I Like Pie

I'm not sure why but one of Colin's and his friends favorite sayings is "I like pie." They say it randomly or in response to a question when they don't want to answer. When asked what they want to eat the  answer is "pie",
The thing is they rarely actually eat pie. I have had a lime pie in my refrigerator for at least 2 weeks. Lime pie is one of the pie's I actually make. Mostly because I can use the premade graham cracker crust and there are only 3 other ingredients. Anyway...

Colin comes home from school on Wednesday and says his class is having a going away party for his substitute teacher who has been there since his regular teacher is on maternity leave. He ask if he can bring something. I say "OK, what do you want to bring?" He says.... you guessed it. "pie". I asked if he was sure. Didn't he want to bring brownies or cookies or chips? He said I would make those frozen cookie dough cookies that I always make and other people were bringing chips. It has to be pie. At least he told me this on Wednesday afternoon and not Thursday night.

Being the wonderful baker I am, I buy some frozen pie crusts for the bottom (because they come in disposable pie pans and I don't want to  worry about him bringing home my pan) and some refrigerated ones for the top.
Good thing they come in a 2 pack because on Thursday afternoon he informs me we should make 2 pies because there are 35 kids in his class. "OK", I say. Good thing I had just bought 2 big bags of apples.

Colin's friend Andrew has arrived to help. I give them the apples and show them how to peel them. After 2 tries, Colin decides its hard and he can't do it. His apple is turning to mush. I peeled the apples.  Andrew's job was cutting. I'm not sure what I was thinking giving my 2 best chef knifes to 2 twelve year old boys. However, I had shown them the proper cutting technique for peppers in the past and Andrew caught right on and remembered how to do it. Colin thought he was the knife ninja. Apple pieces were flying every where. Hold the knife point down, keep your fingers back, use your knuckles as a guide,use a rocking motion, cut close to the core. Finally they got their groove on. They did an excellent job.

Next we added the sugar. How much? 2 cups. "That's alot of sugar!" they say. "Can we put in cinnamon?", "Sure", I say. " How much?", "Sprinke some on.", "Shouldn't we measure?", "Nah, just sprinkle a bunch around." This is why I don't bake. Too much measuring of lots of little ingredients.

They split the apples between the 2 pie crusts and put on the tops. I showed them how to make the cinnamon sugar roll ups from the left over crusts. They liked that part.  They pies came out great.

I packed them up in a pizza box and a water bottle box stablized by old L.L.Bean Catalogs. "are you sure you don't want me to just drop these off in the morning?", I ask. "I'll take then with me in the morning.", says Colin.

Morning comes. " Can you bring these pies in by 2nd period?", asks Colin. I bring in the pies.  I send an email to his teacher that I am sending in a pie server with the pie and it is not a weapon. You never know about those zero tolerance policies and what can be considered a weapon. All seems well.

 I am showing my jewelry at at craft show at Kumeyaay Elementary that day so I don't see Colin until after 7 that night. I come home and there are the boxes on the counter. There is 1 whole pie and another that is about 1/4 eaten. There are 3 plastic forks in the pie. Colin says that no one wanted to eat pie in 2nd period. I ask him if he is OK. "Why wouldn't I be?", he asks. I say because no one wanted to eat your pie. "Who cares.", he says. "Its just pie."

It is what it is...
Namaste