I feel like a genius. I'm very much NOT a genius, but every once in a while I think of something that makes me feel genius - like.
A couple of months ago I got my hands on some locally raised pig fat and set about the task of rendering it myself. Rendered pig fat = lard. Remember, we've decided we aren't afraid of lard, right? One of the first things people think of when you mention lard is old fashioned pie crust. So I decided to try my hand at some pie crust. I've been following this basic flakey pie crust recipe substituting lard for shortening. YUM! I've made pumpkin pie and turkey pot pie with it. So good. It calls for a half cup (and I double it so use a full cup). This requires me to scoop out a cup of lard from my quart jar and put it in a measuring cup and then scoop it out again. What a pain.
Several weeks ago I was gifted more lard from the organic farm that I get my raw milk from. This time I rendered it, strained it, then poured it into a muffin tin which just so happens to be exactly one half cup! Freeze it till hard, pop them out and stick in a freezer bag to go back into the freezer until I'm ready to make pie crust. At which time I'll just take out two 'muffins' and let them come to room temp. Since I was on a roll, I decided to do the same with my mini muffin tin. These portion out to perfect little 2 tablespoon cooking lard portions.
Am I a genius or what? ;)
