Pi, the infinite number of awesomeness. A number of circumference calculating greatness! A constant presence in all our lives. Okay, I am sorry, I nerded out there.
Seriously though, a few years ago my friends and I started a tradition of meeting up on Pi day to eat pies. Pi Day (3-14) has been a thing since physicist Larry Shaw held the first one back in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium. In my realm it has been a food feastival celebrating that round pastry of gloriousness for at least five years.
Our first few Pi Day Pie Days events were all sweet pie celebrations. This year we mixed it up a bit and included savory pies in the mix. My pancreas approved of this move. I don't even eat sugar more than once or twice a week, so Pi day is a special treat indeed!
With actual Pi day falling on a Monday and with all of us having kids in school still, we decided to meet the day before Pi Day for our festivities. That meant this past Saturday I was in full Pi Day Pie baking mode.
Now, I have a friend whose favorite food is gas station food. I am not joking. His dream is to have one of those little hot dog rotisserie's that are present in gas station convenience stores. In his honor, I crafted a pie I gleefully named: Truck Stop Pie.
I started my pie with, no nutrient or real food value whatsoever, journey by crushing some Oreos in my food processor. After adding some melted butter to the Oreo crumbs, I pressed the sweet crumbles into a pie plate and moved on to the next step in processed food greatness.
I spread hot fudge in the bottom of the cookie crust. I then popped that crust of excellence into the freezer while I whipped up some chocolate cream filling, a filling of pudding, whipping cream, and milk lusciousness.
After getting the faux mousse whipped up, I spread it in the chilled crust and added a coat of extra creamy whipped topping to the top. To finish off the pie I roughly chopped some more Oreos and sprinkled them on top before topping the entire thing in some not so artful flourishes of more hot fudge.
Like I said, a pie completely devoid of nutritional value, but oh so indulgent.
My other pie offering was a caramel apple pie. I have a no roll pie crust recipe that I swear by, and I whipped that up, filled it with spiced, floured, and sugared apple slices, and added a toasted walnut oat crumble to the mix.
After baking that beauty for 50 minutes or so, I removed the very pretty pie from the oven and drizzled caramel over the top. Lots of drizzle in the air round these parts, maybe I was just matching the inside to the outside, we definitely have some spring weather going on...
Anyway, the hubs decided to add the savory addition to Pi Day festivities from our household and made a Shepherd's Pie that had the most glorious home grown garlic mashed potatoes topping.
Upon arriving at our friend's house, we were greeted with more pies than was Christian. Like seriously, the amount of pies was beyond glorious, I am pretty sure I heard an angelic chorus as we all set our pies down. Nope, that was pancreatic screeching....
In addition to our pies, we had a pecan, cookies and cream, creme brulee (that my hubs torched right before we ate them), a Dutch oven peach cobbler made with home canned peaches, a gigantic chicken pot pie, and a random assortment of Dominos Pizzas. It was a scene of comestible beauty.
Having participated in Pi Day Pie day before, I learned the hard way to take petite slices of everything since I wanted to be able to taste it all without dying. Even still I was feeling a bit beyond comfortably sated once we finished noshing, but all those calories came in handy as we discovered a leak under the kitchen sink and Pi Day devolved into Plumbing Day which included a run to the hardware store by the teenagers present to get a new fitting for the split from freezing in a building that was heated but had old school plumbing extravaganza that unfolded.
It was a good day.
And if anyone feels like indulging in something super tasty but not at all good for you, I present:
Truck Stop Pie
25 Oreo sandwich cookies
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup Mrs. Richardson's Hot Fudge
1 big box instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 1/4 cup milk
1 small tub extra creamy whipped topping
6-8 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped
2-4 Tablespoons hot fudgeIn a food processor, pulse Oreos until finely crumbled. Add crumbs to melted butter, mix, and press into a pie plate.
Heat hot fudge and spread 1/4 cup (or more) into bottom of the crust. Pop in the freezer while you are whipping up the chocolate pudding filling.
In a mixing bowl, add pudding mix, whipping cream, and milk. Beat until fluffy and spread into cookie crust.
Next, top the pudding with thawed whipped topping, then sprinkle chopped cookies on top. Finally drizzle more hot fudge over the cookies.
Chill until ready to serve and watch the pie disappear!