This morning I thought I would play a joke on the kids. I let them know it was National Pi Day. Charlie and Bradley asked if I had any Pi or if we could go get some at the store.
I let them them know that they could research Pi online and if they found a pie they wanted we could make it this afternoon. They begin to look and came to me and said it isn’t PIE Day it’s PI Day.
Then I asked them to look up what PI was and without them knowing it Charlie had done a reading class. Once they found out it was a mathematical term I let them know we could make a Pie and because they would be using Math and Pi might come into place.
Are you teaching your children about PI if so what are you having them do and why?
What is National Pi Day?
Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. Pi Day is an annual opportunity for math enthusiasts to recite the infinite digits of Pi, talk to their friends about math, and to eat pie.
Let’s make a Pie: Apple or Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust with Whipped Cream Topping? Which one should we make and why? David, says Apple Pie and I say Chocolate and Charlie says none because he doesn’t care for Pie and would prefer Brownies.
Ingredients
Crust
1box Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
Filling*
6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (6 medium)
4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom..
2 In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.
Serve with Ice Cream, Cheese or Cool Whip
Graham Cracker Chocolate Pie with
INGREDIENTS
CRUST:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (7 ounces, about 13 rectangle graham crackers)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted (add a pinch of salt to the mixture if using unsalted butter)
PUDDING LAYER:
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (about .75 ounces)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (about 5.5 ounces)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (1.75 ounces)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups milk (see note)
- 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) powdered sugar
WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) powdered sugar
Instructions:
- For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter until evenly mixed. Press the mixture in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Cover with saran wrap until ready to use (this can be made several days in advance if kept well-covered).
- For the pudding layer, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to whisk as the mixture comes to a boil and large bubbles break across the surface and the mixture has thickened.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Scrape the pudding into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled and set up (2-3 hours).
5. In a blender or an electric stand mixer (or with an electric hand mixer), whip the 3 ounces cream cheese, 2/3 cup cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until thick and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold this mixture into the chilled chocolate pudding until combined.
6. Evenly spread the pudding mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust. At this point you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days (the crust will get slightly soft if it’s made in advance but it is still delicious) or go ahead and top with the whipped cream mixture and refrigerate for an hour (up to 4 hours) before serving.
7. For the whipped cream layer, whip the 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until soft peaks form. Gently spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie and garnish with chocolate curls, sprinkled toffee bits, a dusting of cocoa powder – or whatever your heart desires. Serve chilled.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
