Friday Five - Pie-ola

Today's Friday Five has us thinking about and discussing one of my favorite topics - FOOD! And not just any food, but holiday food. And not just any holiday food, but PIE! While I am not much of a baker, especially when it comes to complex stuff like pies, I am definitely a consumer. However, in my family we absolutely don't do pumpkin pie. Nobody eats it! We aren't huge fans of apple, cherry, or other fruits either! Pecan pie we will eat, but I haven't ever tried to make one from scratch. However, I am developing a few favorite recipes for no-bake pies that have almost become my "family signatures" so we'll see what happens in the days and weeks to come. Stay tuned as I share a few of those recipes if you think you might be interested in super-simple yumminess like Peanut Butter, Chocolate Truffle, Caramel, and Key Lime pies! (And no, the photo isn't mine, but it's so stinking cute I may have to start doing that with some of my creations!)

1) Are pies an important part of a holiday meal? Well, I won't speak for everyone, but as far as MY holiday meals I will say they are nice, but I wouldn't say they are essential. As tasty and fantastic as they are, I wouldn't be heartbroken if there wasn't a pie present! I like making my no-bake pies because it's something easy and tasty to contribute, and of course I welcome the pies of others, but I'm just as happy with cookies or cake or a bowl of ice cream!

2) Men prefer pie, Women prefer cake. Discuss. I don't know how true this is, again because of my limited experience. My dad is not a big dessert person but he actually really loves my great-aunt's Lane Cake. My husband will eat whatever it is he can get to on the dessert table! My brother is not as big a fan of sweets as he one was, but he will usually partake in a little something! My aunt probably prefers chocolate pie to just about anything, but likes chocolate anything over fruit anything. And me? Well, It's pretty hard to turn down a red velvet cake, but if there is a chocolate or key lime pie on the table I might just have to do it! We're a mixed bag all the way around.

3) Cherries - do they belong in a pie? I honestly couldn't tell you because I've never had a cherry pie. I'm typically not a fruit pie person, but I am learning! Now cherries on TOP of the pie, absolutely! But that's probably just because my pies are usually topped with whipped cream!

4) Meringue - is it best on lemon or chocolate? In terms of general family preference, I would absolutely say chocolate. But recently I have had a hankering for citrus desserts, and a lemon pie sounds really awesome, even though I don't think I have ever had a lemon meringue pie before in my 25 years!

5) In a chicken pie, what are the most compatible vegetables? Anything you don't like to find in a chicken pie? I am not a vegetable eater, but I do like potatoes in chicken pie. However, that's it! Anything green (except herbs) or orange or yellow I would rather not see! When I make chicken pie for my husband (which isn't all that often, but I will do it occasionally) I usually include peas, carrots, and corn. Occasionally broccoli will sneak in if we have just a little bit left in the freezer, but I still pick around all of it!