52 Weeks, 52 Pies

A few months ago, not long after I graduated college and entered the "what do I do now?" stage of panic that comes when zero plans have been made for such a time, I came up with an idea that's probably ridiculous, but may actually (possibly/hopefully) turn into something cool.  I've been trying to find new hobbies to occupy my time while also trying to improve upon myself and learn new things (everything a true liberal arts grad should do, right?). However, many other attempts at this have failed miserably... I have yet to complete a 52 book/year challenge, I haven't bothered picking up my guitar since I got it, and so far my French is dismal, bordering on non-existent.

But this one, this one I really want to test myself with. I want to teach myself discipline, I want to teach myself patience, and I want to discover other people's stories.

What's this idea?

Pie making, of course!

Over the next year, I'm challenging myself with baking. It is my goal to bake one pie per week, from September 6, 2009 to September 6, 2010. I have just recently started a new job, and now that I'm settled in, my year of self-improvement and self-indulgence begins. I plan to chronicle it all here, out in the vast openness of the world wide web, and then decide if a year of pie-baking has done me any good. There's a chance it won't do anything for me, but I'm crossing my fingers that at the very least, I'll be able to have a few recipes under my belt (and maybe I'll even improve my writing skills in the process, but let's not get too crazy).

Why pie?  Well, I'm not entirely sure... I guess it's been on the brain as of late (thank you, delicious set and prop designs of Waitress and Pushing Daisies), and it's something that just about everyone knows, loves, and has a story about.  I had also just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love and Julie & Julia was just entering into pop-culture radar.  So I guess a giant mash-up of the aforementioned movies, books, and tv show, combined with my lack of plans for the year added up to one slightly crazy and delightfully random idea.

Badaboom!

Well, 52 pies is kind of a lot, and I don't know that many recipes. So I'm asking family, friends, family of friends, and friends of family to send me a recipe that means something to them... either one they just love for its taste, one they grew up with, or one that has a great history. By learning the stories behind the pie, I get to bake a pie with history, and not just one I found on marthastewart.com.

So, on my eve of baking my first pie, I am channeling my inner *insert name of someone who spent a year doing something in the name of self-discovery here* and gearing up for a year of absurdity, fun, change, improvement, melt-downs, humor, and most importantly, delicious home-baked goodness-in-a-crust.

To pie!