Two Pie 4th of July

Ahhh, I love holidays! I finally get a chance to relax and maybe bake a pie or two :) Today, Momma B (my mother-in-law) asked me if I wanted to make a 4th of July pie and of course I couldn't resist making a cheesey all American pie and post it for the world to see (ok fine, I have 4 followers). I think I shall call this pie "AMERIC'N Pie" (use your most southern accent).

Here it is:(If you would like the recipe to this pie, leave me a comment. It was a recipe Momma B had so I didn't have it off hand.)

And while baking this pie... I knew that I would never taste it so I decided to make some kind of chocolate pie. Mmmm... yes, please! We had lots of fresh raspberries on hand and so I found a recipe for a Chocolate Raspberry Pie at RecipeZaar.com.

You start by mashing the Raspberries with cornstarch and sugar in a pot until it boils. I did just that only to come to realize that it was A LOT of tart raspberries to put in a pie (and you know my beef with fruit).

So, what did I do? I added a few handfuls of Ghiradelli chocolate morsels to the mix. Mmmm... that's the ticket. I think this was about the time Momma B got nervous.

She has good right to be nervous since I can't seem to read all of the directions most of the time. Hey, we all start somewhere. With that said, I ruined the whipped creme cheese filling. I inadvertantly overlooked the fact that you're supposed to whip the heavy whipping cream and whip the creme cheese, sugar and vanilla and then fold the whipped cream into the whipped creme cheese. Instead I whipped them altogether only to get some kind of sweet creme cheese soup. Whoops. {insert Kroger break to get more whipped creme and creme cheese} So when I replaced the ingredients, I actually read the instructions and the filling came out perfectly.

This pie does take a lot of time because of all the chilling you have to wait on, but everyone agreed that it was fantastic. (Good thing my assumption that chocolate mixed in with the raspberry filling worked out!). Here is the finished product (before and after chilling):

My favorite part is the chocolate drizzle on top (after it hardens in the fridge). This pie shall be called "When Raspberries Aren't Enough Pie".

I hope you all had a safe 4th of July and found time to make a pie :)

x0x0
Leigh

Pies from A to Z - Part 1

My friend Emily who writes at Just To Keep In Touch found this cute idea for a blog post and I thought I would try it only for pies :) I'm a bit nervous since I'm new to this whole pie thing - but I'll give it my best shot (and if I have to google or make one up... don't judge).

A- APPLE pie! Confession... I very much dislike apple pie. I must not be American or something. In fact, I'm not a huge fan of any hot pie with fruit in it (that's why Kerren's in on this with me). I know, I'm SO weird. Ok this also made me think of Apricot pie... I just gagged a little. #1 because its hot fruit and #2 because I was once forced to eat some kind of apricot preserve at Grandma's house and it was needless to say some of the worst yellow-orange goo I've ever tasted in my life.

B- Blueberry pie. This is one pie that has fruit in it that I can tolerate. I have to admit blueberries kind of wig me out... its the skin really. And you CAN'T trust them to not stick in between your teeth after consumption... therefore I'm forced to become a closet blueberry fan because I can never eat them in public without being humiliated. They're out to getcha. In any case, blueberry pie is quite scrumptious.

C- Chocolate pie - {cloud from Heaven opened and the angels just sang something sweet} I know you heard it. I could eat chocolate anything any day of the week - especially pie. There is a great recipe for chocolate pie that I found on my favorite food blog Homesick Texan. I love that she asks her Grandma to make it for her because she has precious memories of it growing up. What a special thing to share with a loved one... pie.

D- Dream Whip Pie - This one is especially for my hubby, Joseph. It is his dream to do a Three Stooges pie throw at me one day (it only contains cream). I've consented, but we have yet to nail down an exact day and time (I think that it's only fair to delay since I'm the one being pie-ed).

E- Extreme Banana Creme Pie. Hello, yes please! I found this recipe at CooksRecipes.com. There may be fruit in it BUT its not cooked and there is a chocolate chip cookie dough baked for the crust. No need to say more!

F- Frozen Margarita Pie, also found at CooksRecipes.com. This pie very much reminds me of our short vacation we just took to Fort Morgan. We bought the goodies to make Margaritas and oh did they taste so good on a hot summer day by the beach. Oh and who can hate a frozen pie?!

G- Gooseberry Pie. What you say? Well you can read up on these hairy little berries here. Gooseberries are mainly used in dessert dishes and the unripe gooseberry can be likened to sour grapes. Seeing as how I'm a huge grape fan, I think this one will go on my list of things to make even if the fruit is baked. Sometimes, you just have to take a chance.

