March 14 - otherwise known as 3.14 - Pi Day

What do spheres, Archimedes, calculus, The Simpsons, physics, Star Trek, pyramids and Carl Sagan’s novel Contact all have in common? 

Pi otherwise known as 3.14...

Pi is the exact ratio representing that the circumference of a circle is slightly more than three times as long as its diameter.  One of the oldest and most important mathematical constants, Pi is an irrational number, meaning the decimal representation never ends and never repeats, with the current record as of 2011 standing at 5 trillion decimal digits, which seems irrational indeed to me!

Although Pi day was created in 1988 by Larry Shaw, a physicist working at San Francisco’s Exploratorium, it wasn’t until 2009 that the US House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing March 14 (3/14 or 3.14) as National Pi Day.  And if you want to plan ahead, at 9:26:53 on Pi Day 2015, the date will be 3/14/15 at 9:26:53, corresponding to 3.141592653.

While I honor mathematicians everywhere, especially my favorite Uncle John who was a college mathematics professor, I acknowledge that the best thing I can add to the mathematical dialog continuing throughout the ages is to share one of my favorite ‘pi’ recipe...

Menu

Chicken Pot Pi

Green Salad 

w/ round sliced...

-Tomatoes

-Carrots

-Cucumbers

Buttermilk Pi w/ Berries & Whipped Cream

          or if you don’t have time to bake a pie - you could eat Choco-Pies :)

Buttermilk Pie

Makes 1, 9 inch pie - May be doubled but not tripled.

Mix & set aside

1 1/4 cup Sugar

3/4 cup Flour

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 + 1/8 tsp. Baking Soda

In a separate bowl whisk slightly

2 eggs

Add & whisk slightly:

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I use the juice of 2 lemons for extra lemon flavor:)

1 tsp. vanilla

Add dry ingredients to wet.  

Whisk until smooth.  

Be careful not to over mix.

1/4 cup butter

Melt

Add & stir in.

Pour into unbaked pie crusts & bake on middle rack at: 

400’ for 10 minutes

350’ for 10 minutes

325’ for 45 minutes or until done.

The pies should be springy and spongy in the middle.  It should feel ‘well done’.

Serve warm and topped with...

Berries - 

Macerate fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries etc.) by sprinkling with sugar and allowing the juices to blend.

or try...

@ 2-3 cups frozen blackberry, boysenberry & raspberry mix 

Measure out berries into a bowl, set aside.

Combine in pot on stove

1 cup water  

1 cup sugar  

Boil for about 2 minutes

Add:

1 drop of red food coloring (optional)

1+ tsp. corn starch (optional).  

Pour over frozen berries & let sit until berries are thawed.

Whipped Cream

Beat until fluffy and holds a peak. 

2 cups Whipping Cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla extract