I am all excited for Thanksgiving, just like everyone else by now.  I could care less about the Turkey or Gravy, which I have never been a big fan of, but I absolutely can not wait for the pies!  My husband and I are having our own Pie Cook Off!  We are making these scrum-diddly-umptious pies on Wednesday night and who knows, I may even eat mine on Thursday morning.  :)  That is how good my pie will be!

I have searched the internet hard and long for a recipe that looks somewhat unique and a sure bet to beat out my husband!  I will keep you updated on the results.  As of now, I am undecided on the exact recipe I am going to use...basically it is a question of pumpkin or apples?  Hard one huh?   I will take a picture of both pies, so you all can decide for yourself who won this good ole pie contest! 

But, one thing is sure...I must be focused!  One key area that could make or break me is the crust!  So, I am going to focus on some main tips to beat out my husband! Hopefully you can benefit from some of these crust tips by make your difficult pie crust, not so difficult!

1.  Try to use all cold ingredients!  In fact, even the water you use to sprinkle on your dough should have some ice cubes in it! 

2. Use Lard or Shortening to get a tender crust.  Look, it is thanksgiving, just don't worry about the extra calories!  You want this crust to be GOOD!

3.  Put a bit of sugar in the pastry dough!  This will sweeten it and make it a bit more tender.

4.  Before rolling out the dough, give it a 30 minute chill.  This way it is a bit easier to roll!

5.  Dough doesn't have to be plain and boring!  Add some flair!  Why not give it a kick of cinnamon or nutmeg!  Heck, chop some ground nuts into the dough before cooking!

So, good luck on your personal pie adventure!  I hope some of these tips make your Thanksgiving pie amazing and please wish me good luck on my pie!!!   I will post the winning recipe after T-day!