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The Peace of Pie

The Peace of Pie

Monthly Archives: February 2012

Love Language

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Apple Pie

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

apple, berry, sugarless

A couple of years back, we were into these books by Gary Chapman…The 5 Love Languages ones. You may be familiar with them. In case you aren’t, the premise is that individuals communicate their love for others/want to be communicated to in a certain way…for example, physical touch. (From my experience, people either really like this concept, are really annoyed by it, or just really don’t care. My apologies if you belong to one of the second two groups, I promise this won’t be a lengthy dissertation.) My point is that when I read the original book (as you do when you’re dating and you’re curious if you speak the same love languages as your significant other) I was of the opinion that if your love language was “Gifts” instead of “Quality Time” or “Words of Affirmation,” you were probably pretty shallow. So naturally, when I took the little quiz the book gives you, I scorned any answers that made it sound like I would prefer gifts to any other type of lovin’. I guess I cheated a little, because years later I have come to the conclusion that–alas–I am, in reality, a GIFTS PERSON…a hoarder of wrapping paper, a maker of handmade cards, and a pie-baking fool. Don’t judge me! I like hugs too. And I’ll love you if you mop my floors. I just generally find that I show love by giving physical things to my friends. And since I like to bake and cook, if I love you, chances are high that I’ll try to feed you.

(Side note: I think I’m turning into my Nana.)

Some of our best friends, Todd and Abby, were just out from New Jersey for a short visit. I made a pie. Truth be told, there are very few people that I love more than Todd and Abby (and their stinkin’ cute kids, Benjamin and Verity.) And I know Todd loves apple pie. Here’s the thing…I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I’m running out of berry pies. I’m kind of running out of apple pies too, and I think it’s because every time I see Todd these days, I make him an apple pie. This is his fifth one. Love language.

Happy birthday, Todd!

Liz Smothers’s Sugarless Apple-Berry Pie, eaten with vanilla ice cream so as to totally negate the sugarless part. For any readers who actually avoid sugar fo’ realz, I really enjoyed that this pie doesn’t use any artificial sweetener…it’s just the fruit with apple juice. No, it’s not super sweet, but I also wouldn’t taste it and think that there was something missing. I used blueberries, but I’m thinking raspberries might be even yummier.

And now, for my final trick, I will sneak into my post pictures of adorable children!

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Chess Pie?

21 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Be honest…do YOU know what a chess pie is?

Before I made my first one, I didn’t either. I thought (without vocalizing it, because I think if I’d gotten that far I would have realized this made no sense) that it was a pie with a marbled top, vaguely resembling a chessboard with dark and light parts. My father-in-law, who just had a birthday and got to choose this pie from the book, guessed that it was like a cheesecake pie. Chess/cheese, pretty close.

There are several theories given in the cookbook to explain the whole situation. One of them is that a chess pie is a pie that holds up well in a pie chest (as you might guess, a cupboard for safely storing pies in.) Chess/chest. Even closer.

If you asked me now what a chess pie is, I would say that this is my general assessment.

1. It has eggs in it.

2. It’s so easy to make. Not even funny.

3. It’s incredibly delicious.

Ticket to Ride is a good game. Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappucino is a good ice cream.

Angus Barn Chocolate Chess Pie is a good pie. There you have it, folks.

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Good Things

16 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Uncategorized

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Tags

chocolate chips, pecan, whiskey

Here are some Good Things.

1. I have a lovely new banner adorning the top of this blog, as you may have noticed. My talented friend April created it for me. (Thanks again! You’re simply the best.)

2. Chocolate Chips.

3. Jack Daniel’s.

4. Pecans.

5. The above-mentioned three items combined to make one incredible pie. (Named, simply, Jack Daniel’s Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie.) No problems there, folks.

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6. The fact that my friend Maggie flew out from Virginia to surprise me that weekend (sneaky husband was in on the secret as well). We hadn’t seen each other since August.

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Take note of the Good Things that happen to you today!

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I’m running out of berry pies.

