Nevermind that it’s not January 23 (National Pie Day) or March 14 (National Pi Day). But it is summer time, when people open up their homes and backyards to herald the longer days and laze among friends. We seem to be minor league entertainers and have a flood of friends in and out. It’s heaven sent when we and the boys all get along with one family, making it a grand playdate for all! Now that Bird and Deal are a bit older and go to bed later than 7:30, they have actually stayed up late enough to catch fireflies this summer. At six and teetering on eight years old, they have never seen fireflies til this year. Sad perhaps, but those boys are sleepers, and we all fare better when they get sufficient shut eye.
Nowadays we adults sit on the porch with a cold drink and heated conversation while the kids romp in the yard (and on the hydrangeas time to time). We have some friends who come over often and we in turn, show up on their porch with as much regularity. We’re all of the ilk that we don’t show up empty handed. We’re no moochers, no sirree.
We rap at each other’s doors with a bottle of wine in hand, a tray of gooey cake bites, or a fresh green salad with a jar of homemade vinaigrette. We’re not flowers or hostess gift people. Nah, we’re too close for that. And truth be told, I’d rather give and receive a green plant than a bunch of flowers for which I’ll need to dig around the living room cabinets for a vase, trim the stems, and clean up dead petals in the following days. You can’t go wrong with wine, but sometimes I have a hankering to bring something unexpected.
My friend John brought just the thing to a friend’s party and sparked a revolution among potluckers everywhere. He graciously shared his recipe so you too can bring the coolest spirited pie to your next pal-around-with-friends-on-a-summer’s-eve shindig.
Alcohol pie. Who doesn’t love pie?!
Let Them Eat Pie
1/2 cup orange soda
8 ounces vanilla vodka
1 2 oz tub Cool Whip
1 package orange Jello
1 chocolate pie crust
1 handful semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (optional)
Heat the orange soda in the microwave until bubbling/boiling. Mix the boiling soda with Jello until dissolved (as close to dissolved as possible). Blend vanilla vodka into Jello mix. Fold in Cool Whip until very smooth (be patient). Pour mixture into pie crust. Shake it a bit to make it level. Refrigerate a few hours until firm. Place in freezer another hour to firm up even more if you’re transporting this pie. Decorate the top with mini chocolate chips if desired. Serve cold.
This pie has a total of 8 ounces of alcohol and serves 8-12 people. Since the average mixed drink has 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol, a slice of this pie is less than a normal cocktail (definitely less than a normal pour at my house). But be warned, the airy chiffon gets the volatile alcohol airborne in your mouth and nose so each taste gives the impression of a wickedly strong drink. Note the use of “wickedly.” John is from Boston.
Next time I show up on your porch to toast summer, ma
who’d a thunk it? i love a good potluck.
That sounds fun!
That sounds outstanding! (the pie and the friendly food exchange!) When I was in grad school, we created something we called “Pie Drinks” because it tasted exatly like a triple berry pie. Cran-Raspberry juice and Malibu. Try it!