I’m having so much fun learning about how my grandmother adapted during WWII. Things that we take for granted today: food availability, over-the-counter medicines, household cleaners, they were not as easy to come by then. People, especially women during this time, created some clever household tips to get around the limited availability of certain products and services. During WWII my grandmother began creating a notebook with little tips and tricks to get around these problems.
This series “Household Tips & Tricks from WWII” is my families attempt at recreating my grandmother’s notebook. If you read last weeks post Grandma’s Ink Remover you know that the notebook was loaned out years ago and never returned. This little recreation venture started out with me and my mother just jotting down things that we remembered. Over the last few weeks, our family got wind of what we were doing and now everyone is contributing to the notebook. It is so fascinating not only to hear the tips and tricks that they remember but also the stories and memories that they have. This is such a wonderful way to honor my grandmother’s memory.
One of the things that my mother shared with me was that they would only serve meat once a week, it was usually served on Sunday’s. The rest of the week they would try to stretch out what was left over from their Sunday dinner or eat things like creamed peas on toast. My kids and husband wouldn’t have survived, if there isn’t meat on their dinner plate they feel like they’ve been cheated some how.
This week I want to share with you some of grandma’s tips for making pie. Pie seems to have been a big part of the WWII diet in my grandma’s home. Several of my aunts and my mom shared with me how wonderful my grandma was at making pies. They each shared their favorite pie recipe as well as tips that made her pie crusts so good. Today is all about the crust I’ll be sharing her pie recipes in future posts.
** If, by some small miracle, you worked at Amway in Ada, MI and were the person my mother loaned the notebook to, please contact me. The notebook is a small (approx 6×9), black, 3-ring binder, and contains hand drawn patterns (teddy bear), recipes, tips and tricks. It would mean so much to my family to have it back.
I love making pies! Good to know about the crunchy crust and beaten egg. My favorite crust recipe asks for ice cold water…now I know how to make my crust less gooey in the center. Thank you!
I haven't personally tried it yet, but my mom and my aunts swear that it works. I'm planning on trying it this weekend.
My mother could make a pie in a minute. She did everything that is in the list Brings back so many memories
Thanks for sharing!
I'm glad that you liked it Amy!
I like the tip about not washing the rolling pin. The pin that I have was my grandmothers – she purchased it from a yard sale for 59 cents! It's super heavy and rolls out crust perfectly. But I do wonder if not washing it would improve it's functionality even more.
Thanks for linking up with this week's Whip it Up Wednesday linky party!
Thanks so much for sharing these great tips at my Twirl & Take a Bow Party! Have a great week.
Leslie
House on the Way
Great tip… then and now
Mollyxxx
Great tips!
Thanks so much for sharing these great tips. I'm usually so intimidated with the whole process that I end up with store-bought, frozen pie crusts. I will definitely be giving this a try! – Dez 🙂
Try using vodka instead of water. The alcohol evaporates, making the crust even flakier. A word of caution: do not eat the unbaked dough… Gross! Visiting from Friday chaos
I love this feature you are doing.The powder puff tip made me giggle.Hugs and thank you for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things 🙂 P.S. The new giveaway started today!
My grandmother always did the scrape off the rolling pin trick — it was a no-no to wash it! Thanks so much for sharing on Busy Monday!
Great tips!! I do just scrape off the rolling pin trick already. It's great! Thanks for linking up at Romance on a dime!!
WOW!!! Amazing tips!!! I will try them!!
Thanks for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality! Can't wait to see what you link up tomorrow evening!
Great tips!
Thanks for linking up this week!
Stacey of Embracing Change
Great tips! Some I have heard, some not! Pinning to try next time I make pie. Thanks for sharing with Share Your Cup.
hugs,
Jann
Thanks for the tips. I hope that you get the notebook back some day!
Love reading your blog; I get so many fantastic ideas~some known some I’ve never heard of! Not bragging but, I am a fantastic cook, so I’ve been told and I can’t bake a boxed cake! However, I’ve gotten the courage to start baking pies~having a bit of a challenge with the crust! My grandma was a baker, my mom made the best, best, pie crust, my daughter is a fantastic baker and I can’t make a boxed cake❣ What’s up with me?
Don’t be discouraged, I think pie crust is one of the hardest things to perfect, the key is to never let the crust get warm.