Easy as Strawberry Pie

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe out of my mother's magic recipe box, so I thought I'd share something that I've made a few times since strawberries have been in season here in Texas.  This is a simple recipe and is unbelievably delicious.   Here's the recipe:

And here's the blow by blow:

Put the 1 1/2 pints of strawberries in a pot and mash.

I've used store bought pie crust and home made.
For either one, get it in the oven now,
so it will be cool by the time you need to put the filling in.

After the strawberries are mashed up, add the sugar and the cornstarch.
Stir this over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
I've made the mistake of doing this for only 5 minutes, like my mom says
on the card, but I find I need to stir and heat for atleast 10 minutes.

This is how it should look when it is thickened enough.

Add the rest of the strawberries, the almond extract and the lemon juice and stir.
Let this mixture hang out until it is cooled to room temperature.

Your pie crust should be finished and cooled by now.

Pour the strawberries into the pie crust and put it in the
fridge for atleast 30 minutes to chill.  This is when I make
the whipped cream to top it with.  I just use whipping cream
that you find in the dairy section by the half and half and whip it
with my hand held mixer.  While I'm whipping it, I add
a little sugar to make it sweet.  I prefer this to Cool Whip
(too many mysterious chemicals) and it's so easy to make.

When you serve it, just add a big spoonful of whipped cream on top,
and there you have it!

You might end up licking the plate clean.

I hope you love this pie as much as I do.  Let me know how it turns out, okay?