In a scenario I never expected to experience in anything but film and TV, we are now living through a global pandemic called COVID-19. In accordance with CDC guidance to avoid large gatherings, we scaled down our big Pie Day event to just an intimate group of five pie-loving friends. In scary times we need pie and people more than ever, so we overcame difficulty getting ingredients and spent a few hours forgetting the coronavirus anxiety that now permeates our world. Pie makes everything better!

Savory Pies

Nick made a Mac N Cheese Pie with Crispy Onion Topping. Yes, putting foods you already love into a pie crust does make them better. Especially when you top with air-fried onions.

With grocery stores out of stock (I never thought I’d live through a time when runs on grocery stores would be a thing), I relaxed my homemade pie rule and allowed for store-bought. Kris brought these delicious empanadas with a variety of different fillings. My favorites were the Filipino Chicken and Salsa Verde.

Sweet Pies

Jeff made an Apple Cheddar Pie. If you’ve never heard of this, it’s exactly what it sounds like – a traditional apple pie, but with a layer of cheddar cheese (sometimes just plopped right on top, other times layered under the top crust as in Jeff’s pie). While the cheddar does give it a savory component, it’s still mostly a sweet pie.

I made an Orange Creamsicle Pie (here’s my Guessipe). Remember those awesome orange popsicles with the cream center? I recreated those flavors by putting an orange filling into a graham cracker crust, topping with vanilla mascarpone whipped cream, and sprinkling with candied tangerine peels.

Anthony made Milk Bar’s famous pie – formerly known as Crack Pie, but apparently changed for political correctness to just Milk Bar Pie now. In my mind it will always be Crack Pie, as it’s as good as that name implies.