That’s right, kids. Monday, March 14th is the happiest of all national holidays, the day Americans celebrate what is truly important in life: PIE!

My school is having a pie extravaganza today, and this baby here is my contribution to the effort. Somebody stop me before I eat it all up. On the other hand…nah, don’t. Let me do some damage here. We’ve got an Oreo crust, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and crushed Thin Mints. It’s the easiest pie ever, and might be the most delicious.

Now that DC has soared into spring (and summer, might I add, with 80-degree temps), I’m all about the ice cream again. This past week I hit up the fro yo shop across from my work three times. THREE. Honestly, not much beats a giant cup of frozen yogurt covered in chocolate and candy.

I was, however, dumb enough to mention my excursions in the presence of my five year-old. The second she learned I’d been fro-yoing with out her, she got really upset. I totally get it, because I would, too. But how do I explain to her little self that (to loosely quote the all-knowing Sex and the City) Mommy needs two hands to eat her six-dollar dessert?

It’s not just two hands. There is little more rewarding than sitting outside in the sunshine with birds twittering everywhere. Tweeting? Twittering? Social media has confused my knowledge of bird sounds.

Most people hate Monday, but I’ve always been a fan of new beginnings, new hope. By the time the week ends, all I want to do is stagger toward my bed and take a break. But by Monday, I’ve forgotten the sleep deprivation and exhaustion of the work week and I’m raring to go again.

That is especially true in warm weather. It’s so much easier to go out when it’s not freezing and dark. Though with springing forward this weekend, it’s dark again.

But hey, who cares about that when it’s Pi Day? Pi. Day. I’m so excited!

This pie is purposely simple. Who wants to be working hard in the kitchen on such a happy holiday? Aside from the Oreo crust (which is simplicity itself, really), this pie is just about the assembly. You soften the ice cream, add some Thin Mint pieces, put it into a crust and put more Thin Mint bling on top. The end.

Happy Pi Day, everyone! Be sure to enjoy the day, whether you’re having an early spring or not. It’s going to be a great week!

This crust, fellow dessert lovers, is the one. While traditional key lime pie has graham cracker crust, this one is made of ground almonds and white chocolate. Do you want to guess which crust is better?

If you guessed graham cracker, you are just plain wrong. This pie crust is just beyond all my wildest expectations and dreams. It’s such a perfect base for tart, creamy key lime filling. That’s what I get for thinking creatively!

You can look at gluten-free desserts in one of two ways. One way, they’re a lesser version of an original recipe, often higher in sugar and ultimately disappointing. I don’t truck with that. I never have, and I never will.

The other way makes much more sense. Use natural ingredients (the less processed the better), don’t add extra fat or sugar, and come away with a dessert that’s not trying to be a faded copy of its gluten-laded counterpart. In other words, change the script. Change the rules. Be inventive. It might involve more thinking up front, but it sure does pay off.

Whenever I eat key lime pie, I think about the first time I ever tasted it. I was all of 25, dating Kenny, and we’d gone on our first vacation together to Florida. Our rationale was that if we went to a town full of retirees, we’d be the hottest people there. And it kind of worked!

Our flight was massively delayed (we were dumb enough to go on December 26th), so when we finally got to the hotel, we were exhausted. All we had energy for was the hotel restaurant, which happened to be on the water. Not half bad, right? I ordered a margarita and a slice of key lime pie, my very first.

It was nothing short of magical. The whole day of delayed flights and missed connections just melted away. I was in the warm Floridian night air, staring at the man I was falling in love with, drinking a perfect frozen drink and eating the best pie ever. Since that night, key lime pie has been a favorite.

It makes perfect sense, then, that I make a key lime pie that Kenny can actually eat without getting an upset stomach. This crust is not only gluten-free, but it’s one of my favorite pie crusts this season. And you all know that I’ve made a lot of pie crust over the past month.

It’s pretty simple: you take ground almond or almond meal (make it yourself or buy a bag at Trader Joe’s for cheap) and mix it with a melted white chocolate and butter combo. Add in some brown sugar for caramelized goodness, and you’re golden!

