Making pies for family holidays has been my thing since I was old enough to reach the stove.  I loved staying up all night with my grandma, measuring, rolling, stirring, sneaking bites of pie dough here and there.  As I got older, not much changed.  I still love using mid-century cookbooks covered with spills and the occasional burn.  I still love my grandma catching me eating dough and acting surprised, as if she hasn’t told me I shouldn’t be eating raw dough since the late 80s.  And we still make five pies: two pumpkin, one lemon meringue , one custard, one mystery.

Mystery pies from previous years?  Pecan, chocolate, apple, coconut cream, cherry.  Mystery pie for this year?  Strawberry rhubarb!

Strawberry rhubarb pie has been on my radar for quite some time now, but for some reason, I’ve always been intimidated by lattice pie crust.  It mayyyybe took 10 minutes.  I love/hate when that happens!

When I took the last pie out of the oven and looked at the clock, I couldn’t believe it had been 6-1/2 hours since I sifted the first cup of flour.  Does 6-1/2 hours of baking mean I deserve 6-1/2 slices of pie after dinner?!  I sure hope so!

Wishing you and your family a super merry Christmas!