Of Pink Ladies and Yellow Pies

So does anyone else out there still have issues writing 2010 as the year?  I always think it looks weird to just write "10" at the end of the date.  Also, I'm usually writing the previous year down until, oh, about May-ish.  *sigh*

Well anyway, I'm sorry for only posting one entry in January!  Time is a-flyin'!  Also, as a hint, a few comments might motivate me to update more :)  Just saying...

I have 4 new pies to update you on, so let's get cracking!

So shortly after my last entry, I took off for the great state of Arkansas to lead a Habitat for Humanity trip.  It was a phenomenal week... we had a great group (I can't sing their praises enough.  They were no-fuss, "what can I do next?" kind of people... basically, a dream group!), we accomplished a lot, and got that amazing feeling that comes after knowing you've just done something great for someone else.  I love that feeling!

So while in Arkansas (which, by the way, is a gorgeous state... who knew?), I was having all sorts of pie anxiety.  We left on a Sunday and got back on a Saturday (aka my pie week), and I didn't know if I'd be able to make one down there or have to scramble to make one late Saturday night.  Seriously, I was panicking... this is the ONE rule I just don't mess with!

Well, we were staying in a house for the week, but even then I wasn't sure of what I would have in terms of necessary baking equipment.  And what kind of pie would I make?

The group was really excited when they heard about my year of pie, and we spent a few days trying to come up with something that I could make up (as I forgot my recipe book... also, I don't have all that many recipes left, so send some please!!!).  Figuring I would do this on our last night, I was wracking my brain for ideas, still stressing a tiny bit, when everything fell into place on Wednesday night.

We were invited to the home of one of the Habitat board members for dinner, and we were served up some lovely down-home Southern hospitality, along with a side of charm and a nice helping of gratitude (which we returned).  The actual food was also wonderful, and we ate ourselves silly.  And then dessert rolled around.

We were offered two different pies: an oreo ice cream pie and the one I chose, Pink Lemonade Pie (which I then accidentally called Pink Lady Pie... I think I like my name better).  It was heaven.  Slightly tart but with a creamy, smooth filling, it was the perfect palate-cleanser -- not too heavy, but just satisfying enough to consider another slice.  I was absolutely in love with this pie, so I mentioned my project to our fabulous hostess, and she happily gave me the recipe!  Pie crisis solved!

It was just about the easiest thing ever... sweetened condensed milk mixed with cool whip and half a can of frozen pink lemonade all whipped together and frozen in a graham cracker pie crust.  Easy peasy!  So that night I ran out to the store and picked up the ingredients, swapping orange juice for the pink lemonade, making this... Orange Creamsicle Pie!!!  Win.

The downside was that I purchased an already made graham cracker crust... I just didn't have the tools to make my own.  I felt like a slight failure for this, but I justified it by saying that I was at least making a pie that week!  That was tough enough to do!

It was phenomenal, the only downside being I forgot to put it in the fridge after it set in the freezer... it was a bit, well, frozen, whereas the Pink Lady Pie was silkier.  Ah well, it was still tasty.

So then, let's see... the next week's pie was one I've been dying to try for quite some time -- Key Lime Pie.  I got the recipe from my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Jerry, who went to the Florida Keys for their honeymoon a few months back.  The one souvenir I asked for was a recipe while they were there (and maybe some key limes if they could manage it... otherwise I would just be making lime pie.  Walmart's produce section isn't quite equipped for such exotic things as key limes.).  And they delivered!  Not only did they get me a recipe (apparently every restaurant in the Keys uses the same recipe), they also got me a bottle of key lime juice!  Double win!

So I decided to bake the pie in my Paula Deen dish... once again forgetting its size and therefore stupidly purchasing only one can of sweetened condensed milk.  I don't understand how I continue to fail at this.  Urgh.

Anyway, I made the crust, mixed up the ingredients, and juuuuuust as I was about to pour the batter into the crust I thought "Hmm... I don't think Key Lime Pie is supposed to be yellow.  This looks weird."  I put the bowl down and re-checked the recipe and lo and behold, I was supposed to add egg whites, not eggs.  Whoopsidaisy!

Irritated at my mistake, I sprinted back to the store to pick up more of the milk I needed (this time remembering to grab 2), then whipped up another batch.  The upside to my mistake?  I got to actually double the recipe.  The downside?  I used 3/4 of my lime juice.  Dang.

So the recipe said to bake the pie for 8 minutes, but since I doubled it, I figured it should go in longer.  25 minutes later (!), the pie finally looked set enough to take out of the oven.  I sat and checked the dang thing every five minutes, but it looked too liquidy to be a decent pie until the 25 minute mark.  Having never baked this kind of pie, I didn't really know if what it was supposed to look like as it came out of the oven, and the recipe was rather vague. 

