Apple pie has always been a little bit of a seasonal question mark for me. It comes out at Thanksgiving, so that would suggest that it’s an autumnal food. But then it also comes out for summer potlucks, and that makes it…summer food? Instead of remaining confused, I’ve decided that apple pie is American, delicious, and year-round.

Slab pie is even better. That’s when you bake pie into a square or rectangular pan instead of a pie plate. Nothing is more satisfying than a lovely rectangular slab of apple pie. That is, of course, unless you up the ante. This apple slab pie is covered in Hannah Max oatmeal raisin cookie chips crumble, and it’s impossible to stop eating.

When my son saw me opening a cookie chips bag this morning, his eyes lit up. “Oatmeal raisin? Yay, my favorite!” No, I still don’t understand how this child is related to me. I head straight for the chocolate chip. But while he was busy surreptitiously pulling cookie chips out of the bag as I baked and pretended not to notice, I grabbed a couple too. I’m not normally an oatmeal raisin girl, but these? I can make an exception for these.

The thing is, I’m not sure we ever truly know ourselves. That applies to food preferences, which change over time, and just who we are in general, which changes even more. I used to be all about striving for perfection and being invincible. I thought those were characteristics that a modern woman should have.

Turns out, life and time along with motherhood have been pretty big game-changers. Not only do I no longer want to be perfect, but I think it’s actually a flaw to strive for flawlessness. Good enough is, well, good enough. I say that a lot. And perfect sure is boring. As for being invincible, well, that’s just stupid. We shouldn’t walk around being super vulnerable all the time, sure. But when did seeming completely imperturbable become the thing to do? It can be stronger to show our human side sometimes.

Like, I epic fail in baking. A lot. And these photos were hard to take. So there. I just shared.

Luckily, the recipe today was not an epic fail at all. While I’m not usually the biggest apple pie girl, I could not stop eating this. The bottom crust is made from my five-minute, no equipment needed pie dough. It’s easy and amazing. The middle is apple pie filling. Nope, I’m not going to stand around peeling and slicing in summer. There’s a beach chair outside with my name on it, and life is short. The top is a simple crumble made up of broken oatmeal raisin cookie chips, butter and sugar. That’s it.

Inside of half an hour, the best apple slab pie ever will be in front of you, begging for vanilla ice cream on top. But it’s pretty dang good plain, too. Besides, even though I wasn’t expecting this to be a dessert I ate way too much of, life is fun like that. We might change over time, but that’s a good thing. Our tastes change and so do our expectations of ourselves, and both bring us closer and closer to the elusive question of who, deep down, we really are.

The idea of making a pie crust used to terrify me. I knew that it involved a food processor, which I owned, but couldn’t put together. Seriously. The directions were so confusing. But then, I found a way around it for an easy crust you can make in a bowl. More details on that later.

By the way, I know how to use my food processor now. But whatever. What makes this pie so amazing is peanut butter caramel. Salted peanut butter caramel. Yes, that exists. And it’s easy to make!

What was life like before people knew about salted caramel? Or sushi? Or cake pops that you put in the freezer and eat when they’re super cold?

I really, really have a thing for the freezer. Some people put baked goods into the freezer as a deterrent. Not me. I put baked goods in the freezer, wait a couple of hours, and then start gnawing away. Frozen cheesecake is the best. Frozen brownies are even fudgier than those at room temp. Now that it’s getting hot out, everything I bake (except cookies or giveaway treats) goes straight into the freezer. I strongly encourage you to give it a shot!

If you’ve decided that I’m crazy at this point, I’m okay with that. Liking things a certain way is my right, and if you care to judge, go right ahead. I won’t say anything to you if you’re wearing flats, though I might judge you privately. How do people wear flats? I would like to, in theory. They just make my calves look huge. And my legs look shorter. And maybe I just have a high arch, because heels are more comfy cozy.

If there’s one thing we can agree on, I hope, it’s that pie crust should be easy to make. The recipe below uses melted butter instead of cubed cold butter, which is more standard. This crust can be made in a bowl in less than five minutes, and if you aren’t into the chocolate flavor, just omit the cocoa. I hope this cures you of your pie crust fears forever. Amen.

Now, I had to make this pie crust chocolate to accommodate the happiness that comes next. The first layer of filling is a very simple, thick ganache. It looks almost like a brownie, doesn’t it? But nope, it’s ganache, made purposely on the heavier side to give the pie more heft.

Layered on top is my favorite part: salted peanut butter caramel. This stuff is so simple to make that it’s almost not a recipe. Ready? You take one cup of peanut butter and melt it with a can of SCM (that’s sweetened condensed milk for you laypeople out there) until it’s smooth. Donesies! And then I sprinkle coarse sea salt on top.

