No-fail Pie Crust

Last week we hosted our Small Group from church which includes dessert. Normally at this time of year, I would serve something with either rhubarb or strawberries. However, our weather hasn't seemed like spring, so I decided to bake a pie. With Easter coming up, I thought perhaps someone might appreciate this wonderful pie crust recipe that was given to me some years ago by my stepmother:
Pie Crust
Cut together:
2 cups of flour
1 cup Crisco (I now use the no trans fat kind.)
salt
Add: 1/4 cup milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons vinegar (If it seems too sticky, I add a little more flour.)
Roll into 2 large crusts or 3 medium crusts. (I roll them out on a well-floured pastry cloth with a floured sleeve on the rolling pin.)
This recipe is easily halved and NEVER fails. Honest! (Our daughters and my sister will tell you the same thing....)
Ready to Fill
Since I was making an Apple Crumb Pie (Page 297, Better Homes and Garden cookbook, 1962, my way, I peeled and thinly sliced 5 large Granny Smith apples and tossed them with a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. After putting the coated apples into the pie shell, I topped them with a crumb topping. Any recipe would work, but I used what was given: Cut together 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup flour, and 1/2 cup butter. (I always use a pastry blender for both the pie crust and the topping.)
Ready for the Oven
After baking the pie for 40 minutes at 400, I generally turn the oven way down, to 300-325 degrees, and bake it for another 15 or so minutes until the juice is bubbling up nicely and the apples are tender.
As you can see in this photo, a few of the apples got a little brown. (I had made the pie that morning and refrigerated it. Because of a time crunch, I didn't let it warm up long enough before baking it.) However, I served it warm with vanilla ice cream, and no one complained. In fact, not a drop was left on any plate!
Yum
This is not a calorie free dessert, but I figure if you're going to have dessert at all, it might as well taste good. Enjoy!