I like pecan pie??

Let's talk about pecan pie and my somewhat startled realization of loving it. I really do not recall ever tasting it before this year, I just knew my grandma liked it. But years ago my husband was raving about how much he liked pecan pie so I gave it a go. It was one of those epic baking fails that soft hearted oven lovers dread but inevitably encounter from time to time. It was watery, soupy, a sloppy mess. And he never let me forget it! So I wrote it off as one of those things that were too far beneath my standards to try baking again. Well if any year was the time to give something a second chance, 2020 was it!

Thanksgiving, I promise dear hubby I will give it another shot. I made banana nut bread ahead of time but saved the pecan pie task to do on Thanksgiving morning. It's time, kids are occupied and I don my apron to get to work! Ughhhh, I could swear I bought pie crust, it's not there....and worse, my only pie pan is occupied with a pumpkin pie already. What to do?!! I was committed to the challenge. Using a cookbook that was (is) my Mom's but that I use too frequently to justify returning to her, I find a simple pie crust recipe just pages away from the pecan pie recipe. I roll it out and it looks pretty good. I am a very novice pie crust maker at this point with not much faith in that skill. And the only pan solution I have is a metal tart pan. I pray the filling all fits! Woohoo it does! Great now hubby can have an actual piece of pie because it seems to have set up. To be honest I didn't even plan to taste it after I cut my husband's slice after our Thanksgiving feast. But I felt sorry for it. In the abundance of breads, cakes and other pies provided by my Mom and I my lil' pecan tart was left behind. So I took a bite. I'll say, it was kind of magical. Later when no one was noticing I took more! And the next day, it was gone. That sweet, buttery crust with a little gooey center and the soft but slightly crunchy bite of pecan- heavenly. It was gone by the next day. And you know what, I miss it! To think I was not even going to try it....oh the arrogance of my taste buds.

That first pie years ago, it failed so I thought why try again? The looming possibility of a second failure is harsh. No one likes to fail. Don't we all write off some things after they don't work out perfectly? Maybe it's not something meant for us if it didn't go well after one try.... We have to know that we often can and will do something better if we just get the courage to do it again! This year has thrown so much into our lives that we never expected. So many firsts it left us reeling. But we handled it. Women- you have risen to every challenge!

You not only try and try again every day, working to make things better for your families, pets, jobs, and hopefully yourselves but you probably make it look easy! So many times I hear myself saying about other women, I don't know how she does it. Because she might have an impossible situation that I cannot imagine having the grace and patience to withstand.

In my life a baking success is a thrill. Especially if it was something I had been struggling with. Anything we put our passion and pride into doing, means something. My lil' Thanksgiving pecan tart probably appeared "easy". In its little unassuming metal pan; not meant for it. But it wasn't! It cost some considerable stress and determination to create. Maybe that's why it worked out so much better this time, it needed to succeed. And success- in any small and significant way tastes like victory.