mmmmmmm, pi day....

We did not have appropriate attire for the day like my beautiful niece does, so we went for an edible celebration instead:

No Rolling, No Pie Weights, No Fear Pie Crust  (from America's Test Kitchen)

**makes one 9 inch pie crust**

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp table salt
8 Tbsp butter (1 stick), softened but still cool
2 ounces cream cheese, softened but still cool

Lightly coat 9-inch Pyrex pie plate with cooking spray. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in bowl.  With electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese in large bowl, stopping once or twice to scrape down beater and sides of bowl, until completely homogenous, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture and combine on medium-low until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 20 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until dough begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds. Reserve 3 tablespoons of dough. Turn remaining dough onto lightly floured surface, gather into ball, and flatten into 6-inch disk. Transfer disk to greased pie plate. Press dough evenly over bottom of pie plate toward sides, using heel of your hand. Hold plate up to light to ensure that dough is evenly distributed. With your fingertips, continue to work dough over bottom of plate and up sides until evenly distributed.  On floured surface, roll reserved dough into 12-inch rope. Divide into three pieces, roll each piece into 8-inch rope, and form fluted edge around top of crust (I could not get this to work, and the crust still turned out fine). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly prick bottom of crust with fork. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.  If large bubbles form, wait until crust is fully baked, then gently press on bubbles with kitchen towel. Bubbles will settle as crust cools.  Cool on wire rack. 

Raspberry Pie  (based on my Grandma's recipe instructions for strawberry pie) 

1 no fear pie crust, baked
6 oz. cream cheese, softened (use rest from pie crust)
3 Tbsp powdered sugar


1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 cup mashed raspberries (I microwaved frozen raspberries for this)
2 pints fresh raspberries (or enough to fill the pie crust)

Beat cream cheese with sugar or small amount of whipped cream. Spread on bottom of baked and cool pie crust.  Put crust in refrigerator to chill.  Mash enough berries to measure 1 cup.  In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in water and mashed berries. Cook until mixture thickens and boil for 1 minute. Cool in refrigerator.  Fill pie with remaining raspberries. Pour cooked berry mixture over top and spread even. Chill overnight, or at least 4 hours.