Sweet Easter Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two pie plates.

For the crust:

Mix the flour and the baking powder in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and the sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and milk. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix well until it forms a ball. If the dough is not coming together nicely, add a few drops of water. Split the dough into two sections. Take a 1/4 piece from each of the two sections and set aside. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to the size to fit your pie plates. Place dough in pie plates.

For the filling:
Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, ricotta and the finely grated rind and juice of one orange. Mix together well. Pour the filling into the two prepared pie crusts.

Take the two pieces of crust you set aside and knead them together. Roll out on a floured surface into a rectangular shape as large as you can. Cut one inch strips using a pizza cutter or a knife. If using a knife, you can use a ruler to keep the strips straight. Place the strips on top of the filled pie to form a lattice-type pattern.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Check after 40-45 minutes. If the crust is getting brown, cover with foil. Enjoy!