#everyonelovespie

blueberry pie

If you have a pie recipe you'd like to pass along, please email it to us at [email protected]

Introducing the CELEBRATION PIE for a friend who has so much to celebrate. A few years ago, just a week before my wedding, i had the pleasure of spending my day sitting next to the cutest, fireball of a personality while we cashiered the HandPicked annual Warehouse Sale. Her name was Casey. She was young, a firecracker, knew exactly what she wanted in life and wouldn't settle for anything less. We spent the day chatting about everything from boys to shoes to details of my wedding day. At one point, she proceeded to list her "standards" for her dream guy. [which i'll be honest, if that man was walking this planet, he wouldn't still be single and i'm sure he'd be famous -- Starring in the next nicholas sparks movie]. We talked just about everything that day. Dream Guy, Wedding Day, about Break-ups, Our future plans, all the way down to our favorite designers. i always wondered what the outcome of those dreams would be. Some time had passed and I hadn't talked to Casey unless it was work related. She worked at the Irmo store and I worked at our corporate office. Not too much longer after that, Casey and I planned a girls night. There was much to catch up on since our last conversation while playing cashier. I needed to fill her in on our wedding day and our honeymoon. & I couldn't wait to hear all about weather or not she had in fact met prince charming. No luck yet. The PERFECT guy without one single flaw just hadn't showed up in front of her. imagine that. [;)]. As our conversations moved from place to place and extended in length, I watched Casey grow up. I watched her blossom. She kept me young. [not that i'm old, but there is something about that naive 20 something year old heart and idea of life that keeps people young.] Today, she is no longer my friend. She is my sister.. Like family but better. We go to bat for each other when need be. We don't let people mess with our very guarded hearts. We remind each other to breathe in this very hectic life, we laugh, we cry, we motivate each other to succeed, we get into petty fights, and i love her just like i'd love my very own blood related sister. Most importantly, we continue to let our friendship grow. We lean on each other. A lot has changed since our first conversation. Casey has in fact found a cute, southern boy. One that makes her laugh. One that loves her with everything he has. I can't say that I can take all the credit for her success in the man department [although, edwin and casey will tell you different] but i had a little something to do with that prince charming she had always dreamed of. Casey also works for my mom when she's not at school. She excelled at a position within my mom's law firm that she knew nothing about originally. This week - i stopped Casey in her tracks. Every once in a while, it's good to look back on our past 5 years. Mourn the bad times and celebrate the successes. A lot happens to a person in 5 years. I have watched Casey overcome challenges but I very rarely ever see her celebrate herself. She has so much to celebrate since that first time i met her. Prince Charming has arrived and she is going into her last 2 years of college. There is so much for her to look forward to but I wanted to make sure she celebrated how far she has come as well. As we grow as human beings it is important to stop and remember the moments that have made us who we are today. Those times that we really learned something about ourselves, weather good or bad, they still can be celebrated. They made us stronger, they showed us who our true friends were, they tested us, they taught us a lot about other people, and they teach us that it's okay if prince charming has that "Absolutely NO CAN DO" beard we thought we wouldn't like. ;) ________________ Please excuse the fact that i do not have exact measurements for this pie. I saw a photo of a pie very similar to this that didn't include a recipe so i created my own version. Feel free to make some adjustments yourself if need be. CELEBRATION PIE Grocery List: 1. Keebler, Ready Crust, Graham Cracker Pie Crust [feel free to make your own too!] 2. JELLO, french vanilla, instant pudding [don't forget your milk!] 3. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup 4. 1 Large can of Whipped Topping 5. 1 box of Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix [dont forget your oil and eggs!] 6. 1 Container of Funfetti Icing 7. Sprinkles and Pink Icing [optional] 8. 1 tub of Cool Whip whipped cream Layers: **Please note: This is how we made it, feel free to rearrange, switch things out, etc.** 1. Graham Cracker Crust 2. Funfetti Cake Only fill your pie crust about 1/3 of the way with cake mix. Go ahead and cook in pie crust as the box states for about 20-25 minutes. Be prepared to have a cupcake pan on hand as well as you will have left over batter. 3. Funfetti Icing We mixed in a little pink icing to make it prettier. This is optional. 4. Vanilla Pudding Fluff We simply made the instant pudding and added a tub of whipped cream to make fluff. Feel free to only had half of the tub of cool whip if you are wanted a richer vanilla flavor. 5. Whipped cream You may use the rest of your Cool Whip tub here or break out the can of Whipped Topping to create a little design 6. Chocolate Syrup for decoration Be Careful it flows out of that container FAST!! 7. SPRINKLES! What is a celebration without sprinkles! Go ahead! Make your own Celebration Pie! We'd love to hear how you jazzed yours up! If you have a recipe for a pie that you'd like to share or seen made, please send to [email protected]