OH SO HOT AND CHERRY

These tomatoes are all that's left of the blazing hot summer that I thought would never leave. The "summer of the hole" being in the bag, is a relief. I've spent the past few months putting in extra hours at work, and at home. The dreary slow down that is Fall, is a welcome respite after spending so much time in a state of puddledom. It's been a tough season, full of a lot of change in my life, some of it good, some of it traumatic, so bye-bye heat index of the damned, so long, and thanks for all the tomatoes.

The dark clouds, and the crisp mornings are already putting me in a better mood.

Let's give some more lip service to pie.

Pie somehow became the star of the dessert world. That's fine, I disagree with its stardom, but who I am I to buck hundreds of years of tradition? If I have to eat pie, I'm picky about what flavors I'm willing to spear my fork into. If I'm going to make a pie, I'm even more picky. I'll make apple pies for others, but in my eyes the only true fruit pie is cherry. The mixture of tartness and sweetness sings in your mouth. It works well with so many different toppings, cinnamon crumb, whipped cream, and is one of the few that goes well topped with chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla.

Fresh cherries can be purchased in my area, but they're inveritably Bings. No offense to the Bing variety but they make for a pie that's too sweet. A nice, even balance of sweet and tart cherries do the trick, which is why I like *whispers* canned pie filling. I know, I'm a big supporter of canned pie filling for cherry pie, with caveats. The secret to a great cherry pie, is ditch the goo. You know what I'm talking about. The goo, the gel, the  so called cherry packing product. A can of "extra fruit" pie filling, mixed with a can of tart cherries in juice ensures the right flavor and the right consistency.

This particular pie was made for Mr. Icequeen's co-worker as a going away gift. This co-worker left her job, and her home state to start a new life. New beginnings can be so exciting, a chance to re-invent yourself and re-shape your world, for some it really is the final frontier.