How we cook in Tennessee ..

Plain Pie Crust. — Two and one-half cups sifted flour, one cup shortening (half of butter and half of lard, cold), pinch of salt, a heaping teaspoon of baking powder, sifted through the flour. Rub the shortening thoroughly into the flour; mix together with half teacup cold water, or enough to form a rather stiff dough ; mix as little as possible ; it must be handled very lightly. This is for two pies. Pastry (fine). — Into one pint flour, sift one teaspoon of baking powder; add heaping tablespoon lard and mix thoroughly with a knife. Use ice cold water sufficient to mix. Fried Pies. — Mash dried peaches or apples through a colander; season to taste with sugar, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Cut out pastry by a large saucer, spread fruit on half of it and fold the other over; press the two edges together with the prongs of a fork and fry quickly in hot lard. Delicious Pie. — For two pies; six eggs, one cup butter, one cup sugar, one spoon vanilla ; use meringue of six whites and one and a half cups sugar; flavor with vanilla. Sweet Potato Pie. — One pint mashed sweet potatoes, one cup milk, one cup butter, one cup sugar, four eggs, one nutmeg; bake on pastry. Sweet Potato Pie. — One pint mashed sweet potato, one cup milk, one cup butter, one cup sugar, four eggs, one nutmeg; pour into a pan and bake. Sliced Sweet Potato Pie. — Parboil and slice two medium sized potatoes ; put them in a deep pie plate lined with pastry ; pour over the potatoes a sauce made of one cup sugar, half cup butter, and a cup of boiling water ; flavor with teaspoon each of cinnamon, cloves and allspice mixed and the grated rind of a lemon and whiskey. Bake in a slow oven. Old Fashioned Sliced Potato Pie. — Boil sweet potatoes until well done. Peel and slice them. Line a deep pie pan with good plain paste, and arrange the sliced potatoes in layers, dotting with butter and sprinkling sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg over each layer, using at least one-half cup sugar. Pour over three tablespoons whiskey, about one-half cup water, cover with pastry and bake. Serve warm. Sliced Sweet Potato Pie. — Parboil and slice two medium sized potatoes; put them into a deep pie plate that has been previously lined with puff paste ; pour over the potatoes a sauce made of one cup of sugar, half cup of butter, and one cup of boiling water ; flavor with a teaspoonful of cinnamon, teaspoonful of cloves and allspice mixed, and the juice and grated rinds of two lemons ; cover with paste. Bake in a slow oven. Sweet Potato Pie. — One pound of potatoes boiled and rubbed smooth, half pound of sugar, a small cup of cream, one-fourth pound of butter, four eggs; nutmeg and lemon to suit the taste ; bake in a crust. This quantity will make two large pies. Irish Potato Pie. — Two cupfuls of boiled potatoes nicely strained through a colander, one cup of butter, one of milk, two of sugar, six eggs ; flavor with wine and nutmeg. Bake on pastry, or in a dish like a pudding. A Delicious Apple Pie. — Six apples of medium size, a tumblerful of crushed sugar, three tablespoonfuls of butter or two tumblerfuls of rich cream, six eggs, the juice and grated rind of one lemon ; peel the apples and grate them ; cream the butter and sugar together ; beat the whites and yolks of the eggs separately; mix as for cake. Bake in paste.