I used to love to bake from scratch.
My mom had a gorgeous kitchen with a wide island in the middle that was perfect for piling up ingredients and bowls and pans.
There were six kids at home, so there was always someone eager to try my newest creation. At one point I was obsessed with finding the perfect hand-rolled pie crust. Week after week I rolled them out, but this one was too bland, and that was a little dry. One day I was pressed for time, so I thawed out a pre-made frozen pie crust, and hoped no one would notice.
My dad took a big bite and proclaimed, "Anna! You've done it! This is the best crust I've ever tasted!" I thanked him, did not let on my secret, and silently celebrated the fact that I'd never have to roll out another crust again. And I haven't!
Now that I'm a mother of four, I almost never bake. Our kitchen literally has eight linear feet of counter space. The kids love dessert, but I'm the one who is usually faced with the temptation hour after hour while I'm at home with them. So I just don't do it. But occasionally, I break out the pie plates and get to work.
Sort of.
The prep for this pretty cherry pie was about 5 minutes.
I used a pre-made pie crust AND canned pie filling. The secret is in the presentation.
1. Place the bottom crust in the pie plate. Pour in two cans of cherry pie filling.
2. For the top crust, use a pizza cutter to cut into 1-inch strips. Using every other strip, lay the vertical stripes 1 inch apart on top of the filling. Then, starting at the middle of the pie, fold back every other strip half-way, and lay down a horizontal strip to form a lattice. Fold those strips back down and fold up the others before adding a new horizontal strip. Repeat to finish one side, then do the same on the other side.
3. Trim off the edge of the crust and crimp with a fork or your fingers. Flatten a small bit of the leftover crust and cut two hearts out. You can use a cookie cutter, but I just free-handed with a knife. Finding the right cutter might have doubled my prep time! Place the hearts in the center of the lattice.
4. Right before you put the pie in the oven, wash the top with a beaten egg and sprinkle on some clear sugar sprinkles. I add these to almost every cake I make. They look sparkly and have an excellent crunch.
5. Bake pie according to the directions on the can of filling.
Seriously. It's so easy to make someone feel special without killing yourself or buying store-bought. I love to be creative in the kitchen, but in this season of life, I just don't have the energy or time to bake from scratch. I know many of you are in the same boat.
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And speaking of not having time, take a few moments to read my essay, The Bible Study Guilt Trip, on my other blog. It's something the Lord put on my heart to share with the the other end-of-my-rope mommas out there.
