National Pie Day worth celebrating

I don’t often buy into National fill-in-the-blankfood Days. These “holidays” — which can sometimes be as long as a week or even a month — are usually created as part of marketing campaigns to increase sales. And in some cases, such as with National Cherry Month, to sell something that isn’t even in season in our part of the world.

But today is a food “holiday” of a more clever sort. National Pie Day — or National Pi Day as you math

lovers may know it — is one I can grab a fork and dig into.

I’ll never turn down pie. We could even call today Ides of March Eve, and if the celebration included pie, I’d be all for it.

As for National Brussels Sprouts Day, you can celebrate that one without me.

For desserts that really are as easy as pie, here are a

couple of favorites. The first is a no-bake lemon-raspberry. The second is all about chocolate.

Happy Pi(e) Day!

Easy Berry Lemon Pie

1 (8-inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1⁄4 cup triple berry jam or any berry jam

4 to 6 lemons (see note)

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

4 ounces cream cheese, softened Fresh raspberries

Spread jam evenly in the bottom of the prepared pie crust.

Zest one of the lemons; set zest aside. Juice the lemons to make 1⁄2 cup juice.

In a medium bowl, beat together the condensed milk, cream cheese, lemon juice and zest until mixture is thick and creamy.

Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Top with fresh raspberries and serve. Makes 8 servings. Note: I used Meyer lemons, but regular lemons work just as well.

This dish isn’t technically a pie — and that’s OK because today isn’t technically a holiday — it’s more like a fudgy brownie that is baked in a pie plate.

Fudge Pie

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1⁄2 cup butter (see note)

1 cup granulated sugar

1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with oil or butter; set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter together in a medium, microwave-safe bowl, stirring mixture every 30 seconds or so, until mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla. Whisking until well combined. Pour into prepared pie pan.

Bake about 25 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings. Note: If using unsalted butter, add a generous pinch of salt when you add the sugar and flour. Recipe adapted from Take Big

Bites by Linda Ellerbee