Quarantine-Times Strawberry Pie

Hi there and Happy Easter!

Oh my goodness has it been a minute. Here we are in the middle of a pandemic and the whole world is no longer the same. Honestly for awhile there I was too overwhelmed with all the changes in our lives to say anything about it on my little web-space, (plus finding an opportunity to jump on the computer for any period of time isn’t easy over here!) but here I am!

I love this blog and hope to have more opportunities to update things here, but in the meantime I am pretty active over on instagram if you’d like to follow over there (@alleluiaisoursong)! My account is set to private to root out the random creepers that inevitably come on, but I accept follows from lovely real genuine people so I’d be happy to let you in on my snippets of life there and be friends if you request to follow! <3

That being said, I still aim for spreading joy, beauty, and hope – so I thought I’d share a little recipe that I came up with today.

This pie was made very quickly by a very hungry mama on the first real hot day of the season – while little rosy-cheeked barefoot children clambered about for water and refreshment after playing in the sun just minutes before. I don’t have a very formal recipe for you because it wasn’t planned and I had to use ingredients that were available to me (shelter-in-place style!) but I love that it’s so versatile and really, the main and most important ingredient is strawberries (though any berry would do!).

The Crust: can be any simple cookies (I’m thinking plain vanilla wafer-type style) or mild crackers whizzed up in a blender, with a little melted butter if you need to help it stay together, then stuck in the freezer as you assemble the rest of the pie. It doesn’t need to be sweet, but if you like you can add a “teaspoon of sugar.” 😉 You could even use a graham cracker crust if you have one!

*The story behind the crust I used is very #momlife so I’ll tell it for your amusement! 😀 I actually had a pre-made gluten free crust from Whole Foods that I had pre-baked just before Easter, and when I went to take it out of the oven I was in such a harried state that it promptly fell on the ground and shattered (in the pan). I all but cried, but stuck it back in the freezer because I was sure I’d repurpose it somehow. Fast forward to today, I blitzed it up in my blender and molded it to the pie tin it came in, and voila! A beautiful crust!

The Cream: is just whipping cream whipped to stiff peaks with sugar to taste, a pinch or 2 of sea salt, vanilla, and 3 spoonfuls of full-fat yogurt. You could use sour cream too, and then omit the salt. I liked the density the yogurt/sour cream adds but you can also just use whipping cream. I’ve even used bottled prepared whipped cream when I had nothing else and everyone still devoured it happily. 😉

The Strawberry Filling: is fresh sliced (or chopped for easier eating) strawberries with about 1/3 to 1/4 cup of regular sugar, a pinch of sea salt, and 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch. All mixed together and allowed to sit for 5 minutes.

Assembly Steps: Simply take out your pie crust from the freezer, smooth your fluffy, dreamy cream base onto it, and spoon your strawberries over that. Serve with extra whipped cream on top if you like. I’d bet no one would mind one bit! Enjoy! <3

Prayers for all of you, my dear readers, during this crazy time. I hope that you are all staying safe and well. <3

Love,