Well anyway, we ate the pie once it cooled, and it had a really heavy cheesecake-esque consistency that I quite liked, but I think it was overcooked for what the pie is supposed to be like.  The lime flavor was really light, and while it seemed a bit off, overall I really liked it and hope to try it again sometime soon (this time in the smaller pan that the recipe calls for).

Halfway through!  Deep breath!  And... onto the next pie!

So last week was my friend Lydia's birthday, and I made her the pie she requested, which was Peanut Butter Pie.  Yes, I've done variations on this before, but this was a new recipe that I kind of invented and was really excited to try out.  I've mentioned once or twice that it's one of my goals for this year to recreate Perkins' peanut butter pie (which is HEAVEN), and this was the closest I've come thus far.

I found three separate recipes for chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse, and homemade whipped cream, and then I set to work!  On a crust, I layered the aforementioned ingredients (which I sampled quite a bit in the mixing process... shhhhh) and topped it off with a lovely garnish of chocolate shavings.  Okay, really I forgot to pick up mini-Reese's cups, so chocolate it was!

The pie was quite tasty overall, although I used bittersweet chocolate instead of semisweet for the ganache, so that part was not as on-the-money as I would have liked.  Also, the consistency of the whipped cream wasn't as thick as Perkin's, but still, it was a rather delicious pie!  And I can't wait to give it another shot... also to let it set longer (I hate making pies mid-week, because they usually have less than 2 hours to set, which doesn't allow the mousse or other fillings to firm up as much as they should).  The things one learns...

Finally, pie number 4 (sorry!) was a meat pie (again, recipes are running low... let's fix this, folks!).  Actually, it was Chicken Taco Pie, to be exact, and I got the recipe from Jerry's mom, Irma.  The recipe was super easy overall... shredded chicken, onion, and taco seasoning baked in a pie pan with bisquick mix, eggs, and milk, and topped with cheese.  Can we say yum?  It was pretty darn great overall (served with salsa and sour cream) and I know now to double this recipe, as most of us wanted seconds.  I want to mess with spices a bit if I try it again, though, since I think it could've used an extra kick.  Otherwise, I loved it!

I also have to let you know that I baked this pie in my apple-shaped pie pan.  Why?  Because I'm lazy.  I was hesitant to share this story, as I don't want to be judged (and I will), but since it relates to the pie, I feel I must.  So I'm a terrible housekeeper... living on my own, I tend to put off cleaning until it's absolutely necessary.  I'm not a complete slob by any means, but vacuuming and putting away clothes aren't usually my top priorities when I get home from work (Vegging out in front of the Food Network while reading Entertainment Weekly are.).

And since I own a LOT of dishes (seriously, way more than one person needs), I tend to just keep using new plates and mugs and pans and let the sink get fuller and fuller and fuller.  It's gross, I know!  But in my defense, washing the dishes is my absolute least favorite chore.  Always has been.  Always will be.

So basically I was out of clean dishes when it came time to bake this pie (to give you an idea, the key lime and peanut butter pie pans were dirty in the sink), hence the apple dish.  Also my random measurements (my measuring cups were also dirty). 

Don't worry your pretty little head though, I finally washed my dishes on Monday.  I had to empty the dishwater 3 times and filled up my dish rack 4 times, but they're clean!  For now.

Judge away, you know you want to. 

Okay, so a few final things before I wrap this up.  First of all, sorry for the lack of pictures... I'm hoping that later this week I can post an entry that's pictures-only.  Some of these pies have turned out rather beautifully, and I want to show them off, but in the interest of getting the blog posted ASAP (and taking into account how remarkably slow my computer at home is), this is text only.  My sincerest apologies.

Also, I want your thoughts on this... I have a Barnes and Noble gift card (!!!!!!!), and I've been trying to decide what to buy.  There are a lot of great novels out there that I'm interested in, and I can get 3 of the ones I really want on my card.  OR, I just found a "Pie Bible" on their website, and it has everything one could possibly know about pie... recipes, tips, crusts, garnishes, EVERYTHING.  But it's a bit pricier, so that would be the only book I could afford.  What do I do?!

And last, but certainly not least, I would like to throw a special shoutout to Mrs. Salisbury!  It means so much to me that you read this and I'm so sorry it took me so long to update!!!

Keep on keepin' on, folks!  And Happy Super Bowl Weekend!  Also, Happy Birthday, Dad!!!