Real Pies for a poor girl who saw Julie & Julia

Okay, my mom was one of those women who made me love everything cultured.

I traveled to London at age 17 and had my first stran of pearls, and by 20 had been to China and back.

With Master's Degree in hand I never thought I would be in line at a food pantry.

So to escape my unemployed and survival mode reality, we went in for a cultural retreat by taking in the movie Julie & Julia today. And it reminded me of those days I wore Laura Ashley and as a newly wedded tried desparately to make sense of my Fanny Farmer Cook book, which by the way no longer has a front or rear cover attached.

Before driving home I stopped to pick up pie shells, and I remembered I had several canned items from the food bank that would make great pies.

What a wonderful treat pie would be on a cool summer's night with hints that Autum in the air.

When I arrived home after my matinee viewing I walked about five blocks to pick up my son from pre-school. Soon he will be in kindergarten and I couldn't wait to get back home to bake him a pie to enjoy after a homemade dinner.

Julie & Julia really inspired me to cook with butter... so I sauteed the onions and red pepper that would simmer with the lamb chops I picked up at McKinnons for $3.00

My luck in the pantry I had a can of pumpkin, peaches, and apricots.

I decided to make one pumpkin pie and combine the peaches and apricots for a torte, this time with a real pie shell.

Although I haven't stopped at a food bank for nearly a month, it was wonderful knowing that I was going to make use of the items they had given and that this girl still had a little dignity left in her afterall -- which truly is the sweetest desert of all.

HMMMMM