"Real Life"

It's not often the movie industry puts out a piece of work that you can feel proud you went to see. It happened to me when I went to see The Waitress.

The Waitress is probably playing at your local movie house right now; that is if you live in a town big enough to have one of those theatres that they call "art houses." These theatres are usually saved for the movies that were made with no budget and got great reviews (like this one did) at the smaller film festivals. It's probably just one of those movies that won't hit your top list of "Must Sees". It hit mine because I saw the trailer and was completely drawn in. You might even be able to rent a DVD by now.

Bonus: It's a movie that has food as a central theme. This waitress (played by Keri Russell) lives in this small town, trapped in a bad marriage and works in a little, dirt road place called Joe's Diner. (If for no other reason go see to this movie to see Joe. He's played by Andy Griffith. No kidding! And Andy would not agree to work in a movie if it wasn't good; wholesome even).

Let's get back to the food. Joe's is a pie diner. That's all they sell is pie—and something to drink with it. Coffee, lemonade, milk; that sort of thing. They have breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert pies. A breakfast pie might be egg based. A dinner pie might have a stew in it like a potpie. You get the idea. Keri makes over 20 kinds of pies everyday and also waitresses. The other two waitresses are a couple of gum-smacking chicks who have dreams of their own and just want to make it through another day. They have caring, warm hearts and love Jenna (Keri). They hate to watch the struggle she goes through.

Now back to food again. Pie. The quintessential dessert. This woman is the mistress and master of pie baking. Not only is she masterful at making pies but as she assembles the ingredients she names each pie. You will not believe some of the names of the pies she can come up with. The names are so good you can't wait for another baking scene just to see what she's going to name the next one. One of the more tame names was "Kick in the Pants Pie." You get the idea.

I have to tell you, as much as my leg was hurting to sit in that seat (this was before I lost my ability to walk), I had to finish watching the whole movie and then get to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients to make a pie. I honestly had not made a pie in probably three years. I stick to tarts because there is less risk that the first piece will fall apart. I'm a pie 'chicken' I guess. I avoid making them.

I figured I had to be authentic and make a pie, and this woman and her pie baking are so inspirational I dare you to watch this movie and not go directly to pie. If you are not a pie baker you will be at a bakery. I assure you.

The best part of the movie, as I said, was seeing what the next name for the pie would be. They were so creative. What I am going to do here is challenge you to a pie-naming contest. I want you to watch the movie, and then inspire your pie. Pick the ingredients (you don't have to actually make it because we'll never get to taste it, so that's not a requirement) then name your pie. You can add a little story if hat helps sort out your pie name. That's it. I'll figure out how to make it.

We'll pick the top three winners for the best pies and then, when I feel better I might even make one! First we'll post the winners pie name and ingredients in an upcoming Zola column! You'll see what she did when you watch the movie. It's hilarious. And it's a clean movie. Maybe a tiny bit of foul language but otherwise it's just real life in a small town where the folks are lucky enough to have Joe's Diner.

In case you have been writing to me and wondered if I "died" I just found out my email has not been coming to me since July 19. Considering that coincides with when I went on vacation and then ended up in the two hospitals it stands to reason it would take me awhile to figure it out! Someone had hacked in but don't worry Amy fixed it. If you sent me something you still want me to see you'll have to re-send it. Sorry. I do miss you guys.

Now I'm going to give you my pie recipe; I almost feel guilty! You can rest assured I'd never enter this pie in a contest! After the movie we only had a bit of time to get to the grocery store and make dinner. And now I wanted to add making a pie! I could not help myself! You'll understand after you see the movie. I was in such a hurry I had to cheat on the ingredients. I used a pre-made crust and some filling from a can. Shame on me. It tasted good so I can't feel too bad. Just consider this a pie for pie beginners.

Mile High Movie Star Cheater's Pie (Cherry – Rhubarb)

1 double crust pie shell kit (In the refrigerated section)
4 cups cherry (lite or regular) pie filling (in a can)
3 cups fresh rhubarb cut into cubes. Use only the bright red middle parts. Throw away the ends and use the leaves as compost in your rhubarb patch (if you have one)
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Open the piecrust package (it will unroll easiest if you leave it out for about 15 minutes but if you leave it out too long they will stick together).

Place your bottom piecrust layer in a 9" pie pan. The edges will hang over. That's fine. We'll get to that later.

In a large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients except the other piecrust. Toss the cherries and the rhubarb real well.

Now spoon that mixture in the crust. It will pile higher than the edges but should not run over.

Now place the last crust over the top. It will also have edges that hang over. What I do next is lightly wet the lower piecrust INSIDE edge to make the two piecrusts stick together-this acts like glue. Do this in about 3" sections, then roll the excess piecrust under so it has the seams turned under on the pie pan. Finish this all the way around and then do the old-fashioned thing and just finish sealing the pie by pressing the tines of the fork all around the pie edge. Lastly take your fork and poke a couple of holes in the pie toward the top center so air can escape while the pie cooks.

Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes and you should have a beautiful, light brown-crusted pie. Eat warm, room temp or refrigerate and eat cold. Ice cream or whipping cream is optional.