Celebrate PI Day with Pies!

March 2, 2021

We don’t pretend to know much of anything about Pi – that mysterious mathematical constant that intrigues Mensa members and is more or less equal to 3.14159. But, we do know a thing or two about pies that you eat – and since March 14 is Pi Day, we think it’s a good time to tempt you with recipes for fruity, fluffy and savory treats. Why not, right?

Fruity, Flavorful Winter Pies

Blueberries are available in your grocer’s produce section and if you’ve been hankerin’ for a fruit pie, you can’t go wrong with this little fruity dessert. Mom’s Blueberry Pie recipe on Yummly, a five-star favorite of The Pioneer Woman’s,  is mostly fruit spiced with a little nutmeg wrapped in a pie crust. If you’d like to watch a blueberry pie tutorial – check out this fun little how-to video for all the steps.

Now apples are easy to come by in winter and for the Best Apple Pie Recipe Ever, check out Cookies and Cups’ take on this seasonal favorite. Sherry’s secret is caramelizing the apples before baking – which sounds like an added step and headache, but she swears it’s incredibly simple and fast – and adds the best flavor.

The Kitchen Magpie has just the thing for cold weather baking – the Winter Fruit Pie which is just what it sounds like: apples, pears, raisins (golden or dark, we assume) and cranberries combine with a sweet caramel flavor of brown sugar mixed with spices and vanilla, something blogger Karlynn feels is missing in most winter fruit pies. 

Creamy, Fluffy, Whippy Pies

From Peanut Butter With Pretzel Crust Pie, to Creamy Hazelnut and Mile-High Cranberry Meringue, Taste of Home offers these 36 Winter Pies to tempt your taste buds. These flavorful taste treats, run the gamut – try the Gingersnap Crumb Pear Pie, the Sweet and Salty Truffle Pie, or the Orange Chocolate Ricotta Pie, and let us know your fave!

If you’ve never had a Whoopie Pie, you’re in for a treat with this recipe from Yummly. Not the traditional pie, but more of a cookie sandwich, with marshmallow cream between two homemade chocolate cookie slices. It’s a little like the traditional Moon Pies, which consist of two round graham cracker cookies, sandwiching marshmallow filling in the center and dipped in chocolate.

If you’d like to try your hand at a Moon Pie, All Recipes has the do-it-yourself recipe!

For a few classic, vintage pies, look no further than Southern Living and Simplemost. You’ll find Sweet Potato Pie with Molasses Whipped Cream – a throwback to the days of George Washington Carver, who featured a recipe for Sliced Potato Pie in an agricultural bulletin about sweet potatoes. He encouraged African-American farmers to cultivate the root vegetable as a cash crop and nutritional powerhouse. This double-crust pie is flecked with spices and sweetened with sugar and sorghum syrup.

Another vintage recipe worth bringing back is Shoofly Pie, which comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch, and gets its name from the winged insects that are attracted to its sweet, molasses scent and Lemon Buttermilk Pie. 

Savory Pies to Try

This curated collection of hand pies from Country Living includes Beef Empanadas, Mushroom, Gorgonzola and Caramelized Onion, Artichoke, Jalapeño and Bacon Pies, plus a half dozen sweet hand pies to try.

Shepherd’s pie is a staple at British pubs – a yummy dish to order with a pint on the side! These shepherd’s pie recipes from All Recipes range from traditional (with ground or minced lamb as the main ingredient) to the slightly altered recipes for American palates with ground beef, to the more modern and experimental (vegan or paleo). These savory one-pot comfort-food casseroles are complete meals that also call for veggies, a flavorful gravy, and a mashed potato or other topping.

Pie-Making and Baking in Southshore

The kitchens in the new homes at Southshore are a home chef’s dream come true. With plenty of counters for prep work, and lots of storage for small appliances and tools, the kitchens are among the most loved rooms of any house! Check out the beautiful models from  top home builders like Taylor Morrison, Century Communities, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers. It’s Life at the Lake with home prices between the $400s and the $700s.