My mom was one heck of a pie baker. She’d send my brother and I out on our bikes to pick wild blackberries. She warned us not to eat too many or there wouldn’t be enough for pie.

She taught me how to make crust. The secret is to barely touch it. The more you handle it, the tougher it gets.

I remember visiting her with my infant daughter and toddler son. She had made clam chowder (my favorite) and baked a wild blackberry pie.

I raved about the pie and her perfect flaky crust.

She laughed and said she was doing something different now that she was over 60. She showed me the box of Pillsbury Pie Crusts! I was shocked. I literally couldn’t tell the difference between the boxed crust and her famous homemade crust.

I continued to make crust the old fashioned way. But I didn’t like the mess of flour all over the counter and sink. I didn’t like cleaning after making pies. So one day I folded and bought the crusts. My family didn’t notice the difference.

I noticed it was super easy to bake pies and it wasn’t an ordeal. Unroll the crust and fill it. Bake. Presto! You have pie.

I feel guilty when we have guests over and they rave about my pie. But then again, at least they’re not store bought!

Here’s the recipe from my mom’s Betty Crocker cookbook for rhubarb pie:

Do you think it’s cheating to make a pie with store-bought crusts?

Did you grow up with a Betty Crocker cookbook?