This is a story about pie. It begins with this pie:

though really, pie has always played a happy and prominent role in my life. I will choose pie over cake any day of the week. My birthdays are commemorated by lemon meringue (with the exception of this year’s Butterfinger cream cheese pie). My sister mailed me this postcard while I was in college, which proved 1) her excellent taste and 2) just how well she knows me.

I still have the postcard, and the phrase has since become a household motto. I’ve read that it is supposed to imply something inspiring along the lines of “Keep your chin up; the best is yet to come,” but in our house, it means, “No, really. Keep your fork. We’re going to have pie. And if there’s no pie, that’s a tragedy and there should be.” Immortal truth: any reason is a good reason for pie.

But, back to that first pie up there. It started out with an innocent potluck dinner, to which I decided to bring a blueberry lemon pie. So, I spent a pleasant Friday afternoonprocrastinating on dissertation research zesting lemons, rolling pie dough, cutting out pretty shapes, and generally playing in the kitchen. The weather was beautiful, the windows were open, the piecrust wasn’t fussy, and the cat for once stayed off the dining room table while I was working there. I had the following, logical succession of thoughts:

Boy, do I love pie.

Life is better with pie.

I think I could happily make pie at least once a week.

I should make pie once a week!

…For a year! A different one every week! My own recipes! And I should blog about it!

Begin the downward spiral, along which path I continue to blissfully spin. So, here begins the challenge – a pie a week for a year, my own original or noticeably modified recipes, documented on the internet for the sake of accountability and because I enjoy contributing pictures of pie to the world.

The plan is to post each recipe, with the exception of the blueberry lemon pie above, because I tend to be an improviser in the kitchen and didn’t think to keep track of ingredients (it being a pre-challenge pie and all; fear not, I plan to recreate it).

For the record, the blueberry lemon pie was delicious, and it earned me many accolades at the potluck. Pie for the win!

52 to go.