The Memories, the Mischief, and the Magic of a Perfect Crust
What just popped into your head? Your favorite pie? Your grandmother’s kitchen? The pie disaster you did not anticipate? Whatever it was, welcome the memory.
Pie is a wonderful dessert. It comes in all flavors, and the “container” of a beautiful golden-brown crust is worth a shout-out on its own. Do you take the leftover crust and bake it on a cookie sheet so you can stuff it in your mouth while the pie bakes? That is the best!
Pie is full of memories for me. Growing up one generation removed from the farm meant numerous weekends in my grandmother’s kitchen, rolling out dough, sneaking bits of filling, and stuffing my mouth with pie dough scraps while waiting for the real thing to finish baking. My grandmother’s kitchen was huge, with two big stoves. One was wood-fired, and the other was electric. She used each of those depending on what she was making and how much of it, too. Pie scraps were always a treat, and you, of course, rolled the dough thin so you would have several scraps.
Pie is adaptable. Depending on the season, you can make a pie out of almost anything. You can even make meat pies! But my favorite fruit pie was the cherry pie. You had to pick the cherries off the tree in the orchard, then pit them with this little pokey thing, which could be cantankerous at times. If you were not careful, you could poke a hole in your palm. Keeping your palm out of the way was a challenge.
Now, you might think that apples would be a favorite, as the apple orchard was always loaded. But apples come in a variety of flavors, and if you don’t get it right, the pie can be on the sour side. So, cherries were more dependable, even though you had to pick more of them. The cherry orchard was also a favorite place for the bees, so you had to be careful, or at least be brave, to climb the ladder in the cherry orchard.
Did you know that you can also make a pie out of crackers? That was a new one! You can take Ritz crackers and make a pie that resembles an apple pie. Who knew? The Ritz people spent some time playing with that before they got it right.
Pie is comforting. You can be in a really foul mood or depressed because you missed a blue ribbon at the County Fair, and a slice of pie with ice cream can perk you right up. So, what if you missed the blue ribbon and ended up with the red? Next year, you know what you have to do to beat that girl.
Pie can rescue you from any foul mood. Sometimes making it is just as good as eating it. The hardest to make is the cherry one. First, you have to fight off the bees to pick the cherries, then it seems to take forever to pit the dang things before plopping them into the crust. But the result is heavenly!
Explore related reflections:
The Right Mindset blog
Seasonal reflections
Therapeutic approaches
Learn more from trusted culinary and food‑history resources:
King Arthur Baking Company
Serious Eats
Smithsonian Magazine – Food & Culture
If you are navigating emotional transitions, sensory grounding, or the comfort of familiar rituals, therapy can offer clarity and support. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support insight, resilience, and meaningful growth.
By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst
