I came to this party a little late, but I know how to make really good, really easy gravy using the blender – yell if yuz want instructions. Happy New Year, everybody!

The reasons I love our strong Christmas food traditions is that a) I don’t have to plan the menu, b) I know I can cook all of it successfully, even if it includes instant gravy and c) lots of people who come can cook all of it successfully, so I can almost cede control of the kitchen to others if I try really hard.

I once tried to make a sausage gravy to go over biscuits. It turned out quite horrid. Of course, I was also winging out a recipe, knowing that gravies consist of roux + flavoring + other things. I’ll find a recipe to stick to next time!

Pies have always been daunting to me, especially since my mother made a Legendary Peach Pie for my father that she was never able to replicate despite many valiant attempts. He would mock her attempts, then wonder why she never made him any pie. :-\ I’ve read a bajillion books about pie crusts and this way to make pie crust and that way to make pie crust, and I’ve determined the only way to conquer this phobia is to finally make one of the dratted things and get over it.

Also, I’m very sad to learn that bacon grease does have its culinary uses, since my parents kept oodles and oodles of cans and jars filled with the stuff (because they couldn’t pour it down the sink else it’d clog), but never did anything else with it except take up counter space.

Grafton, I want to try the butter version when I make a savory pie next week, using your proportions for the butter to flour. No wine bottle, though–I’m visiting the parents, who are teetotal.

I agree, ’bout doing it the way mother did. Sometimes one must follow tradition and damn the torpedoes, by funder.

Becky — I think IrishUp’s got it. Lard is pig fat, and if you tell people something is cooked with lard a large percentage of them will say, “OH MY FUCKING GAAAAAWWWWD! GROSS! DEATH!” At least, in my experience.

I think I am also challenged by living on the ocean. Seriously, the Atlantic is maybe 100yds off my front porch, and the next body of land is Portugal, I think. Anyway, the air in my house is always super-humid (and we have a wood stove going this time of year), and I always have to muck around with the water content when I make bread/pasta/pastry doughs. If I add whatever amount of water a recipe calls for, it’s inevitably too much, and any amount of time outside of a fridge gives said dough ample opportunity to suck up more water.

At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Becky, I think it’s because lard is pigfat. As we all know, ANIMAL FATZ=ZOMGDEATHFATZ followed by DEATH! Pig fat has somehow become the zomgdeathfattiests of deathfatz. My mom always made her piecrusts with lard, and she is one super-duper confectioner, I must say. Her lattice cherry pie renders me one giant pile of gustatory joy!