#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!

#23: Honey Pecan

It's hard to believe that I'd get tired of fruit pie but here I am.  So this week I decided to do a pecan pie variation...mainly because I have a ton of pecan in my fridge.

This Honey Pecan Pie recipe is simple.  You basically replace the corn syrup with honey.

For those of you afraid of corn syrup (why?!)...this is a good pie for you -- if you love the taste of honey as it dominates the pie.

Those of you who love good ol' pecan pie...you should probably stay away from this variation because the honey overwhelms the pie.  (Maybe I need to use a different honey.  I think it was orange or clover blossom from a local bee keeper.)

#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.

Butter vs. Lard

So there was another pie thunderdome at work.  This time it was a fat fight -- lard vs. butter.

It's kind of hard to have a taste test when you have an ingredient that's neither vegetarian or kosher.

For those willing to go in blind, though, lard was the winner. There's definitely a flavor difference that's almost savory.

However, if you were to go strickly on consumption, the butter pie went first.  Again, though, those findings could be considered skewed based on diet limitations.

#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.