By Barbi Martin ——Bio and Archives--November 26, 2023
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I just saw my friend’s picture of his pumpkin pie and a glass pie dish with a rolled-up crust encasing layers of butter and cinnamon. Oh, my! How I used to love that stuff. The first time I ever saw anyone make that was when I met a woman whose husband was a long-distance trucker. She did babysitting in her home. She was actually able to make the house payment with her babysitting money. I met her because she sat for all of the women in our Bible Study. So, she didn’t have that many kids all the time, but she did take in groups. I have never seen a home with so many kids “visiting.” If you tell them they are visiting, they are more apt to enjoy their time.
So, I watched her as she made the leftover pie crust into a cinnamon delight. She said it was much cheaper than making cookies. Pie crust, everything is better with pie crust. Add sugar and it is stuffed with goodness!
Speaking of babysitting, when I was growing up, I remember having lunch at my little friend’s home. I never realized they were babysitting me. We had baloney sandwiches and vegetable soup. I hated vegetable soup and wanted chicken noodle. I didn’t realize until I was an adult that if I had no choice in the menu, I must have been stuck there. I only lived 3 doors over, but there were no choices for me to make. It took me 20 years to realize I wasn’t just “visiting.” We had soda crackers and graham crackers. That was okay with me. It was typical snack fare in those days. We ate pretty well back in my grade school years. I had no grandparents living near us, so I missed out on the delights of homemade pies and other goodies that I have come to know as an adult. I didn’t know any better so it didn’t matter. However, I also didn’t learn very many homemaking secrets that grandmothers had in those days. I have never made those correctly and I know every idiot can do it. When I have tried, they haven't come out very nice.. They shrink and the butter and cinnamon leak out and leave burnt places all over the cookie sheet. Please, someone tell me the secret!
I get my pumpkin pie from Costco these days. So big for such a small price. I have always had to work, so spending days getting ready for Thanksgiving is not something I do. I listen to women talk about which day they need to do which chore and how many pies they have to bake ahead of time. When you do all that baking, you have the option of making extra pie crust and doing the cinnamon roll-up as a side treat. I would make those before I ever got the real pies in the oven, and then I would snack on them the whole time I was cooking the “essential” items. That’s what I would do if I would/could cook.
We had our pumpkin pie this morning. As I write this, it is Thanksgiving Day and we have not started our dinner yet. It is traditional for us now. My son thinks it is disgusting that we do this. One year at my friend's house, she was cooking and I stuck my spoon into it for a bite. She automatically turned and slapped my hand. "You'll ruin your dinner." Yes, she has kids and it was an automatic response. Because dinner will be big, we always have sweet rolls or something easy and quick so we don't spoil the big meal.
In the family I grew up in, even if you were stuffed after dinner, you still ate pie. If you didn't want it now but thought about saving it for the next day— fat chance. You had to get it now because my big brother would have it demolished before you could get to it in the morning.
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So, I learned to eat even when you are not hungry. And of course, we were urged to stuff ourselves at dinner. Being 4 kids and only 2 drumsticks, it was a big deal to win the drumstick. Now I wonder why I thought that was a prize, with all the tendons and stuff. As an adult, when it gets time for pie I can have decaf coffee with it. Being already stuffed, even the decaf seems too filling—let alone the pie. I am at critical mass here.
So, the next year to be at the same friend's house, she called me in the morning and said, "Guess what I'm eating? A piece of pumpkin pie.”
Oh, my gosh. My mother would never have allowed that!
She continued to say, “I decided it was no worse for me than eating coffee cake, and it tastes so good with the morning coffee. The best thing is that I can enjoy the flavor while I am not stuffed from dinner!" So, we got into ours before we went to her house. She was right!
Years later I shared this with another friend. They thought it was a great idea. Being single, after Thanksgiving dinner, she would send me home with a whole pie. That way I would have breakfast for almost a week. This is the part where my son says I am crazy and it is a disgusting idea.
For 25 years now, Mike and I have celebrated Thanksgiving by having pie with our morning coffee. It is so good with a clean palate and a hungry morning appetite. You get to truly taste, savor, and enjoy it in all its glory. Try it. “It’s what’s for breakfast”.
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