Grandma Ruby's Fresh Cranberry Pie

I don't know who grandma Ruby is, but she sure created a delicious, seasonal dessert. I was at the Y in a weight class in November, when one of the students shouts out, "Does anyone want a recipe for a fantastic cranberry pie?" I had never had anyone hand out recipes in an exercise class before, so I figured this must be pretty good. I took a copy of the recipe, and the next day was invited to Fran and Jim's for dinner, and brought this pie. Fran liked it so much she ate the leftovers for breakfast the rest of the week. And it's so easy. The pie is assembled in about 5 minutes! Can't beat that. I think you could make it as a cobbler too. I haven't done it, but instead of putting it in a pie shell,place it in a pyrex dish and cover with a crumble topping.

Grandma Ruby's Fresh Cranberry Pie

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell (I used a frozen pie shell)
1 to 1 1/2 packages fresh or frozen whole cranberries (fresh is best)
1 1/2 cups sugar (divided use)
3/4 cups toasted walnuts (buy the walnut pieces, not the halves)
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup melted shortening (I use earth balance vegan shortening...crisco is fine)
zest from one orange (this was not in the original recipe but I thought was a nice addition)

Spread cranberries in bottom of pie shell. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and nuts, which have been lightly toasted. In a bowl, beat eggs well, adding the remaining 1 coup sugar gradually. Add flour, melted butter and shortening. Beat well and pour batter over cranberries. Be sure batter is below top of crust , or it will rise up and you will have a mess in your oven. I used only 1 package of cranberries.

Bake the pie in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour, or until top is golden brown.

If you prefer a cobbler, put the ingredients in a pyrex pan and sprinkle with a cobbler topping, then bake as directed. A cobbler topping is a mixture of uncooked oats, butter cut in little pieces, a little flour, and brown sugar. Sprinkle mixture on top and cook as directed.