So…. as you may have heard on the grapevine, The Runner and I got engaged a few months ago… don’t laugh, I did apparently have 1 Facebook friend who somehow hadn’t heard last week.  Weird.  Very weird– and actually it’s more of a Facebook acquaintance, but I digress.  So, we had our engagement party last Saturday night- and it was AMAZING!  

It really was fantastic.  There’s something about having more than 50% of the people who you consider close friends in one room at the same time that is just amazing.  It was a really special night.    We were lucky enough to receive some very nice presents from our lovely friends so this week, I’ve been writing my Thank You notes like a good little girl.  Yes, Mommy, you raised me well!

We love all of the gifts we received, but I’m actually using one tonight so I wanted to say a big thank you to the person who gave it because although cards are nice, there’s no better way to show how much you appreciate something than to actually use it!  

PS-No offense to anyone else who is wondering why you haven’t seen us making pancakes, drinking champagne or red wine, burning candles, or using your gifts too.

 I’ve been DYING to try my hand at pie making– like proper, savoury pie making.  Definitely not something I grew up with in the US– unless you count frozen pot pies, which were not awful, but not exactly gourmet.  Savoury pies are extremely Irish/English/Australian and I’ve been meaning to try one for a while….. Small footnote, I didn’t actually grow up baking sweet pies either- we were more of a cake family (not really), but that’s a different story for a different day.  

But finally, I can (hopefully) bake a nice, delicious chicken or steak or pork pie for dinner.  Well, let’s face it I may not be able to but at least the pie will look appealing in a gorgeous pie plate.

So a big thank you to my favourite Doctor and one of my best friends for the gorgeous pie dish– notice how there is a cute saying at the bottom.  One day, I’m sure my daughter will look at it and say it’s so retro….sigh.  Thank you to Bill Granger, my favourite Aussie Chef, for what hopefully will be a  really tasty pie recipe.  It’s from his book Feed Me Now, which will be exactly what The Runner says when he gets home from training in 45 minutes!  I should probably stop writing and finish cooking!

I won’t go on too much about how much I adore Bill Granger’s cookbooks and his restaurant Bills, but  I don’t think I’ve ever had a kitchen disaster using one of his cookbooks.   I can’t even think of anything that’s been questionable out of one….. so I’m pretty sure this pie will be at least a 6/10 for taste and a 10/10 for looks!

Wish me luck!

NSFW- Topless pie shot below!

And yes, based on how good this pie looks, I’d totally want to marry me too!

Now to make a salad, pour a glass of wine and try to undertake the mammoth task of putting music onto my new phone…