Thinking about Thanksgiving, my mind makes its first stop at turkey but invariably forges on to pie, where it lingers, meditating on silken pumpkin, lightly spiced apple and sticky, sweet pecan, among others. Considering topics for this week’s piece, I took the progression one step further: bird to pie to pie bird. When I was a child, a small, bird-shaped tchotchke perched on my mother’s kitchen windowsill, silhouetted against the sunlight beyond. I recall being told that it was a pie bird, that you stuck it in the center of a pie before baking and that it whistled when the pie was ready. I had all but forgotten it until I received one, almost identical to my mother’s, for my... More

We've had these books sitting around the office for some time now, but we were waiting for apple season before featuring John T. Edge's Apple Pie: An American Story as a Cook the Book installment. Apple Pie is one of four books in a series that explores iconic American food (Donuts, Hamburgers & Fries, and Fried Chicken are the others). Apple Pie is both a history, a guide, and a "little black book" that will lead you to the best examples the nation has to offer. Of course, no apple pie book would be complete without recipes, and Edge has plenty—five of which we'll be bringing you over the course of the week. The first one will be along shortly,... More

Photograph from VROG in Bristol on Flickr There are more than 1,500 results for "pi pie" on Flickr. My search for "pi pie" turned up today's Photo of the Day and also led me to this excellent pi pie dish, the perfect thing for your favorite geek baker.... More

I'm a dad and I love pie, so I can only conclude that all dads love pie. What's not to love about a great pie? We all appreciate flakey, golden-brown crusts and firm, not-too-sweet fresh fruit filling, don't we? Is there anything better than a great piece of cherry pie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or better yet some vanilla frozen custard? So this Father's Day give your dad a cherry pie from the Grand Traverse Pie Company. You'll make him very happy. Order it today and your pie will make it to your dad by Father's Day.... More

Internet T-shirt manufacturer extraordinaire Threadless just released a new batch of designs today, and my favorite of the lot is Pie Chart by Graham Dobson, a stylish pie chart of pies. I love pies, pie charts, and recursive humor, so this shirt is a trifecta of awesomeness for me. $15 for a regular shirt, $17 for a girlie tee. Previously: Tasty Fast Food T-Shirts From Threadless... More

Love or hate McDonald's, you have to admit they usually do a good job of integrating local specialties into their menus. McDonald's restaurants in Hawaii have lots of custom items on their menus--the breakfast menu alone has two dishes with SPAM: a SPAM McGriddle and SPAM served with eggs and rice--and they frequently get limited edition delights too. Pomai of Honolulu food blog The Tasty Island recently tried the current offering, the Haupia Pie: "Similar to their familiar Apple Pie, this item uses the same crust and turnover shape, except with this, it has a filling intended to (loosely) replicate the traditional Haupia dessert offered at a Hawaiian Luau. Upon first bite, you 'll notice the light, golden crispy... More