LET 'EM EAT PIE

This is a fun weekend. Yesterday I met up with Ben to watch the new Ron Howard movie, (in 3-D, IMAX!) Heart of the Sea. It’s the “story behind the story” of Moby Dick, and it’s wonderful. We followed up the morning with lunch at the new Chick-Fil-A at Hamilton Town Center and then I did some holiday shopping and last night, wrapping.

Today I’m making two pies. One is a Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie, created by Blaise Doubman of Kennard for next year’s novel. Did you know that Sugar Cream is the official Indiana state pie? It will go to my church life group’s holiday party Sunday night. The other one is a mincemeat for our Courier-Times Christmas luncheon Monday.

The mincemeat is from a 75-year-old recipe that the Spiceland (Indiana) United Methodist women make every year. I haven’t eaten mincemeat since I was a kid, and even then, when Mom made it, I don’t know that I actually ate a piece. It sure smelled good baking but let’s just say it couldn’t touch pecan, apple, cherry or peach.

Did you know that mincemeat is a traditional British Christmas meat pie, dating back 500 years and traced to English Crusaders who brought spices from the Holy Land? If anyone has a hankering for a jar of authentic mincement made by ladies who have been making it from scratch for decades, give these gals a call to purchase jars:  Virginia at 765-987-7634 or Sarah at 765-529-6598.

I’ll be curious to see Monday how my adult taste buds feel about this dessert—and if anyone else in the office will eat it. (I’m also taking a green-bean casserole). Green-bean casseroles are the ugly Christmas sweater of the holiday menu. But the funny thing is, they get eaten and despite the cliché, many people love them. They are also economical to make for a crowd. Ben has requested that I make one for his work’s Christmas pitch-in.

Before Sunday's church party, the afternoon (1-4 p.m., Dec. 13) will be spent at the Hancock County Public Library at an author fair co-hosted by the library and the Hancock County Historical Society. I hear that nine authors will be there to chat about and sell their volumes. Come on by. Even if you are just looking and not buying, we love discussing our work.

For me, an author fair is a hit if it leads to just one person saying “Hey, I’d like to have you come speak to my ...”

Monday, there’s the work luncheon, and after work, I’ll head to Middletown for a mini-party, of sorts, with my Bible Study Fellowship pals before we close out our lessons for 2015.
With all this holiday hoopla, it’s a safe bet that come Tuesday evening after work, I’ll be pretty wiped out.

But it’s all good.

Since it’s 64 degrees (yes, in Indiana), I may also work in the yard cleaning up the leaves that have blown against the porches and landscaping.

I just caught a whiff of the baking mincemeat pie ... reminds me of Saturday mornings when I was a kid. That's when Mom did her baking.

How are you spending your December Saturday?

Sugar Cream Pie, left, and the mincemeat pie before the top crust is added. The Sugar Cream is finished and the mincemeat is baking as I write this cutline. What's your favorite holiday pie? Shout out to Blaise Doubman for walking me through how EASY it is to make a pie crust. I'll never buy one again (well, probably).