the memory of that sixty-three day trip taken in the tiny Mayflower. They desired to keep alive the thought of that stern and rock-bound coast, its inhospitable welcome, and the first terrible winter which took such a toll of lives.
“They did not want their descendants to forget that on that day when their rations were reduced to five kernels of corn, only seven healthy colonists remained to nurse the sick, and that nearly half their members lay in the windswept graveyard on the hill. They did not want to forget that when the Mayflower sailed back to England in the spring, only the sailors were aboard.”
Many people came to this land looking for freedom. The Amish were among them. They had been imprisoned, beaten, and martyred for their faith. I hope none of us forgets the sacrifice made by those who came before us to establish a free people in a free land. And I hope we will never take that freedom or the responsibilities that come with it for granted. May we always be grateful to God for his many bounteous blessings.
I have shared this pie recipe before, but it is worth sharing again and again. It is my absolute favorite pie and perfect for Thanksgiving. I made one last night, and we are eating it today as sort of a pre-Thanksgiving warm up.
Elsie Stutzman's Apple Pie
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 3 c. sifted flour
- 1 T. sugar
- 2 t. salt
- 1 ¼ c. vegetable shortening
- 1 egg
- ½ c. water
- 1 T. vinegar
- For the pie:
- Pastry for 2-crust pie
- 2 lbs. tart apples (I use Granny Smith, 5-9 depending on the size)
- 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- dash of salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Canned milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- To make the crust:
- Combine flour, sugar and salt in bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender. Beat the egg and mix the water and vinegar with the egg. Sprinkle the egg mixture a little at a time over the flour mixture, tossing lightly until all the particles are moistened. Mold into a ball and chill. Return to room temperature before rolling out. Makes three pie crusts.
- To make the pie:
- Prepare the pastry and roll out. Line pie plate with pastry.
- Peel apples and slice. Place in pie shell. Sprinkle apples with lime juice, flour, sugar, salt, and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Dot with butter.
- Cover with top crust, brushing edges of lower crust with cold water before pressing together. Flute. Cut slits in top of pie to allow steam to escape.
- Mix 1 tbsp. of sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon together. Brush top crust with canned milk. Sprinkle top crust with sugar-cinnamon mixture.
- Bake at 375 degrees about 1 hour, until nicely browned. Put a cookie sheet under pie pan while baking in case the pie drips.
