Pickle Pie
A lesson in showing up
Lately, life has been showing me the importance of showing up for myself and for others, even when I feel like a failure. This past weekend, the Universe took the opportunity to hammer the point home even harder. Pleasantly (in retrospect), there is a great story(ies) to accompany the lesson.
When my nephew Isaac was a toddler, he spoke only a few words and responded to most attempts at conversation with him with the words: “Pickle pie!” It was deeply frustrating - but also funny to me and the rest of his family. We have no idea where he got the idea to put those two words together. I am very happy to say that Isaac now speaks in beautiful, complete sentences and is a fine young man these days.
While Isaac was still in his Pickle Pie Stage of Life, as a joke, I decided to create a recipe for an actual Pickle Pie and see how Isaac responded. I called the pie “Isaac’s Famous Pickle Pie.” Isaac actually was delighted with the personal attention (it is hard being a middle child - not the oldest or the baby but a liminal being with an identity of your own to craft).
As I mentioned near the beginning of the year, my sister is having another child. Her due date is coming close, so I have traveled to the state where she lives to provide emotional and practical support (read laundry, dishwashing, cooking, house cleaning).
While we all wait for the baby, my nieces, nephews, and I decided we should have some fun and enter items in the art and baking divisions at a local city fair. For fun, as one of my entries, I decided to enter “Isaac’s Famous Pickle Pie” in the pie category.
Unfortunately, I waited a little too long to bake it (I wanted it to be as fresh as possible for the judges) and garnished/decorated it too warm. As I traveled to the fair to deliver the pie, all of the toppings became runny and/or melted. By the time I arrived at the exhibition hall, the pie was a literal, dripping, hot mess! It, quite frankly, looked terrible. The kind fair volunteers registered the pie and then I apologetically told them that I needed to exit briefly to “clean the pie.” Taking a paper towel, I gingerly scraped all of the toppings off the pie and tried to ensure that the outside of the pie pan also wasn’t too sticky. As far as I was concerned, this version of the pie was an utter failure.
Imagine my shock when I returned to the fair after the judging to discover that my strange pie had won first place! I had to laugh. But this was a powerful lesson to me. I thought the pie was a failure but because I showed up anyway, it won. Had I decided not to show my failure to anyone, that never would have happened. I need to remember this in more areas of my life. All of my life’s successes depend on me showing up, even (maybe especially) when I feel inadequate.
In case I have made you curious about what a pickle pie might be like, I have included my recipe below.
“Isaac’s Famous Pickle Pie” is a novel custard pie with a delightful, quirky pickle crunch in every bite. If you decide to bake it and try it, I hope you enjoy it.
Isaac’s Famous Pickle Pie
Makes two pies
Ingredients:
2 cups sweet pickle relish
12 fl. oz. evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 tsp. apple pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
1.5 Tbsp. sweet cream butter
1 cup Domino’s golden sugar
1 heaping Tbsp. brown sugar
2 heaping Tbsp. flour
2 eggs
2 capfuls of sprinkles
Garnish/decoration:
Cool Whip
M&Ms
Sweet pickles
Maraschino cherry(ies)
Suggestion: Use M&Ms to make eyes, one maraschino cherry for the nose, and one pickle for the mouth.
Don’t forget to have two pie crusts at the ready.
Instructions:
Blend all ingredients on low in a blender.
Evenly divide the blended ingredients between your two pie crusts. Add a few more sprinkles on top of the unbaked pie (the mixture will be runny).
Bake the pies at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Lower the heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes or until the pie centers have set.
Remove from heat and cool.
Refrigerate the pies for four hours or overnight.
Before consuming, garnish with Cool Whip, M&Ms, cherries, and pickles in a design of your choice.