Happy Pi Day!

Happy Pi Day, everyone! I am not a math fan, by any means. I even have (recurring) nightmares that I am back in High School math class and I haven't been attending class all semester, and I have to take a final. Just the thought of being in math class again, period is enough to make me sweat! I was more of an English class person. Especially AP English my senior year, where we read a bunch of books and discussed them. I loved that. Anyway... I digress. My husband just loves math. It's fitting, since he is a math teacher, after all. He was especially excited about math today because today is Pi Day! You know, 3.14. So, in honor of the day, I made some lovely pie-themed treats.

For dinner, we had Pizza Pie! (I put that exclamation point on the end so that you could imagine some Italian guy singing out "Pizza Pie!" That's how I say it, anyway. I'm not Italian though). I used Allrecipes.com's Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust. I've been using that recipe for years. About 3 years. But when I use a recipe more than once, it must be a good one! I try new recipes all the time (most days of the week) and it's rare that I make a recipe twice. So if you're looking for a great "healthier" pizza crust, give that recipe a try! I topped it with Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce, a mix of provolone, fontina, romano and parmesan cheese, turkey pepperoni, and green peppers. My husband arranged the green peppers in the shape of Pi. We loved how it turned out! And it was one of the best pizza's I've made, if I do say so myself.


Earlier in the day, I had made a lemon meringue pie- my first. I really hate working with pie crust. For some reason, it's so difficult for me. I've tried a lot of recipes and have never been able to find the "perfect" one, but I suspect it's just me and my lack of pie crust skills. I don't use shortening and I know that shortening produces a nice flaky crust. The one I made today used butter. The flavor was good, but the baked crust was soggy and chewy, and tough to boot. It also sunk down and got droopy when I baked it, and all the butter came to the surface. I think the next step for me is finding a good store-bought one. (Without trans fats, though!). Anyway, I'm getting off-topic again! I loved the lemon and meringue part of the lemon meringue pie. I was very happy with how that turned out! The lemon filling thickened perfectly, was a nice color, and had a great texture. The meringue turned out wonderful, as well. I used Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie ; a recipe I've been wanting to make for a long time. I measured everything out before preparing the pie so that it would be easier for me. Even so, I still felt like I needed an extra set of hands a few times as I was making the lemon filling. I want to try this recipe again, after I find that "perfect" pie crust. ;) (Or just learn how to do it right!)

I'd have to say that Pi Day was a success at our house!