13 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Alas, I am afraid that in not too long (read: about half a year) I will not have a single solitary berry pie left to bake. But in the meantime…

I will bake Blueberry-Lime Pie when it’s my turn for Wednesday night Bible class refreshments.

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And I will reluctantly share, but will stand in the kitchen and sneakily eat a healthy slice.

And take purple-tinted Camera+ pictures on my iPhone. WHAT a dork.

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Really though, I’m partial to berry pies. I have a hard time coming up with a concrete answer when people ask me what my favorite has been so far, but I know one thing: it surely contained berries.

One gripe with this pie=having to purchase limeade concentrate. HFCS doesn’t usually make it in my front door. If you ever come across a more natural brand, please let me know, I’d be interested. For very far future reference, as the next take on this guy is waiting in line behind about 230 other new pies. Patience, patience.

Speaking of the day I finish the Pie cookbook, I have been thinking lately about how I’d like to start inventing some of my own pies. My friend Nicole lent me the movie Waitress, which for some reason I had never seen. I am slowly becoming the person everyone mentally associates with pie, so I get lots of pie related gifts, articles, movies, etc. I have no problem with this. Anyway, I thought the names Keri Russell made up for her pies were super funny. Not being in the same life situation, I have no reason to invent a “Baby Screaming its Head Off in the Middle of the Night and Ruining my Life” Pie, but lately I’ve been found making lots of “I Have a Million Papers to Grade and My House is a Mess but I’d Rather be Baking” pies. This was one of them.

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Pies rhymes with Surprise

11 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Uncategorized

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For our friend Mike’s birthday a couple weekends ago, his girlfriend (my cousin) Alisa planned an awesome surprise party for him.

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Mike still has no idea that there is a large hangout going on in his living room.

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Realization of the truth slowly settles in.

The theme of the party was sports, which meant that the guys could sit on couches and watch football for hours, and eat. Which is what they would have wanted to do on a Sunday afternoon anyway.

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“Wear my Justin Tuck jersey while I watch the Giants defeat the 49ers en route to the Superbowl? Why yes, I think I shall.”

Once Mike had been sufficiently surprised and had finished changing into his Laker’s jersey, Alisa and I made him guess what kind of pie we picked for him (without seeing said pie). He guessed pumpkin cheesecake. The correct answer was…*deep breath*…Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pie with Brown Sugar-Sour Cream Topping.

I’m going to give seven out of ten points for that one…5 for the cheesecake and 2 for the initial “P” sound.

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Ain’t they cute?! All three of them!

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There’s nothing cuter than mini pies.

09 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by jessica@peace-of-pie in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

That’s a fact.

Except for maybe these ladies.

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About once a month, a group of my girlfriends get together to catch up on each other’s lives and participate in fun/uplifting activities. For example, this month we made a scrapbook for our friend Kristen’s almost-here baby girl (!!) and ate lots of snacks, and then made mini pies. Sounds great, right?

Thanks girls for letting me teach my first official pie-making class to you. 😉

The recipe I used was one called “Little Fruit Crumb Pies.” The funniest part was that the recipe talks a lot about how this is a “recipe for the kids” and includes quotes like, “have the children gently press the remaining pastry crumbs into the fruit.” So I got to pretend I had a bunch of children making pies with me.

To accommodate the diverse taste buds of our group, we used apples, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, AND rhubarb! Hooray!

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Here’s what we did:

1. Press in the pastry (aptly named “Press-in Pastry.” It’s a big bunch of crumbs, and you just take some and press them into the pie tin instead of rolling out a crust. Much easier for a large group of children. Or adults.)

2. Select fruit of choice. The final products here ranged from plain apple to blueberry-raspberry-strawberry. To each her own.

3. Add sugar, flour, spices and lemon and mix it all together.

4. Top with more crumbs.

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Then you just figure out how to put eight little pies in the oven so that you’ll be able to retrieve them later without burning yourself…and you’re all set.

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Go, little pies, go!

After much anticipation, we were rewarded with…a whole pie each. There is something so fun about having your own little special pie to eat all by yourself. If you want to. I mean, you’re still allowed to share mini pies. They’re just the only pies that you don’t HAVE to share.

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