I’m sure lots of prep went into your Thanksgiving feast, even before today and, whether it was bopping from store to store, or simply from aisle to aisle … food, glorious food, was and is top of mind today.
And, then there is pie.
Pumpkin pie rules on this day of food nirvana and what better way to top off a satisfying meal shared with loved ones than with a slice of pie?
Though I’m not usually one to share my special recipes in this forum, this year I just couldn’t resist.
But first … here’s the backstory about the making of those pies.
Although I really like picking out and sending Jacquie Lawson animated e-cards, (like you’ll find at the end of this post), my good friend Ann Marie and I have been exchanging traditional paper cards for all the holidays and our birthdays since we first met while walking along the perimeter path at Council Point Park many years ago.
Because Ann Marie follows my blog, she knows all about and shares my affinity for wildlife, especially squirrels. A few years ago, by coincidence, we both chose the exact same Thanksgiving card and it was received at our respective houses the same day. We e-mailed one another with that old line about how “great minds think alike” and how funny, that of all the Thanksgiving cards available, we both chose this Avanti card.
Who wouldn’t smile when seeing Chippies that donned their pilgrim hats and caps to gather around a pecan pie? This photo is from Avanti’s site.
Well, as I stared at that card on my corner cabinet shelf, I decided one day, some way, I would recreate that card with MY furry friends. In hindsight, I must admit, like some of my other ideas for holiday shoots, those thoughts perhaps were better left churning around in my head. But this year, I decided “why not go for it?” After all, squirrels love all treats and besides, I told myself “I’m just fulfilling the WHIMSY part of my blog title, right?”
As many of you know, I am no cook. The domestic genes passed me by in that regard (and maybe keeping a neat and tidy house as well). So, the idea of a no-bake, easy-peasy recipe for MY furry, pie-eating pals suited me just fine. What the heck … I’d even make myself a pie using a premade crust, dump some canned fruit into it and smear it with whipped cream topping – very doable, even for me. Martha Stewart may tsk-tsk, but pfft to her.
So, here were the fixin’s. I made one pie and when I was done I simply broke my pie apart, mixed it with yogurt and created yummy parfaits.
But I digress …
Back to the task at hand – making some tasty pie for the munchkins.
Now, mind you, it’s not like I could go a’Googlin’ for “squirrel pie” but that’s a whole nother story. After all, we had a Southern neighbor decades ago, who quickly downsized the street’s squirrel population using a BB gun because he loved squirrel pie. Believe me, I wished I could “unhear” his tale when he proudly boasted about the reason I no longer had squirrels hiding their acorns from our Oak trees in my flowerpots.
So here’s the recipe for pie for squirrels if you’re so inclined to make it. Note it is the same fruit fillers as MY pie fixin’s, i.e. pumpkin, cherry and apple.
First, take your spoon and stir up the Pecan Surprise suet cake, then load it into the pecan-flavored pie shell and smoosh it down.
Next, sprinkle Peanut Suet Nuggets liberally over that gooey mess, then press the nuggets into the suet.
Finally, add pecan halves to the top, this time tapping them down lightly with a spoon.
Admire, take a photo, then serve. Yep, those lucky munchkins.
But … did I have any takers?
After my pie-making chores were done, I tapped my foot impatiently while waiting for the heavy fog to clear. Finally, around noonish I headed to the Park and laid out their treats at the first stop, the pavilion. Well, I had created a feast fit for a King … pecan pie, peanuts and corn. Why corn you ask? Because we learned long ago that the pilgrims ate corn at the very first Thanksgiving, so yes, I tendered corn cobs to them for a first course. Here are some shots of the corn and pie.
Oops – we had a slight problem.
The delicious-looking, fresh-baked … um, make that fresh-“maked” pie scared the furry and feathered munchkins.
Even Parker was a tad perplexed, as was a Blue Jay – they both eyeballed that pie as you see below.
But, even though they were cautious, each grabbed a peanut, or even some of the loose dry niblets from the corncobs, but steered clear of the pie. No worries. I “get” it … the pie is bigger than you are. Next time I’ll make tarts. 🙂
I know I piqued their curiosity, or maybe it was the smell of nuts wafting through the still-humid air?
Picture-wise I didn’t fare much better at the Safe Haven Tree, as the yellow leaves hid most of their antics, but I’m happy to report all the treats were gone 24 hours later.
Some candid shots from the Thanksgiving feast are below, then a Thanksgiving card for you as I’m sure I’ve whet your appetite for pie and if not, this card will certainly do so.
Please click here for your Thanksgiving card.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 