blueberry pie, uh-oh

Like many of you, I love to read Pioneer Woman. Last week she reposted a recipe for blueberry pie and seeing as how I had some on hand and had a gathering of old friends to prepare for, I couldn't resist making it.

This is the point where I confess that as much baking as I have done, I have never made my own pie crust. But I was feeling good about myself and my abilities. Let me just say that it nearly beat me. No matter how much rolling, or flour dusting, or flipping I did, every time I tried to place the crust in the pan it would tear into at least two pieces. For the bottom, this was not as big a deal, but I didn't want a Frankenstein top. So after a bit of brainstorming, I came up with the perfect solution (at least for me and my unpracticed hands). I decided to roll the top crust on top of freezer paper dusted with flour. That way, when it was time place it on top, I would be able to just lift the whole thing and flip it onto the pie and then peel away the freezer paper. And it worked!

I didn't have a single tear in the crust! Honestly people, up until the moment that it came off the paper in one piece, I had decided that there was an excellent chance that there would not be any homemade crusts in my near future. Or distant future. But, thanks to freezer paper, I changed my mind. How simple.

Oh, and the pie bakes up nicely, too!

This is where the story gets interesting. This may not be the best angle. My plan was to take photos of it one we cut into it. Well, we ate it late at night so I decided to wait until the next morning to take a photo of it in better light. The next morning, after I may or may not have had a slice for breakfast, I hurried outside to water the garden before the sun hit the leaves. While I was pulling a few weeds, I heard a crash in the kitchen. A few seconds later Larkin appeared at the door with the saddest face you have ever seen.

In an effort to preserve the pie that he so desperately wanted to sample (see bottom of post for why he was so desperate), he was going to place the plastic wrap back on it and it fell off the counter and all over the floor. And yes, I suppose that would have been a picture worth sharing (the true test of pie beauty is how pretty it can look scattered across a kitchen floor), but you see, I had to move in pretty quickly before this sweet girl decided to clean up for me...

Yes, she is an excellent dog, but even the best can't resist half a blueberry pie on the floor.

As for why Larkin was so desperate for pie, or any sweet for that matter, two days prior I discovered him and his sister after they had devoured over half a bag of mini marshmallows in one sitting. They were not allowed sweets for two days. Just before the pie incident, Larkin said, "I wish I had never eaten those marshmallows. I wish marshmallows didn't even exist!" I don't think we will have a problem with marshmallow binges any time soon.