Patriotic pie

The Fourth of July holiday weekend rapidly approaches, thus raising the question of pie. Many people simply skip over to IHOP or a Safeway bakery and just pick one up. These pies are simple, sweet and they taste just fine. There are no surprises; the buyer can be safely assured that this pie will taste exactly the same as it did last year.

Some of us, however, bake our own. The idea can be daunting for the newbie pie baker. Pie crust possesses this fallacious aura of difficulty. We fail once and give it up forever. But it’s Independence Day! The birthday of our nation! Go out there and celebrate by making that apple pie that so sweetly represents us. For if apple pie is American, to be unable to make one—well, that’s almost as bad as not being able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, or not knowing how many stars are on the flag. It’s un-American.

So try your hand again at pie. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Customize the filling the way you want. Make it unique! Make it gluten free! Just make pie.