January 11, 2011

Affordable Living. What does that really mean these days? When push comes to shove, we all want out of life, what we put into it. Things can get kind of complicated. The more time slips away from us, the more you start to realize the actual time with YOUR LIFE. Remember the hot dogs at the ball park. The times when nothing else mattered. The long walks in the corn field with your best friend. The advice that was given to you from that lost uncle. Sitting by the train tracks waiting for the whistle to blow. The lazy days of winter. Eating cotton candy at the county fair. Falling in love all over again. It seemed so long ago. Affordable living seems now a thing of the past. We talk of plans to go to the highest mountain, the biggest theme parks and the largest malls. Do we really understand affordable living any more? They call me The Pie Guy. And why you ask? You haven't even been talking about pies since you've been writing this blog! I'll tell you: AFFORDABILITY. I can make a pie out of nothing. And I can make it taste great! We all say that pie is the way to a mans soul. Give me a cup of coffee and my favorite slice of heaven, and we think of things that might have been and things that will be at the same time. How does this happen? Affordability! When you go in your kitchen tonight, look around and see what you have in your pantry and refrigerator. Enough tonight to make a pie? Do you realize all the different pies there are on this planet? I'm not going to name them all, but you get my point. Pies can be sweet. Pies can be savory. Pies can be nutty. Pies can be meaty. Pies can be filled with just about anything your heart desires. My heart spoke to me yesterday: A Rum Cream Pie with Chopped Pistachios and Bittersweet Chocolate Chips in a Homemade Graham Cracker Crust(I found the recipe in a book I read not too long ago). It spoke to me because of affordability. I had everything already there. It was in my pantry. It was in my refrigerator. I DID NOT HAVE TO BUY ONE THING! The result: A work of art! It tasted great!(My daughter thought it looked like a dirt and grass pie since the top was covered in chocolate shavings and chopped pistachios. In all honesty: It Did!). But, it was the best DIRT AND GRASS PIE I EVER MADE! When you pair the bittersweet chocolate and pistachios with a splash of dark rum in a creamy and luscious pie filling, the result is simple. Affordability!