Happy Pi(e) Day

March 14th: sandwiched between Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day, my favorite holiday of the year, Pi Day.

Pi Day has had special meaning for me since AP US History in my junior year of high school. This is when I first encountered the nineteenth century movement referred to as the "cult of domesticity." Its proponents argued that a woman's place is in the home, and that domestic virtues were superior to all others. Struck by the ridiculousness of the idea and the very catchy name, my friends and I formed our own branch, a society loosely dedicated to the protection and preservation of the domestic arts. "Meetings," which we still have whenever enough of us are in the same place, mostly involve getting together to make pie and the "prostitute pasta" (pasta puttanesca) from TBS' Dinner and a Movie for Pretty Woman. Our Cult of Domesticity has had a long and storied life so far, and Pi Day is its anniversary of sorts.

Over the last eight years, some things have changed - our members have been scattered across the country in med school, law school, and various forms of gainful employment, and we can use real wine in the pasta sauce instead of sour-tasting Heinz cooking wine - but some things have not. My grandma's key lime pie, the pie that started it all, is still my favorite in the world. And good friends are still the best people to share it with.

So as an anniversary present for us all, here is the pie recipe that always makes an appearance at our gatherings. It's simple, straightforward, and can be made in about five minutes flat, including washing the dishes. You do have to let the filled pie chill for a few hours to set up, but if you get impatient or are in a hurry, you can always pop it in the freezer to accelerate the process.

At home I usually made this with a store-bought graham cracker crust, but you can easily make your own with some crushed up graham crackers and a bit of melted butter - just mix and press into a pie dish, then bake at 350 or so for about 10 minutes to set. Cool before pouring in your filling.

Grandma's Key Lime Pie

1 9" graham cracker crust, storebought or homemade

8 oz./ 1 c. sour cream

1 can sweetened condensed milk (my grandma's recipe specifies Eagle Brand, but substitutions should be fine)

1/2 c. key lime juice, fresh or bottled (fresh is more tangy, but allow a LOT of time to juice all the little key limes)

2 heaping tbsp. Cool Whip - I tend to interpret "heaping" very liberally, but I like Cool Whip.

Combine all ingredients, mixing until smooth. Don't worry if it looks curdled or weepy at any point, just keep mixing and it will all come together nicely. Pour filling into crust, chill for several hours, enjoy!

Leftovers (if there are any!) are best within the next 48 hours; the crust tends to get soggy after that.