Yum Pie

I have spent 55 years of Thanksgiving eating pie. I have had pie for each and every Thanksgiving. There is apple pie and cherry pie and blueberry pie, pecan pie, banana cream pie, lemon merengue and chocolate cream pie. Can't forget that pumpkin pie! My grandmother liked to make raisin pie and mincemeat pie. I am OK with raisin pie but mincemeat just sounds bad.

I made sweet potato - pecan pie for the first time this year. It was delicious!

How many pies have I eaten? Probably the equivalent of two thousand pies! I'm glad I manage to keep my "girlish figure" through the holidays. We were thinking of joining a gym just to get out of the house and have something to do. Lucky we have a couple pretty good and inexpensive gyms in the neighborhood.

But back to the real reason for this article: pie. I love to make pie from scratch, using fresh apples, cinnamon, butter, sugar, and flour. I try to make my own pie crust too. I can make the lattice top pretty well by now, or I can make the full cover crust to have the pie goo ooze through the little airvent cracks. Oh how I love hot apple pie with vanilla ice cream! It's literally to die for.

This year I am not making a traditional apple pie. It seems I may be the only one who likes them. So I have made a cherry pie. It's all good. After all, I rarely make cherry pie. It's not one of those things I manage to do often is all.

I STILL have to make a peach cobbler and a pineapple upside down cake. Both sound wonderful, don't they? Well, they are. I will probably make little mini cobblers. I like the sound of that. Don't you? With delicious peaches dripping with sweet cinnamon juices below the crisp cover of the crust that is the most perfect golden brown. Ooh, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

I also tried, for the first time ever, to make a cheesecake from scratch. I cheat, typically, using a box mix. HAHA That doesn't even sound like me but I did not have the proper tools. I got a spring pan this year because I just had to try it. So, I made the graham cracker crust, chopped some almonds and sprinkled them on top of the crust. I made the cream cheese filling, but I did not have sour cream. OH NO! So I substituted Eagle Brand sweetened milk and reduced the sugar. After I poured it into the pan I squirted some chocolate syrup on top and swirled it into the cheesecake batter. I have made what I hope is a lovely chocolate swirl almond cheesecake. I'll let you know after tomorrow, OK?

So there you have it. Forget about the turkey, the dressing, the yams and the mashed potatoes. The broccoli with cheese sauce can stay right in the pan. Thanksgiving is all about the pies. I have a small group of people coming over, but I still have like, seven pies. But like I said above, I ain't even done yet! I look forward to the extra six pounds I'll have to work off next month before this all starts again and I make even more goodies for the next holiday--Christmas!

So, to everyone reading this, please enjoy your Thanksgiving. To my friends in other parts of the world, I am sorry you have to miss this delightful pie holiday! You truly are missing something delicious!