Favorites of the Past Year

People have asked for our favorites from the 52 week challenge.  This is particularly hard to do as we have pretty much enjoyed them all.  I'll try to pick a few that we are still talking about!

In no particular order:

1. Chocolate Chess Pie-this was our first pie, about a year ago and the boys are still talking about it.  Definitely a winner
2.  Ice Cream Pie...another talked about, requested and requested again
3.  Fresh Peach...I dream about this pie; the other fruit pies as well but this really was a gem!
4.  Apple Almond...we've made this one a few times besides for our weekly pie challenge. Definitely one to make again and again and add to our regular rotation.
5. Sticky Toffee Caramel Apple
6.  Key Lime
7.  Coconut Cream
8.  Chocolate Cream
9.  Banoffee Pie
10. Chocolate Pecan Pie
11. Pecan Pie
12. Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Yum, this is making me hungry for more pie!  We did have another one today...the boys were going to revolt if there was no Sunday pie.

Lessons Learned from a year of Pie

To conclude the 52 week Pie challenge, I thought we should compile some lessons learned from a year of pie:
1.  You can never eat enough pie!
2.  Pie makes life awesome
3.  It really is good to let pie cool all the way before cutting and eating (especially with fruit pies, so they can set up).
4.  Don't worry about what the kids think, they will eat it anyway
5.  There are millions of flavors of pie
6.  We LOVE pie

Week 52: Eggnog Pie

Here we are...week 52 and we made it!  I was a little nervous about this one because I don't love eggnog but P loves it, so I made it for him.  Another thanks to Sweetie-licious pies, and guess what, it was yummy.  Super creamy with a subtle eggnog flavor made for a delicious pie with a hint of something different.  Definite winner for P and I liked it too.  The kids were half and half but again, most of their pieces were eaten!

Week 51: Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie

Week 51, just in time for Christmas was a Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie compliments of Sweetie-licious Pies.  And, yes, another winner!  This was so creamy and chocolatey and the peppermint was just right...enough to know it's there but not so much as to overpower.  The crust was a chocolate graham cracker crust which only added.  In fact, we liked this one enough, we made it again for Christmas Eve!  The kids were a little less enthused than the adults but they managed to eat it anyways!

Week 50: Sweetie Pie

Alas, week 50 and a good one from Sweetie-licious pies. This one is called Sweetie Pie, and it's a recipe from her Grandma.  It was pretty tasty too!  Sweetie-licious does not disappoint! This one is a mix of all things yummy.  The chocolate sinks to the bottom with a sort of custardy layer in the middle with the pecans all rising to the top.  It's not gooey like a pecan pie but more like a thick custard. Then when it's hot out of the oven, you drizzle caramel on top and some chocolate shavings.  We gobbled this one up, especially Aaron and Kate (even had another piece the day after).  The older two boys aren't fans of pecans, so they ate theirs after scraping the pecans off the top (yes, they are crazy)!  Hard to describe the exact flavor of this...totally different from pecan or even chocolate pecan; had a hint of chocolate chip cookie pie but a little more depth to it.  Super good!

Week 49: Samoa Cream Pie

Can you believe it?  Week 49!  Only a few more to go which is really sad!  This week was a Samoa Cream Pie from Our Best Bites, inspired from a great girl scout cookie!  This was a yummy pie.  My coconut haters didn't love it but the rest of us did.  Nice and creamy with whipped cream on top that has caramel and chocolate syrup stirred into it.  I think  a chocolate graham cracker crust would have been yummy too but we stuck with the traditional graham cracker crust.  I didn't realize I was out of coconut extract so ours wasn't as coconutty as it could have been but still pretty yummy.  Here is a link to the recipe:  http://ourbestbites.com/2013/06/samoa-cream-pie/

Week 48: Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie...so, I didn't think it was possible to improve Pecan Pie but this may have done it.  This was a delicious pie and subtly different to the traditional pecan pie.  The filling set up a bit thicker...not quite as gooey and it wasn't quite as sweet...just different with the chocolate in there.  Super yummy and we gobbled it all up.  Two thumbs up from Aaron; in fact, he had two pieces that night and he and Kate had another piece in the morning, barely leaving a second slice for Patrick.  My other two pecan haters, scooped out all the filling and wanted more.  This is definitely a keeper and one to make over and over again!  The recipe came from Martha Stewart; here is a link to the recipe:  http://www.marthastewart.com/341293/chocolate-pecan-pie