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Pie Advice from a Seven-Year-Old

Pie Advice from a Seven-Year-Old

Pie advice from a seven-year-old has become a regular thing at our house. Our granddaughter, who always has a lot to say about pie in general and cherry pie in particular, turned seven in January. Between that momentous occasion and many recent opportunities for pie making and baking, our newly minted seven-year-old has been cranking out pie pronouncements at record speed. Here’s a recap:

  • In late January I made and froze six unbaked pies. Then I made the scraps of crusts into what we call “pie crispies.” The seven-year-old smelled them baking and came up to declare, with a sparkle in her eye, “I know what we’re having for dessert tonight––pie!” After I explained dessert was not on the menu, she shot me a look that would have killed had she not been offered some of the aforementioned pie crispies as a snack.
  • Hiram and I hauled our camper home from points south on Valentine’s Day. We spent the rest of that day and all of the next unpacking, doing laundry, and recovering. On the 16th I baked a cherry pie as part of a late holiday celebration with the family. “It’s delicious,” the seven-year-old said after eating two pieces. “When are you making another one?”
  • Last weekend I took four of the six frozen pies out to thaw and then baked them for my niece’s baby shower. (This is the same niece who asked my sister and to make over 20 pies for her high school graduation party and several years later, more than 40 for her wedding.) Two of the pies were cherry and two were apple. When we brought the leftovers home afterwards, the seven-year-old declared, “Can I have all the cherry?” The answer was “You can have one, just like everyone else in your family.” She looked at me and advised, “Next time, make more cherry.”
  • The Monday after the baby shower, I took the final frozen pies out to thaw––one cherry and one apple––and baked them to serve at our church small group that evening. When the seven-year-old came home and learned they wouldn’t be served for our family’s dessert, she had this advice. “Next time. make an apple, a cherry, and one other kind like maybe strawberry. Give your friends the apple and strawberry, but save the cherry for us.”

So there you have it. Pie advice from a seven-year-old. Her advice has created within me a huge well of gratitude toward a sovereign God who scheduled her arrival in this world for 2018. I mean, can you imagine the free advice she would have bestowed during the pie baking extravaganzas before my niece’s graduation and wedding pie extravaganzas?

I shudder just thinking about it.

Baking Up a Storm

Baking Up a Storm

The recipes for the carrot cake, cherry pie, and strawberry-rhubarb pie for the weekend's dessert auction are available here.Last weekend’s kitchen time was spent baking up a storm for the Wonderfully Made Family Camp dessert auction fundraiser.  From the top clockwise are the desserts I contributed: carrot cake, cherry pie, cherry pie, and strawberry-rhubarb pie.

Between baking, setting up for the fundraiser, and enjoying the evening there wasn’t time for testing new recipes. So here are recipes for the goodies that sold for ridiculous prices at Saturday night’s big event.

  1. Non-Dairy Carrot Cake with Cream “Cheese” Frostingcarrot cake
  2. Cherry Pie cherry pie
  3. Strawberry-Rhubarb PieStrawberry-Rhubarb Pie

My favorite of the three is cherry. Yours?

 

What Are Your Thanksgiving Faves?

What Are Your Thanksgiving Faves?

Great-aunts Gladys and Ginny with Gladys’ daughter, Darlene

Thanksgiving’s this Thursday, and my mind keeps wandering to the holiday. Rather than fight the feeling, I’m going with it and making a list of Thanksgiving faves. Here goes.

  1. Favorite Thanksgiving childhood memory: Spending the day playing with my cousins and conspiring with them about how to persuade our parents to let us stay overnight together.
  2. Favorite Thanksgiving adult memory: The year Great-uncle Burnell (suffering from Alzheimer’s), his wife Ginny, and sister-in-law Gladys (both in their 90s) came for dinner. Burnell kept saying he had such a good time he wanted to give me a six million dollar bill. Ginny and Gladys argued about who spilled crumbs and couldn’t get over how well the paper napkins matched the linen tablecloth.
  3. Favorite Thanksgiving trip: Driving from Camp Crook to Le Mars during our South Dakota days. Every time we drove into a snowstorm between Mitchell and Sioux Falls.
  4. Favorite aroma: Waking up to the smell of the onions and celery sauteing in butter for the stuffing Mom was making.
  5. Favorite appetizer: Mom’s Franklin Chex Mix
  6. Favorite food: Mashed potatoes and gravy
  7. Favorite pie: Cherry
  8. Favorite tradition: Playing Catch Phrase with the fam

Okay, now it’s your turn. What’s on your list of Thanksgiving faves? Give into the feeling and leave a comment!