All of this comes together, gets chilled in the fridge, and you’re done. And for all this effort (i.e., almost none at all), you get some seriously impressive pie. Might I say, brilliant pie. And if you want to eat it all right away, great. But if not, freeze it! I’m telling you, people. Wave of the future!

This looks like a cheesecake. But it’s not. It’s something very, very special.

Hey, it’s almost summer! This time of year, baking blogs undergo a shift as fruit actually becomes available. Like, good fruit. Not the stuff that looks really pretty and tastes like nothing.

This is a partially no-bake dessert that incorporates fruit notes with strawberry jam, but that hasn’t gone all out yet with fresh fruit. Can you use fresh fruit? Or homemade jam? Sure. But I didn’t. I was more about savoring these last few weeks of spring, when school is still in session and we have a whole summer to look forward to.

Anticipation is, after all, much more fun than whatever you’re looking forward to. Like my birthday. I retain the childish hope every year that my birthday will be the best day ever. Somehow, a normal day will stretch out idyllically, full of amazing meals and fun outings and sunshiny skies. Gotta tell you, that’s not exactly how it goes down. Looking forward to something is usually just better than whatever happens.

Unless we’re talking about food. I anticipate a meal at my favorite restaurant, and almost always, it’s just as amazing as I thought it would be. And I have to say, a trip to Baskin Robbins rarely disappoints. So there are some certainties in this cold, cruel world.

I’d like to say that when school lets out in a few weeks, I will be embarking on a fantastic summer. But I’m afraid to have expectations that are too high. I’ll be working on a book over the next few months, getting in some pool time, walking the DC streets in the peak of the summer heat, and ferrying my children to and from camp. I’m expecting ice cream. I’m expecting some nice days. I hope that’s not out of reach!

This dessert is definitely in reach, which is kind of unfortunate if you’re trying to avoid awesomeness. I’m not, so it’s all good. The base is a graham cracker crust that I’ve tricked out with chocolate chips and cocoa. On top is a magical filling, made up of pudding mix, condensed milk, and Cool Whip. It’s pretty great. The whole thing gets rounded out with strawberry jelly and a generous sprinkling of mini chocolate chips.

If you’re into cool desserts, especially ones that nobody’s ever tried before, this is it. It’s creamy, it’s easy, and most importantly, it tastes delicious. And it’s the perfect transition toward summer, as we all anticipate what comes next.

We all need something to look forward to, but if you can, make the present count as much as the mythical future. It’s all part of your life! A life that includes fantastic pie.

Besides, if you’re going for ease, you should probably pick a finger food. Pie is easy to eat if you have plates and forks, but I cannot tell you how often someone brings a pie into the office and there are no implements with which to consume said pie. When given the choice, I turn my pie into bars. And when given further choice, I make lemon pie bars. With endless crumbs on top!

See, kids, mama loves lemon. More than chocolate (shh) in certain weather and situations. And I had a brother’s birthday to bake for this past week who reallyreally loves lemon, so I figured this was as good an excuse as any.

I’ve never had a sister, but I hit the jackpot with brothers. They taught me a whole lot: how to nerd out on Star Trek (original series, please), how to have a good backyard water fight, how to build with Legos, how to make an architecturally impressive Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, and how to pull off boy clothes with ironic flair. Honestly, they taught me a lot more than that. And so I bake for them.

Kind of a sexist construct, the little sister baking for the older brothers. But heck, I am all about being the one who does that. And in return, I get my legal questions answered, my children played with (yay for energetic uncles!) and access to the pool deck in a certain cool brother’s condo building.

These bars are easy, quick, and lemony. Like, VERY lemony. The base is actually a lemon cake mix, which gets combined with quick oats and butter for a fuss-free crumb. I added a healthy dose of lemon zest as well to give it extra zing.

The crumb mixture forms both the base for the bars and the topping, and the middle is simply lemon pie filling and white chocolate chips. My three year-old made this with me. It must be easy as pie.

So that expression exists for a reason, then. And so does pie. And so do big brothers. And that reason is to make life better. If you’re a kid reading this, your big brothers will stop torturing you someday and then you’ll love them like crazy, if you don’t already. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll introduce you to Star Trek.

Seriously, can we get more holidays like this into the books? I love Cinco de Mayo. It’s just great food and great weather and friends. Mother’s Day is also pretty cool. But first things first. Who can resist a margarita?

I still remember discovering margaritas. There was a restaurant a few blocks away from my D.C. apartment, and they had a brilliant sales plan. In order to keep people waiting for tables happy (and there was always a huge wait on weekends, up to two hours), they’d keep the margarita slushy machines moving with frozen margaritas. Some were plain, some strawberry, and the best ones (my favorite) were swirly. Swirled margaritas are just a true pleasure. They came in tall beer mugs with plenty of salt.

