PURIM AND PI DAY AND FREEBIES (OH, MY)!

It's a big week for pie lovers!

First, Friday, March 14 is Pi Day. (March 14.  3.14 - get it? Yeah, it's a lot funnier if your husband is a math teacher. Mine is.)

Then, Saturday, May 15 is the start of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is famous for a variety of things, not the least of which is the commandment to eat sugary desserts (namely hamentashen, got pie is good, too). And drink alcohol. Lots of alcohol. (The first time my non-Jewish husband accompanied me to a Purim celebration, he called a friend afterwards to rave, "You won't believe this! They serve shots! In church!" They do, indeed.)

So how should we celebrate this sweet, double blessing here at the Soap Opera 451 blog?

Why, by engaging in my favorite activity - giving away FREE stuff!

First off, check out this piece on the most unusual pies in NYC (Grasshopper Pie, anyone?  How about Crack Pie?) via Red Tricycle.

Next, how about a FREE recipe for Guilt Free Apple Pie courtesy of "SKINNY SPICES: 50 Nifty Homemade Spice Blends That Can Turn Blah Healthy Eating Into Flavor-Rich Delicious Dining" by Erica Levy Klein, the completely searchable cookbook from Alina Adams Media.

GUILT-FREE APPLE PIE

Yield: 4 servings

4 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 12-ounce can low-calorie lemon-lime soda
1 package unflavored gelatin
Sweetener (equal to 4 teaspoons sugar)
1/3 cup dry non-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon Baker's Choice Blend (see below)

Dissolve sugar substitute in gelatin, and 1/2 of the dry milk in lemon-lime soda. Arrange apples in 8-inch cake pan. Spoon liquid over it carefully. Sprinkle remainder of dry milk over top and dust with Baker’s Choice Blend. Bake in 350° oven for 1 hour. Cool and refrigerate.

Nutritional Data

PER SERVING   
Calories: 143   
Cholesterol (mg): 1
Fat (gm): .5   
Sodium (mg): 39.8
Sat. fat (gm): .1   
% Calories from fat: 3

BAKER’S CHOICE BLEND

2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground ginger
1 Tablespoons ground nutmeg
1 Tablespoon dried lemon peel
1/2 Tablespoon ground cloves

And last but not least, what would Pi Day be without a song about roller-skating apple pies from "The Worldwide Dessert Contest: Enhanced Multimedia Edition" by Dan Elish, a children's fantasy novel that also sings you show-tunes?