Pies!  I know it's not cookies but it's baking related.  In 2009, I checked this book out from the library.  I loved all the different pies, but there was no way to make 300 pies in the short time I had the book from the library.  I like the variety of pies and the recipes in the book are very easy to follow, plus there are tips provided for each pie.  In 2010, on a day trip to Phoenix, my husband and I went into a Borders Books that was closing.  I said "I just want to look at the cookbook section.  I want to see if anything good is left."  Low and behold there was a copy of the pie book and I scored a great deal on it!  Then it sat in my cookbook cupboard never seeing the light of day.  Until 2014 came around.  I made a New Years Goal to dust off the pie book and to make more pies.  I've never really made pies before, except the occasional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.  This is not the first pie I've made this year, just the first since I started my blog.

Oh I don't know if I mentioned this but another reason I love this book is that it only has a handful of pictures in it.  Normally I'm all about pictures but not when it comes to pies.  Pictures of perfectly made pies only leads to heartbreak when yours comes out looking nothing like the photograph.  I just followed the recipe for the Wild Blueberry-Maple Pie from the book.   I omitted the maple part of the recipe.  This specific recipe called for a different kind of crust but I just made a basic pie pastry.  I was bringing this pie to a Fourth Of July barbecue, so I jazzed it up with a star shaped crust top. 

The pie turned out pretty well but it was extremely juicy.  I added extra cornstarch, but I still had to bake the pie for an extra 15 minutes.  When I cut the pie it was not pretty, but everyone seemed to enjoyed it.  Check out some of the other pies I've made this year on Instagram #tinamakespies