Thanksgiving 2019: UnoccuPIEd. Tales from the Pie Side of Hell

Oh the humanity...Thanksgiving 2019 will be the year of Pie Regret.  I have not been this heart-broken since the 1st grade, when the little girl with pigtails down the street moved to Minnesota. This year's family get together (an overall incredible affair, kudos to my sister and brother-in-law) was to be resplendent with a pumpkin pie, a chocolate cream pie, an apple pie and a bumble berry (mixed berry) pie. The pie delivery was to be handled by 3 people.  This was going to the finishing touch on a wonderful occasion, a planned menagerie of pie loveliness on this pie-holy day. How did it go?  Pie Regret. We played the whole game down two skaters in the penalty box - the apple pie and the bumble berry pie never made it into the game.

Sorrow #1:  The Missing Apple Pie

One unnamed family member said he was going to make a killer apple pie.  It would be, he noted, the 3rd extraordinary apple pie he baked this November.  He sent a picture of what I could expect.

Instead, this is what I got.

What happened?  I didn't get an apple pie, that is what happened. There was a "blender/food processor" issue which brought this bold idea to an unfortunate conclusion. 

Sorrow #2.  The Missing Bumble Berry Pie

Another unnamed family member had promised to deliver this piece of pie heaven to Thanksgiving. The mixed berry pie.  I love it. 

 

What did I get?

What happened here?  Another sad tale of "I forget the pie at home. I left it in the refrigerator." 

Moment of Gratitude

Thankfully, the pumpkin pie was tasty and the chocolate cream pie was a crowd pleaser. My gratitude to my sister-in-law for saving the 2019 Pie Festivities. She alone kept the day from turning into a pie-less Thanksgiving. Along with some coffee, we were able to keep the pie, coffee and conversation tradition alive.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Now onto the December holidays! 

 

The goddess of Thanksgiving Leftovers. The Turkey Pot Pie.

Turkey Pot Pie and I.  We love each other.  In that special way.
It makes sad to see TPP not get its due. The only time I remember Turkey Pot Pie appearing in anything pop cultural was in the movie Breakfast Club, during John Bender/Judd Nelson's soliloquy on family upbringing ("...fix me a turkey pot pie." Look it up.)   Hardly a tribute. I just do not get it. Turkey Pot Pie should be everywhere.  It is that good.

Below are some Turkey Pot Pie recipes. So easy even a schmuck like me can make it.
Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

Turkey Pot Pie Video

Damn Delicious

Dad's Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

Buckle up Millennial. The Pie Ride is closer than you think.

Cake is a natural with kids. It is sweet bread with even sweeter frosting.  It is cheap to make. You can load it with sugar, design it like a coloring book, even write your name on it.  It holds candles like a champ, so you get that Pavlovian thing (cake = birthday = presents).  We are all the product of rampant childhood Cake Fantasy.

Pie-love is a longer burn. A grown-up endeavor. You need to slow down a bit on the Skittles. Your taste buds start to ease up on 24X7 desire for pixie sticks. You start to change. You admire the crust factor of good pie.  You start to engage more with the meat pies (By the way, how was that last Chicken Cake?  Thought so).

Pie and Adulting go hand and hand.

I maintain 40 is the coming of age for pie-lovers.  That’s when the you start to see the shift.  Have some fun at your next family get together and ask people if they prefer cake or pie.  Compare the results to the ages.  Odds are you will see the correlation between pre-40 (cake) and post-40 (pie).

I believe the Millennial Generation will be approaching Pie-Age soon.  I look forward to the changes coming from them. I hope for increased pie blog coverage and new, unique and thrifty pie experiences. The pie world will never be the same. Welcome! 

#PieandCoffeeMovement - Looking for a Conversation Starter?

Pie and Coffee means ubiquity.  You can and will enjoy it alone.  Smiling at your kitchen table, sitting in your car @ some random suburban parking lot (no judging). A zen moment.

