What comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving? Probably thankfulness for blessings, family gatherings, and, of course, a big meal. When you think of the meal you probably have visions of turkey. My daughter thinks of mashed potatoes, my wife is all about the stuffing (and only the stuffing!), and for me, there is the pie! Pie, as far as I am concerned, is as crucial to a Thanksgiving feast as is turkey. Perhaps more as it is the ending high note, the best part of snack time afterwards, and oh so much easier to carve! It’s not hard to figure out how to deal with it afterwards either. If you are lucky enough to have any left over, you just eat it!
For as long as I can remember, pie has been my favorite dessert and at one time was even a favorite appetizer. When our family first moved to Washington, our church group met in a shop. Every third Sunday of the month, we would have what we call a potluck (also commonly known as a carry in dinner). There was a new family that had moved into the area with twin brothers about my age of twelve or thirteen, and one particular potluck Sunday, the three of us thought that the ladies were doing more talking than food prepping. With concern that we were likely to starve to death before the food was ready, we decided that action was needed.
We huddled together to formulate our plan of attack. First, we identified our target. The pie was in the clear, with no one too near. Next, we figured out how to create a distraction. The plan was to go inside with all of us in a line, yelling and generally being nosy, then run back out the door with the last one in line to grab a pie off the table where it was sitting unguarded. After we agreed on the ultimate pie selection to be grabbed, all that was left was to execute! It worked beautifully! Seldom since has any plan of mine worked out as well as that one. We triumphantly gathered well out of sight and out of the reach of the wrath of the ladies to rejoice over our booty. At that point, we were more excited over the successful completion of our raid than we were the pie, but it soon disappeared, and we were able to survive until lunch.
So, yes! I am looking forward to Thanksgiving this year and I am sure you are as well. If you end up having any pie leftover and are confused about what to do with it, just give me a call. That is one problem I would be glad to help with. May you and your family have a day full of thanksgiving and a pleasant November.