The crust is a sweet base for the notoriously tangy filling. Key lime pie is typically a warmer weather dessert, but I like to get a taste of Florida as I’m baking pie after pie for Thanksgiving. It’s a refreshing yet unpredictable option for your holiday table. If you want to wow your GF-eating friends with a showstopper pie, this is the one!

Did you say “apple pie?” If you did, I salute you. That’s the expression. But I’m not here for apple pie today. I’m here to talk about an oft-neglected staple of American dessert cuisine: the pecan.

We never really think about something until it’s gone, which I learned with the pecan from my sister-in-law’s mother. She hails from Ecuador, and apparently, the pecan action there is rather lacking. She once told me that when she comes to the U.S., she gets her fill of pecans and chocolate chips. They’re not available everywhere. Remember that next time you turn down that slice of pecan pie!

In general, we try not to take things for granted because they don’t last forever. I was doing my D.C. summer thing today, walking the streets (as opposed to streetwalking, which is very different) and nosing in and out of shops. The problem is, so many of my favorite shops are now gone.

Let me take a moment to pay my respects to Cone E. Island, the ice cream shop near George Washington University. That place got me through graduate school, and now it’s gone. Countless bakeries and restaurants are similarly shuttered, replaced by large chains. I mean, do we really need another Chipotle? And today, I discovered to my horror that a favorite chocolate boutique was also closed.

It’s the way of the world, I suppose. Change. Do I keep having to be reminded that life is short and that all is temporary? I’d rather think that it will all last forever. But everything is in short supply, from sunny sweet days to pecans in other countries.

My initial plan was to bake pecan pie bars, but these are different. I’d call them pecan brownies, but that would be misleading, since there’s not any chocolate here. Essentially, there is a pecan shortbread crust that is topped with a brownie-like (I’m talking consistency) layer of brown sugary pecan goodness. No, I did not copy that tagline from a cereal box, though it sounds as if I did.

The bars are less sticky than traditional pecan pie bars and therefore more durable and portable. In this season of July 4th potlucks, you can carry these around without having to worry about everything falling apart. And you still get a crust. It’s a winner!

If you want to make your life easier, rinse out the mixer bowl after you make the crust and then just combine the filling ingredients by hand in the same bowl. It eases up on dishes and counter clutter. I hate clutter. My grandmother always taught me to clean as I bake!

In the end, you’ll have a perfectly American dessert that everyone will love and be grateful for. I bet you never realized that pecans shouldn’t be taken for granted, did you? Think about all the things you might take for granted and then take some time to appreciate them!

And these will be appearing on our Thanksgiving table, too, thanks to the glory of the freezer. So if you need a visual for Thanksgiving this year, just picture me eating lots and lots of pie. I’m also planning on doing a pies-in-review special after the holiday!

First up is a pie my brother requested. I love my brother, so I try to make him happy when I can. Honestly, I miss him. We used to see each other a lot more, and now we have kids and jobs and live 45 minutes apart, so I have to work harder to show him the love. But here’s my attempt!

My grandmother used to make my brother an apple pie on Thanksgiving, but her crust wasn’t the traditional pastry crust. Instead, it was very reminiscent of cookie dough. It’s heavier and doesn’t make as perfect a lattice, but it’s a lot sweeter and does taste kind of like a sugar cookie. Hers was the best.

Mine is not as good, but that’s partly because part of her recipe got smudged for all time, so each time I bake it, I have to guess on amounts and proportions. Eventually, I’ll figure it out. When I do, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, this one is still pretty darn good.

The filling is perfect, for one thing. I love its simplicity. And the dough can be made in a stand mixer, since it doesn’t involve a pastry blender or cutter. The butter here is actually softened, which is not typical for pie crust. So be aware that this is not flaky. It’s cookie dough in disguise!

Once you’ve made your pie and cut into it, the only thing left to do is eat. Hey, it’s apples, so talk about your healthy turkey day dessert options! Sorta. I’ll be bringing you some ridiculous pie decadence Monday morning bright and early, so stay tuned!