So, if you’ve been paying any attention at all to me or my blog, you know that I’m really great at making conversation at parties…..or not. Since I usually localize my awkward around some sort of food spread, I have been referring to this for some time as “chatting up the bean dip.” Usually I’m standing there, eating way too much bean dip, and screaming at myself in my own head, “THINK OF SOMETHING TO SAY TO ANYONE, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!” I like to go real easy on myself like that.
Anyway, so since yesterday was the 14th of March (3.14), Kayphore put on her second annual Pi Pie Party. You know, because Π is roughly 3.14. It’s a math pun. Get it? No. OK, well, just go with me and keep in mind that we’re all nerds.
The annual Pi Pie Party involves two things, making a pie and then eating a whole lot of pie. It’s a pie baking contest combined with a contest with your own will power to shove as much pie into your pie hole as possible. I know that eating a bunch of pie just sounds like fun, but trust me when I say that it can be a lot more complicated than that.
But it’s a party. And that is its own challenge. So, I decided to sort of combine my awkwardness with the theme to make a joke that only I would really get. Why? Because I’m a nerd. A shy nerd. A shy nerd who is too easily amused.
I conceived of the perfect pie to sum up (hahaha ….more math puns) my party induced social awkwardness – the Vegan 5-Layer Bean Dip Pie with Fritos Crust. I chose to go with a vegan pie so that every possible party goer could sample some. I didn’t want to limit my audience. And after last years massive sugar crash, I decided that a savory pie was the way to go. I looked for a recipe for a corn chip crust, and found one that was pretty basic. Crush up the corn chips and mix with butter, form into a pan, and bake. However, since I was going to be going for vegan, butter was out. I opted for olive oil. I have to say, the crust did not turn out the way I wanted it to. Other pi party attendees commented that I had not crushed my chips enough. Next time, I’ll have to try finer chip crumbs, and also some sort of binding unit to add to the mix.
In the pie shell, I layered refried black beans, chopped black olives, salsa, guacamole, and vegan “sour cream”. If you ever find that you can’t come across vegan “sour cream”, try vegan “cream cheese” mixed with lemon juice. I topped the whole thing in a sprinkling of green onions and served it with Fritos scoops on the side.
I actually got a few compliments on it, so it wasn’t a complete disaster, or anything. Of course, once again, I did not win any of the prizes. But the party did end up being fun, and I did manage to carry on a few conversations with a few actual human beings. There were many more attendees than last year’s pi, which was equally fun and nerve wracking. I think I made a fellow nerd giz in his pants when I told him where I work. That never gets old.
So, now I have two imperfect pie recipes under my belt. It might help if I started making pies in-between pis, but honestly, I’m not that sort of well prepared type of person.
Just sayin’.
Peggy Lu Who's Just Sayin' 