Cravings: Cherry Pie

It all began with these beautiful organic cherries. It's cherry season here in orchard country so there's lots of them. After snacking on them for a couple of weeks now, I decided that it was time to make ourselves (Hubby, me and babies included) a cherry pie.

Pitting the cherries is something I really enjoy, pink fingers and all. Hubby bought me this cherry pitter last year - it pits four at once and is completely splatter proof. Good thing.

Pie filling recipe:

4 cups pitted cherries

4 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

This is the pie before I put it in the oven. I use a pie crust recipe that I learned in a class at the town hall several years ago, taught by a blue ribbon winner at the county fair. Her secret...Martha Stewart's pie crust recipe and really, really good butter.

Pie crust recipe:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup butter

Combine above (I use a food processor) until mixture has pea-sized pieces and coarse crumbs.

Drizzle 1/3 cup cold water over flour mixture and work in until dough clings together in balls. Separate into two equal parts and roll out.

Bake pie at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

Here's the cherry pie, fresh from the oven.

I spent my first trimester in survival mode. I had to eat whatever I could that didn't make me feel woozy, and had a very strong aversion to sugar. But now that I'm in my second trimester, my dietary aversions are a little more manageable. I'm even beginning to sample a few sweet things...