This pie will make you LEAP with joy on leap day!

 CRUST

• 3/4c Butter, melted
• 1 1/2c Flour, all-purpose
• 1T Sugar, powdered
• 3/4c Pecans, chopped

TOPPING

• 2lb Strawberries; divided
• 1/2c Water
• 1c Sugar
• 3T Cornstarch

FILLING

• 1 1/4c Whipping cream
• 1/4lb Cream cheese; softened
• 3/4ts Vanilla extract
• 1/2c Sugar, powdered

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 F. For crust, mix melted butter with flour, powdered sugar, and pecans. Press into a buttered 10" pie plate. Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown. Allow to cool completely.

Step 2

Start topping by mashing enough strawberries to make one cup. Cut tops off remaining strawberries and set aside. Place mashed berries in a sauce pan and add water. Mix sugar and cornstarch into crushed berry mixture and bring to a boil on top of stove, stirring. Boil about one minute or until clear and thickened. Set aside to cool.

Step 3

For filling, whip cream until stiff. In another bowl, beat cream cheese with vanilla and powdered sugar. Carefully fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Spread in cooled crust and refrigerate.

Step 4

When crushed berry mixture is cool, pie can be assembled. Stand whole (or halved, as you like) strawberries on top of cream filling, cut side down. When entire filling is covered with whole berries, carefully spoon cooled crushed berry mixture over all. Cream filling should not be seen between berries. Once the crevices have been filled, do not overload the pie with the crushed berry mixture, as it will just drip over the sides. Any left- over crushed berry mixture is excellent instead of jam on toast or English muffins.


This recipe is from Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson.  I have read almost all the books in her series.  They are like a cookbook and a murder mystery all in one.  After eating this yummy pie, you should go to the library and try the book too.  Sorry the recipe was a little late, but sick babies leave no time for recreational baking.

Baby Speed

Somehow, Guppy is still sick.  He still sounds all phlegmy and congested.  It is probably my fault, because I stopped using the nebulizer for the past few days.  Honestly, it doesn't seem to be helping him very much.  But the real reason I stopped is because of the side effects of the medicine.  Have you ever seen a hyper baby?  Until last week, I didn't even think that was possible.  But the Albuterol we have been using definitely makes Guppy hyper.

Right after a treatment, he gets all worked up.  He starts flailing his arms and slapping himself in the head.  He just can't calm down.  He acts like he is on baby speed.  He also seems to fuss excessively after taking his medicine.  This is difficult for me to handle, because he is usually a very happy baby.  But by far, the worst side effect is the shaking.  His little legs and arms tremble.  It freaks me out and makes me worry excessively.  If the medicine seemed to be helping his coughing/breathing, I would continue with the treatments.  But we've been on the medicine for a week and Guppy seems exactly the same.  Actually, John thinks he sounds worse.

If my little man isn't feeling better by Thursday, I am bringing him back to the pediatrician on Friday.  Ugh. 

Oversharing on the internet

I haven't talked about finances in a long time, so I thought I would fill you in on the latest happenings here in Cakerwakerville.  If you remember, we had to switch insurance companies 2 weeks before Guppy was born.  With my old plan, my total out-of-pocket expense would have been $3,000.  With our new (much crappier) plan, we had to pay $6,000.  You read that correctly.  SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS.  I freaked the fuck out.  I cried.  I complained.  Of course, all that did was make me miserable.

After Guppy was born and the bills started rolling in, we made the decision to just deplete our savings account and pay all the bills in full.  It was tough seeing our savings account go from healthy and growing to nearly empty.  But how awesome is it that we were able to handle $6,000 in hospital bills without much fuss?  We had hospital bills hanging over our heads FOREVER with Porgie and Izzy.

Right now, we are aggressively trying to rebuild our savings.  We have also made paying off our home equity loan a top priority.  We have been making extra payments on this loan for the past year, but we still have a substantial amount left to pay.  We decided that all bonuses my husband receives from work will go straight toward the loan.  If we stick with our current payments and combine John's quarterly bonuses (which vary, so none of this is set in stone), we should have that pesky loan paid off in about 18 months.  That would free up so much money every month.  Then maybe we could afford to finish off our basement!  Or add a second bathroom!  Or go on vacation!  The possibles are endless!

Before you think we are amazing money-saving and bill-paying-off people, I should tell you that we have spent some money frivolously lately.  First, John bought me a cell phone for Christmas (yes, I was the last person on planet Earth to get a cell phone).  Then, we bought new cookware for our anniversary in January (We bought this.  I love it.).  And last week my husband bought himself a new guitar.  A very expensive guitar.   But, I think we deserve these things.  We have been so frugal and thrifty for nearly two years.  However, it is definitely time to tighten the belt again.  We still have debts to pay, and I can't wait to get to the finish line.