LydMc

The 4th of July is a great time to celebrate freedom, independence and our nation's birthday. It's also a great time to bust out the fireworks (where legal), barbecues and patriotic baked goods! As it turns out, I actually started out just planning a baked good to celebrate the  July  birthdays of two of my coworkers. When one requested cherry pie, I could not help adding one more birthday to the mix. My, my, this American pie Instead of the typical lattice top, I simply added three full dough stripes across the bottom of the pie and three half stripes across the top. I added white sugar to the stripes to make them extra white and tossed it in the oven for about 20 minutes. (If you're looking for a good crust recipe, by the way, check out  Pie Crust V   on Allrecipes.com. It's my go-to crust recipe for most of the pies I make.) The stars were baked separately on a cookie sheet (also topped with white sugar) for about six minutes. Once both the pie and s...

Cherry Pi! Pies are one of my all-time favorite things to bake. Cookies, brownies, cakes and tarts... they're all good, but when it comes down to it, they're just not pie.  If you think about it, pies ar e actually easier to make than most people assume. Unlike cookies, you just have to pan it once, and unlike cakes, once it's in the pan you don't have to ice or decorate it.  Plus, with the right spelling, it's incredibly nerdy. B) Lemon Pi! The first time I was inspired to make a Pi Pie was actually for BBQ at my old math professor's house. Appropriate, right? Well, it got such a positive reaction - even from the guests not so mathematically inclined - that I decided to make it tradition. Lemon meringue, country peach, sweet potato, grasshopper and even chicken pot pie. Or should I say pi...? But what is a pie without its crust?! Kitchen Tip:  Try using a cheese grater to cut cold butter into your crust. It cuts th...