Pie Month

Chocolate Cream Pie was beautiful and delicious.

Hey, this is Randy~

October and November at the Ockey home are Pie Month. A few years ago we decided to start a tradition. I read an article in the newspaper that had a bunch of different pies with their recipes. So we decided to make a different pie every day for the week before Thanksgiving. In a temporary rush of sanity, we changed to a different pie every other night, but it was still too much pie. That first year, we had 4 amazing pies.

The following year, Natalie decided that she did not want to make a pie every day. So we modified our tradition. We had a different pie every Sunday night. We did a lot of research on different types of pies, and there were so many we wanted to try! Some of the old classics like Apple and Pumpkin were on the list, but so were some more exotic pies, too. There were things like Shoo-fly pie and Hoosier pie that looked interesting. In year two, pie month expanded to two months.

So this year, we find ourselves eating pie on 7 or 8 Sundays. I really wanted a Cherry pie, and Natalie was nice enough to comply, even though she doesn't like cherry much. We also had Peach pie, which we have almost every year thanks to our peach tree. Natalie makes a wonderful Apple pie, which we make sure to include every year. We also had Coconut Cream for the first time-- Neither of us had every tried it, and it became a new favorite. There was Chocolate Mousse pie, which drew chocolate lovers to our house from afar (well, Eagle Mountain). Blackberry was really good, though it didn't set up very well. It was much better after a day in the fridge.

Of course, I had Banana Cream at school, which I managed to polish off in about 90 seconds, too!

So here is our List of Pies from this Year. My review is in the text, and Natalie's input is in the caption.

Apple- Natalie makes the most wonderful apple pie that melts in your mouth!

I made two apple pies for my entire family,
and this was all that was left after we spent the night together.
My dad and Jonny weren't there, so they ate these last two pieces the next day.

Pumpkin- This is a classic and it's hard not to argue the BEST pie around. Natalie makes it so well!

I should have covered my knife marks with whipped cream. Oh well.
I wish I knew how to check the pie without sticking something in it.

Coconut Cream- This pie was surprisingly wonderful. We gave it two thumbs up!

This pie was delicious. Way better than I expected.

Peach- Natalie's Peach pie is amazing with vanilla ice cream. Fresh peaches from the tree help, too.

Next year I'm going to work on a new style of pie. I learned the lattice this year,
but you'll notice I have three pies with lattice. That's boring!

Cherry- I love the crust on the Cherry pie. Natalie grudgingly agreed that this pie was pretty good.

I am not a fan of cherry, but I was proud of this pie!

A look at the inside.

Chocolate Mousse- So rich and creamy. I thought I might lapse into a chocolate coma.

This was definitely Natalie's favorite this year, but she has a serious chocolate problem.

Blackberry- Berry pies are amazing, and this was no exception.

As Randy mentioned this blackberry pie was still runny and hot when we ate it because
I didn't get it baked in the morning as planned. But now we know for next year!

Egg Nog- I was SO excited when I saw this pie! (Actually Natalie found it). She hates egg nog, but she likes me, so she made it. It turned out to be "pretty good."

Blah...that is all I can say. I thought I might like it since the egg nog was
mixed with other things, but it was still disgusting. Yuck!  Everyone else liked it though.

Dazzleberry- I found this pie, and it is a winner. It's made of Blackberry, Blueberry, and Strawberry. Served with ice cream, this pie was fantastic!

I'm goin to be honest, I didn't think I would like this better
than the blackberry pie, but I did! It was super yummy!

Here's a list of pies that we've tried over the last two years. We're pretty sure it's incomplete because we didn't keep track very carefully. I've included a short description and rating for each pie.

Key Lime- This pie was so-so at best. Who wants a lime anything, not to mention a pie?
Hoosier- Sometimes called Sweet Cream pie, it'll make your socks roll up and down. My favorite!
Peanut Butter Cup- Made with Reese's Peanut Butter cups, this pie was so rich that a couple of bites were enough.
Shoo-fly- This is a molasses pie-- it tasted like a mole asses pie. Worst pie we've tried.
Banana Cream- I like this pie, but Natalie won't eat bananas. She gives it a thumbs down.
Sweet Potato- This is the same texture and look as pumpkin pie-- only not sweet (or good).
Lemon Meringue- This pie was good, but not amazingly so.