My very first pie!

Double Chocolate Berry Pie

Inspiration: "Lonely Chicago Pie" and "Strawberry Oasis Pie" from the movie Waitress. 

I didn't follow a recipe because I was missing a lot of ingredients like butter, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Worry not, my pie turned out extremely well!  My parents, who are by not means desserts people, have been raving about it all night long :-).  And, this recipe is super simple! 

Recipe

Ingredients:

10-15 fresh strawberries diced (sorry, I lost count of strawberries because I ate some along the way...)

1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries

1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of soymilk (was a bit nervous about this but all is good!)

1 egg, beaten 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 9-in graham cracker pie crust (from the store)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Combine beaten egg, brown sugar, soymilk, vanilla, and cornstarch. Mix well.  Then mix in strawberries and blueberries

3. Pour mixture into a small pot with medium heat and stir for ~5mins or until everything is mushy and gooey

4. Melt 1 cup of chocolate in microwave for 90 secs and spread liberally over the bottom and sides of the pie crust

5. Pour berry mixture from pot into pie crust, on top of melted chocolate. Do not mix.

6. Bake pie at 400 degrees F for 20 mins

7. Melt remainder 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in microwave for 60 secs and spread liberally over the top of pie

I know modesty is a virtue but YUM! 

Time to make a pie...

A few days ago, I sort of mindlessly watched the movie named Waitress on an obscure channel.  The plot is probably nondescript and not worth mentioning.  However, the quirkily named and mouthwatering pies are.  Strawberry Oasis, Marshmallow Mermaid Pie,  I-Don't-Want-Earl's-Baby-Pie, Falling-in-love Chocolate Mousse Pie, just to name a few.  One particular pie caught my eyes, taste buds, and heart: Lonely Chicago Pie. This pie was made in the setting of a gentle and caring love affair between the pregnant protagonist and her gynecologist.  Bittersweet chocolate melted into a thick and velvety bed on top of which the lovingly crushed raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries snugly cushioned themselves.  My salivary glands were so active that I ran to the fridge for my last cup of rice pudding and devoured it.

My brain soon tucked The Lonely Chicago Pie, along with the rest of the movie into the "to be discarded" section (it seems to be discarding a lot of stuff lately...).  However, an unexpected set of events jolted the pie back into consciousness.  

1. Mooncakes! For Mid-Autumn Festival, Xixi's mom made mooncakes of all different fillings.  When Xixi presented them to me, I voraciously took a bite of nearly every mooncake, hoping that my parents would forgive my indiscretions when I brought them home later.  Each bite was delicious, mooncakes filled with nutty goodness, mung bean paste, red bean paste, smashed dates, etc. They were one of the best mooncakes I've had in a long time.  I immediately asked Xixi to steal the recipe for me from her mom so I could make my own, all the time knowing it would be impossible at my current skill level. Though I could not admit this to Xixi, I resolved I will make something simpler, with a bigger margin for error. 

2. Finally bought a Bike! Finally!! I've wanted a bike since April.  I wanted one to ride to practicum at the VA, to the library when I am studying for the Step 1, on the lakefront in the scorching summer heat, to family medicine clinic, to VA again for psychiatry.  But, all that's come and gone, and bike riding days are almost over.  They weren't over for me.  After a unnaturally large meal of all-you-can-eat hotpot with my parents at Sweet Station, I was determined to purchase a bike and ride it home for exercise.  Though I haven't done any research, we marched over to Target and browsed their surprisingly large selection of mass produced bikes. I wanted a girly bike that'll allow me to get on and off most gracefully.  My dad selected a deep blue mountain bike with shock absorbers everywhere, to which I said no.  My mom selected a teal bike with a huge cushiony seat, and a spot to put a basket in the back for me to try...Too bad the front wheel was not completely round on that one.  Then I saw them, my 2 dream bikes. A pink and yellow bike with "Lulu" written across it, decorated with yellow flowers. Were the wheels white and pink? I can't recall. And another, a cute yellow bike, reminiscent of Bumblebee; it just screamed my name.  With these 2 bikes, I saw myself riding in the meadow with flowers in my hair and a basketful of fresh berries that I just picked from some random bushes...Following my gaze, my parents shook their heads adamantly and I snapped back to reality.  In the end, I settled on a sandy-colored bike, sitting quietly in the corner.  Though it wasn't as girly as Bumblebee or Lulu, it was girly enough.  And I can get on and off without much trouble...not so sure about graceful.  The best part was I could put my two feet on the ground without getting off the bike or falling to either side.  Sandy was coming home with me. Because I took so long to pick out a bike, it was already dark outside and my parents decided to put the bike in the trunk and drive home.  The problem was, there was no place left for me in the car.  I managed to squeeze into the trunk, pressed up against the back window like like a sad creature who wanted to run outside and play.  Anyhoo, Sandy is sitting downstairs, waiting for me to take her out for a stroll, to explore Chicago, and to buy ingredients for pie!

Here's Sandy!

3. My aunt and cousin are coming to visit from China in just 4 days! I am eagerly awaiting their arrival, made all the more sweet with a perfected Lonely Chicago Pie :-)