Impossibly easy pies are magic in the kitchen

Tastes of the Town

Denice and Dennis Morgan enjoying impossible coconut pie. (Linda Dwyer)
Denice and Dennis Morgan enjoying impossible coconut pie. (Linda Dwyer)

Recently, I learned about depression-era water pies.  During tough times, people were desperate to treat their families to something sweet. Referred to in a cookbook as Hard Times Pie, the desert was made with water, flour, butter and sugar. Although the main ingredient was water, they surprisingly set like a custard.

The simple recipes brought back memories of recipes from my newlywed days, w…