#pieforMikey

It has been 11 days since the above hashtag* in my post title first appeared on Twitter. It was Friday, August 12, 2011, and the food blogging community came out in full force to support one of their own. I was in Florida at the time, but I witnessed a beautiful and quickly growing phenom. When I returned home, my time was all about preparations for and then posting about, this blog’s 2nd Anniversary Party.  But that hashtag and all it means has not been far from my heart or my thoughts these past days.

I am always on time and hate being late, but for the first time, it has been great to be late. Had I made the Pie For Mikey a week ago, I would not have had a chance to see the outpouring of love from all of the amazing food bloggers out there. It reinforces why I so enjoy blogging on an almost daily basis. So today, 11 days later, I want to share it with you.

First, you must leave this site to watch and listen to this beautiful video… right now, please!  Honestly, don’t press “read more” until you’ve seen the video.

Absolutely gorgeous and moving, wasn’t it? Now you hopefully realize that what the food blogging community has done these past days has been to make, share, and then post about a Pie For Mikey.  A pie to share with their loved ones and to remember that each moment in life is a precious gift and not to be taken for granted. From what I’ve read about Mikey, Jennie, and their two young daughters, they truly loved deeply and did not take one moment for granted.

How about a little comic relief here?  I can provide that with my own story of peanut butter pie. It was more than 25 years ago that I made my first, and until today, my last PB Pie.  I do not recall where the recipe came from, but I do recall that I made it for an intimate dinner party for six. We’d finished a lovely dinner on the patio of our little townhouse and it was time for dessert. I brought out all the plates, serving pieces, and the PB Pie. I grabbed the big old knife and cut into it, and … eww, it was a runny sloppy mess. Oh well, who cares what it looks like, we all thought, it’ll still taste great.  So I slopped it onto the plates, laughing all the while.  Then… we tasted it… it was disgusting.  Honestly, it was inedible! I have no idea where it all went wrong; so we just threw it directly into the trash and I have never lived it down. To this day, my dear friend, Nancy, loves to remind me of the night I “served” that flop of a PB Pie.

So now you know my deep dark secret and why I never attempted to make a PB Pie again, until today. Many of the bloggers (such as 5 Second Rule, Eat the Love, Pen & Fork, and  Zoe Bakes) created their own versions of “Pie for Mikey” but I, understandably, played it safe and used Jennie’s recipe. The recipe and the pie are perfect!  My wish is that you will go to In Jennie’s Kitchen, get the recipe, and make it too.  And then I hope that you’ll serve it to the ones you love and remember to cherish each other and every God-given gift of moments you have together. God bless.

P.S. Just in case you want more recipes for Peanut Butter Pie, go to THIS LINK and be inspired and amazed!  And… just in case you have any problems with the link to get the pie recipe from In Jeannie’s Kitchen, I’ve posted the recipe below.

*Hashtag:  Twitter users often prepend # to words in their Tweets to categorize them for others; so hashtags are the theme of the Tweet. Users can then click on a hashtag to see other similarly-themed Tweets.

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie from In Jeannie’s Kitchen

8 ounces chocolate cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.  Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.  Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour over the bottom of the cookie crust and spread to the edges using an offset spatula.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and the filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan.  Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Serves 10 to 12