H- Hamburger Pie. Yes, not all pies are created equal and this one deserves to be at the bottom of the list. I don't think I can disrespect Momma's pie dish with this one. I refuse to even link this one because WHY ON EARTH WOULD ANYONE MAKE A PIE OF ONLY GROUND HAMBURGER????

I- ICE CREAM PIE!!!! I would like to point out that ice cream is my second favorite dessert. There are sooooooooo many ice cream pies in the world, but I think I will be making my ice cream pie from from another one of my favorite blogs... Fly Through Our Window. This blogger has given out a recipe for homemade ice cream where no crazy ice machines are required! I think I will mix some cookie dough for the crust and then put some of this ice cream on top so the whole thing will be homemade. Ahh!

J- P,B & J Pie. I found this recipe on Oh She Glows - I'm going to have to find a different crust to make this one work - but I think it will be a success! Don't you just love the peanuts she used around the rim?! FUN! I just discovered this blog and I'm already starting to love it - so many healthy recipes! Its about a girl (Angela) who struggled with her weight and beat it. She has now opened up her own bakery here. She's also a vegan, so I'm interested to hear more about the foods that should be avoided. Not that I'm planning on going there... but I'm realizing as I turn (cough, cough) 30 this year and my body is changing, that I need to get on a healthier kick.

K- Key Lime Chiffon Pie - This is a MUST on my to do list. Key Lime is just delicious (to me) and since its so hot here in Nashville, it seems like the perfect summer treat. There is just something about a cold pie... mmmm...

L- Lemon Cream Cheese Pie - I'm not a huge Lemon Meringue Pie fan (its just so dang lemon-y!), but I do love cream cheese mixed with about anything dessert-like (especially chocolate!) so when I found this recipe, I immediately put it on the list. I think the cream cheese will tone down the sour taste for me, so I'm looking forward to it. The picture doesn't look too great, but that's probably because they don't have any great photo editing software that makes everything look better :).

M- Millionaire Pie - Ok, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mandarin oranges and this simple pie hits the spot. Mmmm... whipped cream and mandarins... I think I'm just on a summer pie kick, so hang on for the next round of pies. Maybe I'll put some non-summer ones in there (much to my chagrin).

Wow, I can't believe how long this post took to do, but it was so much fun!!... I'm going to need to bake one of these pies in between part 1 and part 2 I think :) Happy Baking and don't forget to name your pies something fun!

Leigh

Have you ever seen "The Waitress"?

Welcome to my new re-vamped blog all about pies and maybe a few other things I figure out how to make along the way :)

It all started when my best friend & now sister-in-law, Kerren introduced me to the movie "The Waitress". Its hysterically quirky and fun and it's all centered around pies. I recently re-watched the movie and decided that I need yet another hobby to fill up my non-existent free time...I want to make pies, I want to be "The Pie Lady". Somehow I was able to convince Kerren to join me in this pie-making quest (seeing as how she's the one with all of the kitchen talent and she makes everything fun) and here is the result of our first trial pie run.


In honor of the movie, we bake according to inspiration.

Kerren's pie: Bleeding Heart Pie (Cherry, Chocolate Ganache Pie)

My pie: Wish There Was More Time In The Day For Chocolate, Pie :)

We decided to keep our recipes the old fashioned way!

This is our rolling pin that we signed... for good measure :)

Here is the result of nibbling...mmm... they were good!

Mr. & Mrs. Barker!

Joseph and I were married on September 20th of this year! The day was perfect and it even rained a bit (they say it's good luck). Other than that, we had blue skies and wonderful family and friends surrounding us as witnesses to our joyous day. I would do it all over again! Here are some photos - enjoy!

If you didn't know already... I'm getting hitched!!!

Here are a few of Joseph's and my engagement photos from a week or so ago. We've actually been engaged since March 28th...so we're a little behind on these. I am so thankful to have David Molnar photograph our wedding - he has already been such a blessing to us, we can't thank him enough for his hard work!

We're thrilled to be marrying each other on September 20th, 2008 :)

Steps toward a dream...

I think anyone who really knows me knows that I have an absolute passion for weddings. It doesn't matter whose wedding it is, I want to know the most intricate details of the day. I used to photograph weddings for about eight years and always wanted to do more. I decided that I was ready to move further into the wedding world and begin coordinating. I assisted several brides over a few years but I never really had the opportunity to study under a professional... until now :) I have been asked by A Delightful Day (www.adelightfulday.com) to join their team as an assistant! There was no way I could have turned the offer down, so it's official - I'm assisting Mary Alice Sublett and Amber Housley! God has truly blessed me with this job and I am so grateful to the Delightful Day team for asking me to join them in their adventure!