I make so many pies that my wife Bev and I invented what we call our “sliver rule” – we cut a couple of small pieces for ourselves; give as much away as we can; and then freeze any that’s leftover. And we’ve been pretty religious about it, too. Then this pie happened. We didn’t mean to fall off the wagon – and by WE I mean me – but when I weighed myself at the gym the other day…

When was the last time you baked an all strawberry, double-crust pie?  I’ll stick my neck out and wager it’s been a while, because even if nobody ever comes right out and says it, a lot of bakers just don’t consider an all strawberry double-crust pie a thing.  Strawberry rhubarb pie is a thing. So is strawberry chiffon. Everybody swoons over those thickly glazed fresh strawberry pies with mountains of whipped cream; that’s a thing.  But a double crust strawberry…

Thanks to Huey Lewis and the News and their 1986 hit song, we all know it’s hip to be square. But if you’re a pie maker, you should know it’s even hipper to be rectangular. I’m talking about slab pie, if you hadn’t guessed, that sheet pan kin to pie-in-the-round. Pie in a sheet pan? You’d be forgiven for asking why bother. Does a slab pie taste any better than its circular counterpart? Is it easier to assemble? Can slab…

I’ve been giving Valentines Day quite a bit of thought this week, on account of the fact that my previous lapses never worked out that well, so I’m going all in with the flowers, the dinner out, and one of those really expensive Hallmark cards to show my wife that when it comes to her happiness, money is no object. Oh, and these little cherry pies to top things off, too. I agree – none of that is very original….

I had a bubbly email this week from a Pie Academy member about a recipe of mine that I hadn’t thought of in eons. This happens periodically. Someone will reach out and mention a recipe, an article, or something else I wrote about years ago, and jog my memory. I always welcome these reminders, unless it’s to point out that I’ve contradicted myself with something I’ve written more recently, leaving me no choice but to reach into my bag of…