Oh, those irresponsible days, slurping away and eating chips with queso dip, enjoying warm spring nights. Now if I drink a margarita, I pay for it when somebody small wakes me up way too early the next morning. So while I still indulge occasionally I can’t do it much. Instead, I’ve incorporated non-alcoholic margarita flavors into this awesome custard pie.

Recently, Edy’s (they’re called Dreyer’s in other states) premiered a frozen custard line. The second I saw a container in the freezer section, the light bulbs started going off everywhere in my brain.

One of the first things I wanted to do with the custard was incorporate it into a frozen pie. And what better way to begin than with margarita? Now, there is no margarita in here. I mean, no tequila, no margarita. That simple. But the sentiment is there!

You begin with my tricked-out graham cracker crust, which has white chocolate chips melted into the base. Plenty of lime zest, lime juice, and custard later, you’re ready to roll.

This custard softens quickly, which makes it an ideal base for the pie. It’s as basic as baking gets. The lime zest and lime juice play against the sweet custard perfectly, and the graham cracker base provides the same addictive crunch that those little cookie pieces in the best ice cream cakes incorporate.

There are so many options for Cinco de Mayo, but it should be a holiday that comes with ease and sunshine, not hard work and hours in a hot kitchen. This recipe is easy, cool and quick. When you’re done, you might even have time for a real frozen margarita.

And if you can’t get your margaritas the traditional way, there’s always frozen custard. In hot weather, it’s just as good, if not better. Have a great holiday, and I’ll be back Wednesday with a super easy Mother’s Day recipe that anyone, even a child, can bake. And it’s impressive! How’s that for a cliffhanger?

No, I’m not confused. I realize that I’m four days late. It happens, okay?

Here’s the thing. It’s always so much more fun to celebrate a holiday once it’s over. Example: your birthday comes and goes, but there’s that one friend who forgot or was out of town, so they take you out a week later and celebrate. It’s so nice to keep the party going!

Or think about the holiday season. Last year, I got overloaded with holiday goodies. I write a ton of college recommendations, so the treats really flow in right before winter break begins. I remember staring at a peanut butter brownie layer cake, a batch of brownies, five bags of Lindt truffles, two boxes of Godiva truffles, and a chocolate cheesecake, wondering what on earth I was going to do with it all.

But sure enough, two weeks later, I had no treats around and I was really wishing that some of my students could have given me their holiday gifts late. Why not?

That’s a dangerous question, by the way. Never ask “why not?” unless you’re prepared for a brutally truthful response. Usually, there’s a reason why not. Just trust me on that one.

So, on this belated Pi Day, I chose to use up my remaining box of Girl Scout cookies. Oh, the things I do for you. But don’t worry, because I ate plenty of this Tagalong Pie. It’s full of peanut butter chocolate ganache and Tagalongs. How could I resist?

And even better, I made this pie a full day after actual Pi Day, which means that it made me very happy. I felt as though Pi Day (the perfect no strings attached holiday, mind you) were still going on. It was perfect.

This pie is also made with my tricked-out graham cracker crust, so be sure and check out how that’s done in the recipe below. I guarantee your life will change. And what better way to celebrate Pi Day? Later is better. Don’t forget that!

First of all, they often just change seasonally, if at all. And when they do change, there are a couple of standbys that never shift. At any given time of year, you can be pretty sure that there will be crème brulee and molten chocolate cake on the menu, along with a fruit-based dessert (tart or crisp, usually) and an assortment of ice creams and sorbets.

Don’t get me wrong. I love all those things. But why can’t pastry chefs be allowed to really get creative? To have more fun? And, dare I suggest it, change the menu at least (gasp!) monthly? Would that be so terrible? It’s more expensive for restaurant owners, of course. But let the pastry chefs do what they do best!

You see, I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that dessert at restaurants is no longer worth it, both in that it’s overpriced and mundane. I order it on special occasions, or at special restaurants, and then leave the rest of my indulgences to my own baking. At home, I take risks. I try new things. That guarantee doesn’t exist in fine dining anymore.

Take this strawberry ganache tart. I can make this whole tart for a fraction of what one slice would cost at a restaurant, and it tastes amazing. It’s pretty, too, and a great option for an at-home date this Valentine’s Day.

Listen, I’m not trying to pretend that running a restaurant is easy, nor do I think that I could do an amazing job in that setting. But here at home, this tart is making me plenty happy. In fact, after I added the last touch of drizzle and stepped back to examine the finished product, my heart sang a little. Nothing is prettier than a finished tart!

It was hard to destroy the prettiness and cut it up into slices, but the good news is, I gave half away and froze the other half for this coming weekend. Saturday night after the kids are in bed and the angels are singing, Kenny and I will have some tart and wine. It’s the perfect date.