But Pie and Coffee can be much more. It is gift from our ancestors to connect with other people in person. When your mouth is filled with pie, you need to stop and chew...and listen. You literally have to shut your pie hole.  Add the warm feel of some of your favorite coffee and you are conversing. No mobile phones, social media or silly pie blogs.  Just people being people.

And doing pie and coffee is easy!  All you need is pie and...well, coffee.

Maybe some of you are looking for #pieandcoffeemovement conversation topics?  Courtesy of my friend Ethan, here is one to ponder.

What is the best song with the word 'pie" in the title? 

Don McLean's American Pie?

Custard Pie by Led Zeppelin?

Apple Pie a la Mode by Destiny's Child?  (Pander Alert: I threw that one in for the Millennials. I have long submitted that pie-lovers do not peak in their pie-loving years until they hit 40 years.  Maybe that is why this list trends to the older side?  OK Boomer.) 

There are a lot of them. Personal favorite?  John Fogerty's Rhubarb Pie. Because rhubarb is the unspoken sidekick to many a great fruit pie. 

Rhubarb Pie

An alternative is Black Coffee from Humble Pie.  It is a good cover of an Ike and Tina Turner song. 

Black Coffee by Humble Pie

Pie and Coffee Movement Spotlight: I Like Pie Bake Shop (Claremont, CA)

Listen Up. California Pie is Special.
OK, agreed, it is a big, populous state, ranging from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest. Of course it has size advantage (and size matters).  And it grows everything under the sun, so the breadth and freshness of the fruit is top-shelf.  But beyond the obvious,  I proclaim California Baking Magic that is unique to The Land of Milk and Honey.  People break rules, people strive, they reinvent.  As an American Northeasterner, I won't say I enjoy everything about California, but I will sing this song loud. I have had some of the best pie in my life in the Eureka State. Over and over again.  And here is one of my all time favorites (regardless of the global location).

I LIKE PIE Bake Shop in Claremont.   (http://www.ilikepiebakeshop.com/)

Claremont is about 30 miles from LA. It is one of those really expensive "Top Ten Best Places to Live" college towns. I LIKE PIE is a full range provider - sweet, savory, mini pies, hand pies and full pies.  I have had the honor of eating there a number of times, Every time my expectations get higher and every time they are exceeded.  When does that happen in life?

The menu rotates with the season. You need to be flexible.  Favorite Experiences:
The Butternut Squash Hand Pie (walk and eat without shame).
Cherry Mini Pie (below - as you can see, I am in a trance).
The Salted Caramel Banana Mini Pie (I felt the need to confess my sin after that bout of gluttony).

Pie and Coffee Movement Spotlight: Pastiche Fine Desserts (Providence RI)

Autumn weekends in New England. Pie Season.

Pastiche "you so Fine I can't keep my hands off you" Deserts is a local favorite, located on Spruce St in the Federal Hill section of Providence. Near Caserta Pizzeria, which is another kind of fine pie dining.  And coincidentally, only a couple hundred yards away from where I got nailed by a hit-and-run car on my bike one October evening in 1986.  Not to elicit sympathy 33 years later, but you know...I'll take it.

Pastiche Fine Deserts has what people call "old world charm" which is what they say when they really don't know how to describe it. Think of the average chain store... and then completely reorient yourself by thinking the exact opposite. Busy, crowded, electric and dripping with people who are there for the goods. Pastiche labels themselves a "cozy, lively European-style nook serving house-made fruit tarts, cakes, chocolates & pastries."  I'll buy that. Better than old world charm.

Amongst all that old-world charm, I suspect you can’t get away with crappy delivery. Maybe you can coast for a while on ambiance, but these customers are here for something special. You need to uphold that type of expectation. Phonies die an ugly death. Pastiche delivers.

I sampled the Dutch Apple Pie. It was fresh, generous with an excellent crust structure. A thoroughly enjoyable pie. They also offered Key Lime and Southern Pecan Pie, as well as a Cranberry/Raspberry Tart (by the way, why does Raspberry have a “P” in it?) and a Pumpkin/Praline Tart.