Miss Phoebe stayed at our house Saturday night, and we took her back home Sunday morning before we went to church. As we drove through town, we went by a pie shop that recently closed. I was sad when I heard it was closing, because I had it on my list of places I planned to go someday, but closing day arrived before someday.
The business is for sale (per their scrolling sign) and I said to Ryan, "Boy wouldn't that be a fun thing to do? If only I could make pie!" He agreed it would be somewhat of a necessary component to owning a pie shop.
All pie-shop-owning aside, I do wish I had mad pie-making skills. Ryan loves pie, and I must admit I enjoy eating it too. (I mean...I'm not going to turn down cupcakes or cookies or nearly any other form of dessert, but I do like pie!) But I've never been a great pie-maker. I've tried to learn. My mom has always made delicious pies, and I tried to learn from her, but alas, I never perfected the skill.
It's the crust that gets me, I think. I've tried multiple recipes, and none of them have been dismal failures, but none have been amazing. And fluted edges? Forget it. The edges always look like a hungry toddler was left to her own devices. OH! And rolling everything out evenly? Hasn't happened yet. Lumpy crusts all the way around - too thick in the middle and stretched thin on the sides.
I may need a pie-making hands-on tutorial.
(By the way, if you've given up dessert or sweets for Lent, you may want to stop reading now. I don't want to cause you to stumble in the first five minutes of your day.)
While we're talking about culinary skills, I also would also love to one day be an expert in making ice cream. A while back I asked a friend of mine for her homemade ice cream recipe. I'd eaten ice cream at her house once (YEARS ago) and I still remember how delicious it tasted, so I wanted to have the recipe. She graciously shared, but alas, I don't own an ice cream maker, so that puts a bit of a damper on that. I love a good bowl of ice cream as much as I love pie (bonus points for having both) so I'd love to acquire this skill.
Is it true that if you have a great base ice cream recipe, you can accessorize it easily? Candy bars here? Cookies there? A little flavoring on the side? Maybe I don't need a pie shop as much as I need an ice cream shop. (It's possible I've looked for ice cream shops for sale before...)
It's not all about food for me. One day I'd love to learn to crochet, too. I went to a craft night at church this past weekend and sat with some ladies who were working on blankets, and they were both so fast and talented! I'm such a sucker for soft blankets and pretty patterns, so I can absolutely see myself loving this skill.
Or maybe I just want a skill I can use while talking 800 miles an hour to the person beside me. (I took scrapbooking to craft night and found it hard to journal and talk at the same time.)
And of course, I'm always telling myself I need to learn to do more with my camera. I've gotten lazy about learning new settings and skills, and I know I would love my pictures even more if I took the time to learn more than I know now.
How about you? Any skills you wish you had? Anyone want to be my personal pie teacher?
8 comments:
I have an amazing pie crust recipe. However, I lack the skills to make the pie crust look amazing. I don't care too much about the aesthetic of the pie crust because I know how good it's going to taste. I wish I had crafting skills- knitting,crocheting,sewing- basically anything/ everything crafty.
My mother for a number of years was the pie maker for a local restaurant. Yes her title was Pie Maker. She had her own pie room. I grew up in a restaurant owned by my grandparents and my grandfather had some of the most delicious pies my favorite was the sour cream cheese pie. I have mastered the art of making that one.
I've made pies from scratch a few times. Alas, I don't have enough patience to have a thin crust and I think that's what really makes a good pie!
I also wish I could crochet. And run. I'm always envious of people who can run. Is running a skill?!? :)
Have you seen the movie Waitress? Made me think of it (:
Sometimes I read this blog and am amazed at the things we have in common...I too dream of being a skilled pie maker. I vowed a few years ago to stick with it until I mastered it, but others tasks got in the way and pie mastery was pushed to another day. - Michele
TBH I'm not a fan of crust anyway...it's all about the fillings for me...but I actually LOVE the taste of Pillsbury Pie Crust (next to the butter in the refrigerator case), so I use that every time I make a pie.
Skills I wish I had:
Singing
Gymnastics
Figure Skating
Drawing
Painting
Basically anything artistic.
I would love to take up crocheting and my mom is so skilled at it I really need her to teach me!
Maria - I agree with you! I'd rather eat one ugly, delicious pie than a pretty one that doesn't taste so great!
Becky - What a WONDERFUL title! Pie maker? With her own pie room? That's a good life!!! Is the sour cream cheese pie anything like a sugar cream pie?
Natasha - Running is a skill in my book! I think my goal with it would be to run like a gazelle, not like a guinea pig!
Tamar - I don't think I have! I'll have to look it up.
Michele - We are twins!!! Maybe one day we will both get the hang of the pie thing! Until then, there's Ivanhoes for dessert, right?
Jinjer - I used to hate the crust, but as I've gotten older, I've enjoyed it more. I use pre-made dough myself (currently). Figure skating! YES! So pretty!
Heather - Yes! And then you can make cute hats like the ones you wear!
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