Happy Thanksgiving Eve, everyone!  I hope you’re happily prepping for the holiday whether that means confirming your reservations at a favorite restaurant or harvesting persimmons to make Aunt Nell’s favorite pudding. Around here we’re baking pies.  Well, truthfully, we’re watching my mom bake pies.  Because that’s the kind of helpful children and grandchildren we are.

Actually, I was photographing and watching, trying to figure out how she so effortlessly assembles the crust and then rolls it out with nary a tear (tare) or a tear (teer.)

I always bring the pies to Thanksgiving dinner at my friend Pauline’s and I estimate it took making about a hundred pies before I actually achieved anything close to my mother’s perfect and painless pie crusts.

She makes it look so easy.  Glad you could share this Thanksgiving with us, Mom–and not just for the pies. I’m also looking forward to your creamed onions.

While your pie crusts are chilling, here are a few Thanksgiving things to consider:

Aspirational Thanksgiving recipes by state.

What we actually cook for Thanksgiving by state. (Frog-eye salad, Idaho?)

Strategies for Thanksgiving dinner table conversation.

Anne Lamott on saying grace.

A grateful shout out to Mother Earth.

Nice to learn that we grow more grateful as we age.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

On this first Friday in November I’m thinking about gratitude.  Throughout the year I try to count my blessings—sometimes in a daily “gratitude journal”  but more often than not by documenting the (mostly) good and interesting things in my life on Instagram. (Thank you, Insta!)

In case you haven’t tracked this yet, Thanksgiving comes late this year–November 27– which means there are plenty of days left to start or up your gratitude practice.

For me, I’ve decided to do more than just recognize gratitude this month, I’m trying to put my grateful feelings into action by saying Thank You to the people who bring the good and interesting into my life.  I’m doing it through short email messages, hand written notes and by saying Thank You (with gusto!)  at least once every day in November to the people who make my life better. That includes you, dear readers.   Thank you for reading and for letting me know you’re reading. I’m lucky to have you in my life.

Some other (mostly practical) things I’m grateful for this week:

Arguments for retiring Daylight Savings Time.

Looking ahead to Thanksgiving, a simple table setting featuring random candles and wrinkled linens.  (What, you think the pilgrims had no-wrinkle options?)

How to make a killer grilled cheese sandwich.

Everyday objects as art subjects.

Six stretches to do at your desk.

What your zip code says about you–well, really, your neighbors.

Grammar tips worth repeating.

And now for something a little more glam. . .the Divine Miss M. covers TLC’s Waterfalls.

A confident and experienced cook, I was baffled that pie crusts Would Not Cooperate. I played by the rules—chilling the butter or shortening (depending on the recipe), cutting it into the flour until it was the recommended consistency of peas, sometimes by hand, sometimes with a food processor (again, depending on the recipe) and sprinkling just enough ice water over the dry ingredients to bind everything together.

Invariably, when I would attempt to roll out the chilled dough ball, it would crumble into a mass of broken bits on my well-floured surface. I tried different rolling pins and surfaces—but to no avail. Instead of a single, malleable blanket of pie dough I always ended up with a Frankenstein patchwork that barely held together.  Thank goodness by the time dessert rolled around the guests were all too full and sleepy to care that the pie crusts were homemade but ho-hum.

Then two things happened.  First, I cut the shortening/butter in finer—to the consistency of coarse sand, not peas.  And, second, I found the Just Right Pie Crust recipe.   Using a mix of butter and shortening blended in a food processor, the recipe is basic but reliable. Meant for a strawberry-rhubarb pie, it still plays nicely with pumpkin and pecan and cranberry fillings.  So, friends, on this Thanksgiving Eve, I give you my favorite pie crust recipe.  Go forth and conquer your pie-making and remember that your crusts should still look a little misshapen.  Because who would want a perfect pie crust? That’s available in any supermarket freezer.

Just Right Pie Crust

(adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe for Lattice-Topped Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie April 1997–makes enough dough for two 9″ pies)

3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

10 tablespoons (about) ice water

Combine flour sugar and salt in processor.  Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms.  Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps.  Gather dough into ball; cut in half.  Flatten each half into disk.  Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.*  (Can be made 1 day ahead.  Keep chilled.  Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)

* When you’ve successfully, happily, easily put those pie dough balls into the freezer to chill, take a moment to chill yourself and read this smart essay on how to be a good host (surprise–it’s not about the food!)