Sunday, July 09, 2006  Birthday Pie  There's nothing like apple
pie to celebrate 25 years. Why apple pie? The pie is a
significant representation of the past year of my life. I
learned to make pie while I was home for Christmas. Before then,
I thought pie crust was too hard to make. However, with a quick
lesson from my dad and the help of a pastry blender, I figured
out why people say "easy as pie." The apple pie pictured above
is a variation of the first pie I made - which my mom said was
"the best apple pie I've ever had," which is quite a compliment,
considering how many awesome pies my grandma has made throughout
the years. Since then, I have discovered how much I enjoy baking
pies, and pastries in general.  Over Memorial Day weekend, I
made shortcakes to go with the abundant fresh strawberries. I've
been working on the perfection of a scone recipe (they've all
turned out just fine, but I have yet to replicate the exact
flavor and texture of my favorite orange cranberry scones at the
Upper Crust in Columb