#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.

#24: Strawberry Cream Cheese

This Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie recipe came from "The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook" and helped me deal with some stray pecans and strawberries that I had on hand.  :o)

Actually this was a pretty simple recipe that made it possible for the little one to get involved.

Plus I loved the used of pecans in the crust. It gave the simple flavors a little extra WOW!

#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.

#18: Gretchen's Creamy Apple Pie

For this week's pie I didn't want to go shopping so I looked around my house and saw a pile of apples.  As you know, I've already done a couple apple pies so I wasn't sure where I could go with them.  That's when I turned to my trusty ''The Old-Fashioned Cookbook'' by Jan McBride Carlton and found Gretchen's Creamy Apple Pie.

Now I have no idea who Gretchen is.  No anecdotes are shared in the cookbook regarding this recipe.  However, if she's anything like her pie, she's weird but super sweet...and definitely not presentable to company.

Not only was the pie super good, it was surprisingly very easy.  (Yes, I even let my little one help out.)  You basically whisk a flavored whipped cream and spread it over an apple-lined pie tin.  The outside of the cream will crisp -- sort of like a meringue but it doesn't hold it shape as well.

The final result is delicious and goes well with whipped cream -- just in case you really need to serve this to guests.

#17: Lime Pie with Gingersnap Crust

I decided to go citrus-themed this week.  I did consider doing a Key Lime Pie but I also know that people get very weird if you don't use key limes from FL.  So, instead of going down that road, I decided to do a plain ol' Lime Pie, which lead me to this interesting recipe from the Magnolia Bakery -- Lime Pie with Gingersnap Crust.

The hardest part of this pie has nothing to do with the recipe.  Really?!  A cup of lime juice.  Man!  Prepare to work your arms because it's hard to get juice out of a lime.  I guess it's something to consider then picking out the limes -- look for fruit with a little give when you squeeze it.  If you estimate a tablespoon of juice from each lime...that would be at least 8 limes...round it up to a dozen just to be safe.

On the bright side, your arms are probably thankful that you're also not rolling out a pastry for this pie.

Unfortunately, the oddest thing about this pie is the filling/crust combo.  While ginger seems like a great fit for lime, the cookie's heavy molasses flavor is an odd third wheel that can't be easily ignored.

If I make this pie again, a graham cracker crust would be a safer pairing.  But don't feel bad for that gingersnap crust because I do think it would go great with last week's custard pie.

#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!