I confess, I love pie. My F-I-L says he really only loves two kinds of pie: hot and cold. I agree with him in this. If you ask me my favorite, I do have one, but I try to never turn down a slice of yummy. This pie is a copycat version of a delicacy from a very popular lunch place in my home town. If you know me well enough to know my home town, you probably already know the name of the shop. But if you ever find yourself in (or near) Paris, Texas, make a point to stop in at Sandwich Etc. A word of advice: Do NOT wait until after you have eaten to order pie. It will all be gone and you will walk out the door at the end of your meal with sadness as your companion. Go ahead and order pie when you order your meal. I choose the sugar-free option and my calorie regret is greatly diminished. But even if I had full on SUGAR in my pie, I would still have less regret than if I forgot to order pie when I arrived.

Note: There are no poor choices of food at Sandwich Etc…unless you choose to skip the pie.

Until you are in Paris, you can use this recipe. I like pie but I have diabetes so this is the sugar free version, but the full sugar recipe is also included, so don’t stop reading here.

Strawberry Pie

Crust for an 8-inch pie plate: (You will love this! No rolling necessary!)

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. canola oil

1/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp. Truvia or other sugar substitute OR 1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Mix and press into your pie pan. Bake at 400° F for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature. I usually put this in the refrigerator to speed the process.

Note: I use a deep dish 9-inch pie plate so I add 1/4 c. of additional flour and 1 Tablespoon of extra canola oil.

Filling:

16 ounces cream cheese

1/8 c. Truvia OR 1/4 c. sugar

1 Jello Sugar Free Vanilla Instant Pudding and Pie Filling Mix OR use the regular sugar version

1 cup milk

2 pounds of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced, with 1 tsp. of Truvia or 2 tsp. of sugar stirred in.

Directions:

1. Cream the cream cheese and Truvia (or sugar) until smooth and fully blended.
2. Whisk the pudding and pie filling mix with 1 cup milk.
3. Add the pudding mixture to the cream cheese and Truvia while continuing to whip.
4. Pour the mixture into your cooled pie shell and return to the refrigerator for 10 – 15 minutes.
5. Garnish with strawberries just before serving.

You are welcome. No kidding. You will love this pie.