valetines cherry pie

i decided to go big or go home for my first post to the recipe blog. :)
i made a cherry pie. from scratch!

it turned out so so good. and it only took me all day.
so before you try it out make sure you have a good 4 hours... hehe.

first you gotta make the crust:

Pastry Two-Crust Pie (9-inch)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
• 4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

1. mix flour and salt in medium bowl. cut in shortening, using pastry blender until particles are size of small peas. sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened.
2. gather pastry into a ball. divide into two balls and shape into flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. wrap each round of pastry in plastic wrap and refridgerate about 30 minutes.
3. roll one round of pastry on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into cirlce 2 inches larger than upside-down pie plate. fold pastry into fourths and place in pie-plate. unfold pastry and ease into plate.

Pie Filling:

• 2 cans (21 ounces each) cherry pie filling - this is the easy part. :)

now back to the directions...

1. pour pie filling into pastry-lined pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches. trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate. roll other round of pastry for top then cut into strips about 1/2 inch wide.
2. place 5-7 strips across filling in pie plate. place cross-strips over tops of first strips to make lattice. trim ends of strips. fold trimmed edge of bottom crust over ends of strips.
3. bake at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
4. cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.
5. enjoy!