Thanksgiving Help!!

[MassMama]

I thought it would be a good idea to have a thread.. Just so a help question would not be missed!
Hope nobody needs it but ya never know! 

[Tonya]

Great idea, Rita! I know I won't need help with the pies I bought my desserts this year. Mrs. Pauls pies were 2 for $6. I got apple crumb and pumpkin

[MassMama]

Ohh that sounds sooo yummy Tonya. If I didn't have the pumpkin I would not of made the one i have 

[Dianna]

Mrs. Smith makes some great pies, also! That will be our dessert this year...

[Penny]

Oh boy Tonya....those pies sure sound yummy!!!

Enjoy!

10 10 10 10

[Tonya]

   I meant Mrs. Smith......  I can't wait to cut into them!

[MassMama]

Speaking of help does anyone wanna come Help me cook on sunday

[patches]

Well, I agree, Mrs. Smith makes awesome pies, and her Blackberry Cobbler is the best I've ever tasted for a quick and easy desert from the freezer.    Unfortunately, I love Chocolate Meringue and Lemon Meringue pie, and she can't even compete with my home-made ones.   

[Dianna]

Oops! I meant Edwards for the pecan pie. I eat Mrs. Smith's pies the rest of the time...

My mother used to make chocolate and lemon meringue pies, Patti. I always just scraped the meringue off of mine...

Jim usually helps me in the kitchen. He washes dishes as I am cooking, so that they don't pile up on us. If we were having turkey, he would fry it...

[patches]

Oh geesh, Dianna, I would gladly have taken your meringue!  I love meringue pies and always put a lot on mine when I make them, they are beautiful!  Of course, I guess you wouldn't think so!      

[landofoz]

I really don't like meringue either. 

Okay first problem question:  What the heck did I do wrong to my graham cracker crust??  I mean, I'm no novice to cooking and I've probably made graham cracker crusts a million billion times and this is the first time I've had any trouble with it.  When I removed it from the oven, it was all bubbly and smelled almost like caramel.  And as it cooled, it turned into a thick tough sheet.  I'm making another batch right now and hoping it turns out alright.  But what went wrong the first time?  Cooked too long, maybe??

[patches]

Actually, Sarah, I never bake my graham cracker crusts, although some of my recipes say you can bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.  I make mine with the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter (melted) and then press the mixture into the pie pan.
I then chill it for about an hour and it sets up perfectly.    I use these mostly for my cheesecakes.  I like doing it this way because I've found the baked crust is a little harder to cut with a fork  than the chilled one. 

[landofoz]

See, my recipe was for a no-bake turtle pumpkin pie and I thought a baked crust would set better.  The recipe I'm using (I lost my normal one) called for 1.5 c. graham crackers, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1/3 c. melted butter.  From now on I'll just chill these things.  Thanks for your advice.  The second crust did pretty much the same thing.  Talk about irritating.  But, who cares, it's just for the in laws, right? 

[patches]

Sarah, here's my recipe for a basic Graham Cracker Crust and it's practically the same as yours, except for your 1/3 cup butter which is almost right between the 5 or 6 in my recipe. 

Basic Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients:
1 1/2  cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12-14 whole crackers) 
1/4  cup sugar 
5 or 6  tablespoons butter, melted 

Directions:
1.  Combine cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl, then add the butter.
2.  Stir with a fork until crumbs are moistened.
3.  Empty the mixture in the pie plate, then pat and press mixture evenly all around the bottom and sides of the plate.
4.  Before filling, either bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes or chill for about an hour.

(You want the crust to be firm and this can be done both by chilling or baking, but I prefer chilling it.)

[landofoz]

I will put that one back into my recipe box, thanks Patches!  And I will put in BIG letters - chill only! 

[patches]

You're welcome, Sarah!  I'm glad I could help!     By the way, I always do the same thing with chilling the pie shell, instead of baking it, whenever I make my Chocolate Crumb Crust.   

[landofoz]

Definitely no more baking the crust.  It was difficult to cut through and had a caramelly flavor.  Will put in super-huge letters 'Do not bake' on the recipe card. 

Thanks again, Patches!

[patches]

From the sounds of it, Sarah, the butter and sugar started caramelizing, just like it does when you make candy.  I've never had anything like that happen so it's not the reason I chill my crumb crusts.  I think the Graham Cracker crumb pie crust seems to have a much stronger flavor when it's baked, and I don't want anything interferring with the taste of what I'm putting in the crust.