i scream, you scream

we all scream for...pie?

this year's mostly annual pie party had a twist!

in the past it's always been an apple pie party.

this year, you could bring any kind of pie.

the rules:

* homemade, not storebought, crust & filling

* leave your darling children at home

*matt & i provided dinner, all the guests provided desserts

the payoff:

* a year of bragging rights

* a belly full of pie

* fabulous prizes (yes, i defined fabulous)

i've been experimenting lately
with crepe paper, so i festooned our downstairs with these decorations i cut in all different widths in autumnal colors.
i'm kind of a sucker for streamers, y'all.

it was a cozy night, perfect for a pie party!

 people started to trickle in, pies in hand...

for dinner matt and i made a big green salad with roasted beets and avocado, and savory pies: my go-to carmelized onion tart and this fantastic guinness pie from the ny times magazine a few years back. (it's delicious & the crust is phenomenal)

3/4 of the table was crowded with the potential pie winners!

 the food went fast, and then it was time for tasting dessert (and judging it!)
i definitely need to revisit the judging next year. i made it way too complicated (since there were so many entries!) i think next year it will be super streamlined.
the final categories were fruit, chocolate & other.

 (this is after everyone has eaten pie- but you get an idea of the spread)

 


taylor made a key lime pie with meringue and did some last minute torching action before the judging: 

 i don't even know if this qualifies as a pie, and it certainly didn't take home any prizes for looking pretty, but it was crazy good:

 a little 4 year old camped out on the landing and watched all the commotion as usual

 some taste testers were very serious...

 while my mom (who is an amazing pie baker) rocked dishes in the kitchen

 other friends caught up

 it was fun to listen to everyone give their opinions (since they were all over the place. amazing how different our taste preferences are!)

 a little sampler plate to go:

after lots of tasting, chit-chatting and hanging,
i tallied the scores and handed out prizes!
i won't lie, i didn't vote, but if i did, the results might have looked a little different.
but can anyone really lose with FIFTEEN pies to snack on?
i think not.

some prizewinners got these dazzling handmade medallions...

and others got to spin the wheel for a prize!

didn't i say our prizes were fabulous?

the final lesson of the evening?

cheaters never win.

a certain guest (i will let him remain nameless) decided to go above the law and bring a pre-made pie, stashing his pie box behind the bushes in our front yard! tricky wicky, yes. but in the end it didn't matter sine the key lime pie blew his blueberry cheesecake pie out of the water.

shame on you!!!

i look forward to a homemade pie out of you next year!

any good pie recipes you want to pass along?

i've been making this one lately but substituting raspberries instead and it is delicious! 

matt made this one and this one for thanksgiving and they were epic.