Chiggers and Fried Pies

Two significant things from today: chiggers and fried pies.

The chiggers were taken care of in a bath (scrub body with fingernail brush and lots of soap) and some anti-itch cream.

Fried pies are NOT turnovers. Fried pies are fried damn pies. The crust is biscuit, rolled out thin. Because it needs to not fall apart, I make half whole wheat half unbleached flour biscuit dough for this. The filling needs to be some fruit with a real tartness to it (blackberries today), sweetened a bit, perhaps thickened. Today we made a sweetened cooked filling but I used raw blackberries and then dribbled the filling on top of those so it was really tart and fruity. Anyway, the biscuit is then folded over itself and the edges sealed (a very important part of the process), fried in some oil until browned on both sides, then put into a sugar cinnamon mixture while the oil clinging to the pie is still hot so the sugar will stick nicely. Must be granulated sugar because nothing else has the texture required. Really, it is the whole and entire experience that makes for fried pies.

Always make these thinking you will take some to the neighbors, knowing that no matter how many you make, there won't be enough. At least there will never be enough until you are an old old lady taking them to family reunions so the great grandchildren will actually know what they are since their mother's do not actually cook.

Also, go ahead and be prepared to makes lots at a time because it is just as much trouble and just as messy to make a few as a great big pile of them. And it really helps to have two people doing it -- otherwise it is hard to make them and turn them without getting behind and burning something.

The fried pies nearly made up for the chiggers. I need to go clean up now, but I think I'll have another pie first.