Matt's 2017 Birthday Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Lucky triple digit pie tally number: 222! Woot woot! I was tired of making Straw-Blackberry Pie, so I forked out the extra dollar for the rhubarb and made this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for the husband's birthday this year. It was a weekday and I had an energetic almost-4-year-old underfoot all day, so I consider this a huge accomplishment. Happy Birthday Honey!

Current Pie Tally: 222

Spring Lab Party Straw-Blackberry Pie

I was not planning to make a pie for the Spring Lab Party, but one of the student's significant others dropped some not-so-subtle hints that he would really enjoy eating some of my pie at the lab party. So, ta da! Strawberries and blackberries were still the most cost-effective ingredient option, hence another Straw-Blackberry Pie. (Though I did linger on the possibility of slightly more expensive rhubarb instead of the blackberries.) Here is the recipe again:

Straw-Blackberry Pie (makes one 9" pie)

ingredients:
buttery pastry dough for bottom and top crust
1 c. white sugar
1 quart of strawberries, hulled and quartered
1-2 pints of blackberries
4 T. arrowroot starch
a splash of vanilla extract
juice from half of one lemon

Mix filling ingredients in a large nonreactive bowl. Roll out bottom crust and place in pie dish. Pour filling in. Roll out top crust, cut into lattice strips, and place on top of pie. Fold crust edges over and crimp to seal. Freeze pie for 10 minutes. Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and continue to bake for another 40 minutes. Cool and serve.

Current Pie Tally: 221

Andrea's Baby Shower Straw-Blackberry Pie

Another neighborhood baby shower meant another excuse to make scrumptious pie! For this Straw-Blackberry Pie, I chose ingredients purely based on what was on sale at the Whole Foods. Strawberries and blackberries it was! I prepared it the same as I would have made a Mixed Berry Pie. Everything came out great and the dish was licked clean. Here is the recipe:

Straw-Blackberry Pie (makes one 9" pie)

ingredients:
buttery pastry dough for bottom and top crust
1 c. white sugar
1 quart of strawberries, hulled and quartered
1-2 pints of blackberries
4 T. arrowroot starch
a splash of vanilla extract
juice from half of one lemon

Mix filling ingredients in a large nonreactive bowl. Roll out bottom crust and place in pie dish. Pour filling in. Roll out top crust, cut into lattice strips, and place on top of pie. Fold crust edges over and crimp to seal. Freeze pie for 10 minutes. Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F and continue to bake for another 40 minutes. Cool and serve.

Current Pie Tally: 220

Pie Princess Birthday Banana Cream

My signature Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie makes another reappearance! This time with the added elements of SPRINKLES and homemade toffee caramel that has taken up residence in my refrigerator until it gets used up. Plain graham cracker crust as usual. Banana Cream Pie is the kids' current favorite and I wanted everyone to eat my birthday dessert, hence I chose to make this pie for my own birthday despite inclinations toward a different personal preference. It was as tasty as usual and I really enjoyed how the sprinkles jazzed it up at the end. For this pie, since it was a small family affair, I topped each slice of pie with whipped cream, sprinkles, and caramel to order and put the leftover pie "unfrosted" (not topped with anything) back into the fridge. This kept my whipped cream topping from getting all runny on future slices of pie. Score!

Current Pie Tally: 219