Rhubarb and Red Berry Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When the family gets together there are always requests for pie in various guises. This beauty is known to the gang as Daddy's Birthday Pie. It was Bob's favorite as a child and it was his choice for dessert on his birthday. This version of the pie won best of show at the National Pie Championship. It was created by Susan Gills. Everyone other than Bob swears they dislike it and refuse it when offered. I suspect that's not so because we have a mystery in my kitchen. Let's call it the case of the mysterious shrinking pie. When we went to bed last evening only two slices had been taken from the pie. When I pulled it out for dessert this evening less than a third of the pie remained. My family has a tendency to cut slivers of pie when they think they are unobserved and this pie had been slivered to death. Folks who like tart berry pies will love this rhubarb and red berry pie. It's incredibly easy to make, but you will need lead time, so plan to begin it the night before you intend to serve it. You can use ready-made pie crusts. I make my own but my pastry comes from a recipe on the back of a can of Crisco and it's as easy to make as the filling. Here's the recipe for the mysterious shrinking pie.

Rhubarb-Strawberry-Raspberry Pie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup fresh strawberry halves
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 cups rhubarb pieces, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pastry for a two crust pie

Directions:
1) Mix sugar and flour in a bowl. Add berries and rhubarb and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3) Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry. Pour berry mixture into pan, dot with butter and drizzle with lemon juice.
4) Cover top of pie with remaining pastry, crimping edges to seal and create a decorative border. Cut vents into pie and brush with milk.
5) Bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees F. and bake for 40 to 50 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown.