#30: Mixed Berry Pie

Not sure if I'm just in a creative tailspin or if I just need to clean out my fridge (post-Mom visit...probably the latter. She loves to buy way more food than we can consume) but I decided to take my stray berries -- which, alone, wasn't enough for a pie -- and create a Mixed Berry Pie.

Simple enough and it came out great.

I decided to not post a finished picture, this week, though, because it basically looked like a blueberry pie...yes, everything was purple.

Again, though, still tasty and the main objective was accomplished...my fridge is less cluttered.

#27: Blueberry Pie

So I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for prices to get low enough for Blueberry Pie to not end up being a million dollar pie.  It looks like the time is finally here.

As I've come to discover with most fruit pies, the hardest part is the fruit prep...but with blueberries there's no chopping or blanching or peeling.  Just wash and go.  YUM!

Just remember to let the pie rest after baking in order to let the filling set.

#25: Peach Pie

As you would probably guess, the hardest thing about this Peach Pie is peeling and slicing the fruit...which, in the end, wasn't so bad -- if you know how to do it.  Here's a great how-to from Saveur (both video and written instructions).

Once the peaches are peeled and sliced, the pie comes together in a snap.

And the final result?  Well, let's just say I didn't take a picture of the pie just out of the oven.  By the time I did remember...there was barely any pie left.

#22: Rhubarb Pie

After baking all those Strawberry Rhubarb Pies, I realized that I over-bought rhubarb.  So I decided to do a straight Rhubarb Pie.

This time, though, I decided to try a ''vintage'' recipe from ''The Old-Fashioned Cookbook''.  There's nothing like an old-school recipe to satisfy the sweet tooth.  And this didn't disappoint.  I found the sweetness of this pie more to my liking.

#21: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

My Dad's favorite pie was Strawberry Rhubarb.  It was a love that my sister and I just didn't understand. Rhubarb doesn't grow like crazy in So Cal so it was just this weird fruit (vegetable?).

I wish I had thought to ask him about it while he was still alive but I'm going to guess that, growing up in Indiana, it was readily available for dessert, especially in post-depression America.

Well, it finally took this pie project for me to connect with my father via his favorite pie.

Ultimately, this pie is a little tart for my liking.  (I blame my sweet tooth.)  However, as I ate it -- served in a bowl of milk (as my Dad liked it) -- I couldn't help but think of him and smile.

#20: Sweet Cherry Pie

Maybe this is a West Coast thing but I've never seen fresh tart cherries in the market.

That said, I decided to do this Sweet Cherry Pie recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

For the most part, the hardest thing about this recipe is pitting the cherries and that's mainly because you want to make sure you remove the pit.  (No one wants to be know for baking a pie that caused emergency dental work.)

The end result was delicious.  A great pie for a when company comes over.  You definitely won't have any leftovers.

#15: Strawberry Double Crust Pie

I still have strawberries on the brain.  This time, though, I wanted a cooked pie.  So I found this recipe from Magnolia Bakery.

The odd thing about any pie that features red fruit...when it comes out of the oven, it looks like it's been stabbed -- which I guess would make this a great pie for a Halloween party.

My sweet tooth thought this pie could be sweeter.  But everyone else I spoke to (including my very honest husband) said it was perfect.

So I decided to top the pie with whipped cream.  This added sweetness to the pie to meet my liking.  Plus, it hid what looked like bleeding stab wounds leaking from the top of the pie.  BONUS!

#13: Mango Chili Pie

The initial inspiration for this pie were the really nice mangoes that were on sale at the market.  Had I realized that this would be ''lucky'' pie number thirteen...I might have gone with a pie that was less of a gamble.  :o)

When I got home with my mangoes, I googled ''mango pie'' and discovered that mango pie tastes a lot like peach pie, which I love but I wanted a pie that would be distinct from the one that I would later make when peaches are in season.

With this in mind, I knew I had to stay away from cinnamon.  But would removing the spice be enough?

That's when I started to look for just plain mango recipes, which reminded of a simple mango street food – fresh mango spears sprinkled with lime juice, salt, and chili powder – which lead me to the Mango Chili Pie.

So I took an apple pie recipe and reduced the sugar since mangoes didn't seem to need as much.  Then I replace the lemon juice with lime and swapped the spices for a combination of chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt (to enhance flavor, not to add saltiness).

The end result still reminded me of peach but it had a nice heat that finished each bite but didn't burn your mouth.

Next time, I'll see if this can go a bit more sour – less or no sugar?  I'm also wondering if I use a sweeter crust and then sprinkle salt on top rather rather than sugar just to give each bite a bit of pop.

#12: Spinach and Ham Pie

Believe it or not, after about 3 months of pies...I'm starting to crave something different. So yes, this week, I have a savory pie for you -- Spinach and Ham Pie.

I began my search by googling "ham pie".  (How could anyone go wrong with a search like that?)  This lead me to a recipe from Martha Stewart and figured it would solve two problems -- satiate my savory pie craving and work as my contribution to our family Easter dinner.

The first time I did this recipe, I followed it exactly (sort of), which included using the food processor to make the crust.  <GASP!>  I know.  However, I was very careful to not over-process the dough.  So even though they said to process until a dough ball formed, I stopped short of that and brought it all together in a separate bowl.

The dough came out fine, I could still see chunks of butter/cheese it the dough disks that I wrapped to chill.  But I think, if you're not paying attention, it's probably really easy to let this go too far.  So the second time I made this pie (for Easter), I did it by hand...no problemo.


Another thing I liked about this recipe is that it uses spinach, which is in season right now.  However, with all the washing and de-stemming and cooking and chopping and squeezing...it soon became quick clear.  I should have used frozen, chopped spinach to cut the process in half.  Comparing my first (fresh spinach) and second pies (frozen), you can't taste the difference.

No matter what kind of spinach you use, though, you have to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Yes, you end up with something that looks like a road apple.  But if you skip on this step..even in the slightest, you will have a soggy bottom crust.  Period.  (Worried about squeezing out all the nutrients?  Save it and put it in a smoothie or something.  Just don't leave it in your pie.)

The end result?  Wonderful.  The original recipe says it makes 8 servings but when I served it for Easter, I doubled it so for those who (like me) were happy to combine a bit of pie and ham to make the perfect bite.  Plus, where were extra slices for those who (like my husband) could easily just eat the pie all on its own.