And maybe I’ll stop being so, well, emphatic about dessert menus at restaurants. This is the season of love, after all. But if you are a creative soul, you might want to think about making your desserts mainly at home and saving the restaurant splurges for the occasional creative departure from the norm on the dessert menu. That makes it all the more special.

Every now and then, I also like to bake a summery dessert to raise the brightness in the kitchen. Nothing is more summery to me than citrus, especially anything yellow. So these Meyer lemon pie bars are perfect for cheering up the landscape!

If you’ve never used a Meyer lemon, you need to try it out. They’re rounder, smaller and sweeter than regular lemons, with a much thinner skin. And while they don’t have as high an acidity level as regular lemons, they can still be used in savory dishes. I made a Cornish hen the other night and put half a Meyer lemon in its cavity while squeezing the other half over the skin. It turned out really well.

For baking, of course, Meyer lemons are ideal. If you can’t find any, though, don’t sweat it. This recipe can be made with regular lemon. But when given the choice, go Meyer!

These bars are a riff on a classic key lime pie. If you’ve had a good key lime pie, then just picture that filling, but with Meyer lemons. I also prefer my pie in bar form. It’s easier to eat, more portable, and you can have more servings without feeling like you’re overdoing it.

When it comes to the graham cracker crust, I melt white chocolate into the base to contrast more sharply with the tang of the citrus. The sweetness of the crust against the filling is pretty dramatic.

And this recipe is astonishingly easy, not to mention a real crowd-pleaser. Lemon is the dark horse of baking. It’s more addictive than chocolate, though nobody realizes that until they’re eating their third lemon pie bar square. I dare you to eat just one!

Before that starts, though, I wanted to make sure your holiday pie plans are all set. The week of Thanksgiving I shared four pie recipes with you, but there are so many more that I love. Here’s a review of my favorites!

First up is this Peanut Butter Oreo Pie. Honestly, this might be my favorite thing that I’ve made all year. I don’t usually pick and choose, but I couldn’t stop eating this. Instead of giving at least half away, which is my usual modus operandi, I kept this thing and hid it from everyone else. Slice after slice made its way into me, and I missed it like an old friend once it was gone.

Luckily, it’s easy to make! Most of my pie recipes don’t require knocking yourself out. Even the fanciest pies, like this Strawberry Cream Pie, don’t require crazy amounts of effort. I made this at the end of the school year as a celebration, and unfortunately, my fellow teachers destroyed it before I even got a slice. So not cool!

If you’re a food blogger and you want to taste your own food before it leaves your kitchen (which is pretty much a requirement), then the most fun part of the job is taking pictures of a slice and then eating that slice, bit by bit, after the photo shoot is over. With this Peanut Butter Cup Cheesepake (not a typo!), I more shoveled it into my mouth. This pie/cheesecake hybrid had me. I was powerless to resist it, most especially because I melted peanut butter chips directly into the graham cracker crust. Can we say crack, anyone?

Most recently, I’ve been obsessed with my Chocolate Linzer Tart. There are two slices left in my freezer, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be gone by tomorrow. This big guy was the sleeper star of our Thanksgiving table, and the crust is one of the best I’ve ever made. It’s flaky, crumbly, and buttery. You can’t go wrong.

I plan to make a lot more pie, but let’s face it. This time of year is the best for good pie recipes, and then we have a bit of a dry spell until summer pie season, when all those amazing fruits burst forth. If you’re looking for something a little different than the typical winter pie, try one of these!

Since this is the time of year that people usually count their blessings and express thanks, I have to think about the amazing teachers I work with. I don’t write about my job much here, but as many of you know, I’m a full-time, National Board certified high school English teacher. It’s a very intense job and my days are anything but relaxing, especially since my downtime is nonexistent with three small kids at home. But man, do I love it.

I’m lucky to work with some amazing people. For years, I’ve developed friendships in the trenches of teaching and as I get older, my department feels like a second family. A lot of my baking goes to these wonderful teachers, so many of whom are underappreciated. And boy, when we get together, we know how to party.

This German chocolate pie is a product of Friendsgiving, hosted by one of my best work buddies. She’s amazing, and her favorite treat is anything in that flavor. So, of course I had to go all mashup with this pie.

I’m just gonna say this: a woman I don’t even know was at the dinner and when she tried the pie, she walked across the room and hugged me. It was definitely a high point. I used a graham cracker crust and a dense, fudgy brownie base. The frosting is a simple stovetop concoction that I got from a fabulous blog, Two in the Kitchen. Check it out!

I might be done with pie for a little while, but I’m sure not done with my buddies at work. They make even the roughest days one laugh after another, and baking them treats is just one way to show my gratitude. And for all you non-teachers out there, just remember how hard we work for you and your kids. We focus too much on the negative sometimes, and there are so many amazing teachers in our schools. Appreciate them this holiday season!