Big Sky and a Slice of Pie

For me, it all began with the movie The Horse Whisperer; you know - the romance and freedom of horses; the Rockies and big skies of Montana; down home cooking using the fruits of the land; good honest hard work; straightforward, yet kind, women (like the Dianne Weist character - a person you'd want on YOUR side) - oh yeah, and cowboys as gentle as Robert Redford and rugged like the Marlboro man.  It's no wonder I've longed to see Montana for many  years.

The photos below were all taken in various places in Montana: Blackfeet Nation parade and powwow we happened upon in Browning with more horses than I've ever seen on a downtown Main Street, many ridden bareback; a view from our RV site of Glacier National Park; me picking raspberries from Jane's backyard; the Rockies overshadowing spectacular, glacier-fed Flathead Lake in Polson.

The pie, however, is not Montana's claim to fame - it was homemade by Linda from Pullman, Washington!  My clothes will tell you that I've been eating a LOT of pie from all over the Pacific Northwest and through Montana, and this is by far the BEST strawberry-rhubarb pie I've ever had.  Pies don't have to be all fancy with caramelized this and oatmeal that or cream cheese crust - nope just a simple recipe that Linda's been baking for years using Betty Crocker's standard crust recipe and slightly tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries.  Some simple tips for her flaky crust: make sure the water is ice cold, use Crisco instead of butter, and don't over-knead the dough.  Next relative or friend I visit who wants to give it a go with me, I'm ready!