Stupid Pie

This is the last week of school--the week the girls had been practising for; the week to bake their teacher's pies: One for Ms Gallant and one for Ms Barr.

I asked them yesterday if they wanted to make the pie all in one go or make the pastry one night and peel the apples the next. They voted for the two step method. Making pie is hard work for small hands!

So last night the pastry was made and stored in separate zip-loc bags and tonight we entered phase two--the peeling of the apples, adding the sugar, cinnamon and flour and then the spraying of the pie plates with Pam and rolling out the pastry.

The girls were giddy and giggly. Tippy whipped out her I Pod touch to consult on quantities but for sugar quantity looked quickly and said, "One!"

"One what?"

"One tablespoon!"

"Check again!"

They thought that one cup of sugar was a vast quantity--and I suppose it really is.

In the middle of Tippy's rolling out of pastry my friend Jane called. I could see the pastry sticking to the rolling pin and with gestures tried to motion for more flour! How hard it is to instruct without words while listening to someone talking on the end of a phone. In the end I had to explain to Jane what was going on and excuse myself momentarily to say something. What a relief that was instead of watching pastry disaster unfolding in mute helplessness.

"Sprinkle more flour," I urged Tippy, whose pastry was a little sticky from the start.

"Pretend that you are powdering a baby!" More loud gales of giggles from both of them. And I didn't even mention the word "bottom."

It was hard, but I was "hands off" because they will only learn by doing themselves, and I wanted them to be able to say that they made the pies, so I encouraged when courage failed them when spraying the pie plates, "Just shake and spray. You can do it!"

Tippy was finished first and left Tori to finish rolling out her pastry. Tori has always had sensory issues, so watching her putting her hands in the flour and shortening is hilarious, she handles it so gingerly.

And Tori is quicker to tire and has a lower frustration level than Tippy, so when trying to put the lid over her pile of apples she burst out with, "Stupid pie!"

"Stupid pie?" I said.

And she patted the pie to make it better and said, "Encourage the pie."

The pies are baking--thank goodness!

The kitchen is in need of some serious attention.

I wonder if their teachers will have any idea what a riotous process this was!