DIY Pie in a Jar
While we're in the wedding state of mind, let's talk about the fabulous favors at my sister's wedding.
Meghan was originally thinking about making jam, but after an unsuccessful trial run we realized that the jam thing might be more trouble than it was worth. So we moved on to Plan B...
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| (picture from Green Wedding Shoes) |
These snazzy little numbers have been blowing up the wedding blogosphere lately. We first found the idea on Green Wedding Shoes, but if you google "pie in a jar" you'll find dozens of blog tutorials telling you how to create these tasty treats. And since I like to ride on the popularity train, I figured I'd throw my two cents in there about how pie in a jar should be made.
INGREDIENTS:
First of all, I strongly advise using the short 4 oz. mason jars. They're much easier to maneuver pie crust into, and they're the perfect size for a post-wedding treat. For the rest of the ingredients, you can go one of two ways based on your chosen level of difficulty - homemade or store-bought. Since we had to make 160 for the wedding favors, we decided to go store-bought all the way. It may have ended up being a little more expensive in the end, but we made up for it in the time and energy we saved. If you're feeling ambitious, make your own pie crust and filling. If you're not, there's no shame in buying refrigerated pie crust and canned pie filling (shhh! no one will know the difference). As a general rule of thumb, you'll be able to make about 10 pies from each package of 2 pie crusts and about 6 pies from each large can of pie filling.
DIRECTIONS:
If you're making a lot of pies (and we were making A LOT), I recommend grabbing some friends or unwitting family members to form an assembly line. It makes the whole thing go a lot faster and then you can gossip while you're baking, which, let's be honest, is the entire point of friends and family. Our star bakers of the day were my mother, SueEllen (not her real name but it might as well be), and my sister, Holly. Holly was on rolling pin duty, SueEllen was putting the crusts in the jars, and I brought up the rear by topping off the jars with cherry or blueberry pie filling. Here's a little photo play-by-play of how it all went down:
1. We cut circles out of the pie crust that were slightly larger than the bottom of the 4 oz. jar. This is the pie base.
2. THIS IS THE KEY STEP! All the other tutorials I've seen online have recommended pressing bits of dough into the sides of the jar to make the rest of the crust. THERE IS AN EASIER WAY! All we did was cut strips that were as wide as the jar is tall, and long enough to fit all the way around the inside of the jar. Then all we had to do was line the jar with a strip and press together the seam between the strip and the circle of crust at the bottom.
3. Since we used canned filling, the next step was as easy as pie. Hahaha, I couldn't resist throwing that in there. Seriously though, all I had to do was open each can and spoon the filling into the jars.
Mr. and Mrs. Steve and Meghan
I love weddings. A lot. I love family weddings even more. So I'm thrilled to say that last weekend we celebrated the marriage of my second-oldest sister, Meghan, to her new hubster, Steve.
Stevie Wonder (as I like to call him) has been around for quite some time now. Check out this throwback picture of the happy couple at my oldest sister's wedding three years ago:
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ADORBS. (That's adorable for all you non-abbreviators). Steve-O proposed last Thanksgiving right before our big family dinner. He wanted to put the ring in a piece of pie and propose during dessert, but my darling mother put the kibosh on that. Although now that I think about it, that could have been fun - it would have been like a really expensive pie-flavored diamond ring pop. For the whole engagement story, click here. Of course, I made them take a million cheesy engagement pictures after like this one....
P.S. How much do you love their matching outfits and their general adorableness? Um, so much!
Fast forward a short nine months later and it was WEDDING DAY! Meghan and Steve's big day was held at the Crossed Keys Inn in Andover, NJ, a beautiful outdoor setting with gorgeous grounds and a big white tent. The ceremony was held in front of a blooming flower garden, and made for stunning pictures like this:
The professional pictures were shot by Todd Laffler Photography. A teaser blog post is already up, so if you want a sneak peek at the bangin' pics click here. Sigh.
And while we wait for the full photo shebang, enjoy this little video I put together of Meghan and Steve's first look, when they exchanged the vows they had written for one another. Watch it in full-screen if you can (click on the video below to open it in YouTube, then click the arrows in the corner to make it full-screen), and make sure you have a tissue before you press play.
A big congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Steve and Meghan!!!!
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