I asked my husband, my confidante, my voice of reason: Tell me if you think this is a bad idea. I want to make 2017 the year of pie. Am I being crazy?
To explain a little: I am a home baker. I love to bake, when I can make time for it, which is hard to justify for myself with two small children as my full-time job. I have schooled for baking (and pastry arts), but I'm quick to say that I didn't complete the program. Baking runs in my blood, as both of my grandfathers were professional bakers. I love the smell heat gives yeast and the happy feelings that gluten and sugar inspire. Give me cookies, give me cakes, give me breads and give me pastries. I will love them all! But I have never loved making pies. Even though I'm a person who would prefer to dessert on fruit rather than chocolate, I have never cared for crusts or pans.
So in short, yes, personally I think I am being crazy!
I justify the insanity because 2016 has been a difficult year. Our society has lost so many influential members who seemed to go too soon and our country is reeling from a difficult political landscape. Personally, my year has been punctuated by milestones as I watch my baby grow up. I've come face to face with the looming imminence that she's not my baby anymore.
If I'm to leave 2016 behind me, why not look forward to 2017 with anticipation of new challenge and a material goal? So I hatched the idea to make it a year of pie, exploring sweet and savory, and perhaps learn to love it along the way. So the plan would be to endeavor to make one pie a week... starting small with a relatively unknown medium.
My husband said it was a great idea and that the one condition to starting this project is I needed to blog it. Sharing recipies and photos and talking about what I learn about pie baking and culture along the way.
..........
That sounds a lot like a "YES! Go for it!" but my history with blogging is less than stellar. For about a month and a half I was able to write about a defining personal experience then my mind ran dry. I have blogging friends who I admire very much because they are able to juggle life and dedication to the journal (something else I've never excelled at.) So this challenge was not only to MAKE a pie every week but also to research, write and post about pie every week. For a year.
With two weeks to go before the New Year starts, I'm hoping to log a good bit of research under my belt and into a notebook so I have the start of something to pull from. Also I'll be planning a pie schedule so I don't fall into the "I don't know what to make" quicksand. I have my work cut out for me. See you next year!
