Cherry Pie Milkshake inspired by The Outsiders | #FridayPieDay

I'm stepping outside of the box today and sharing a derivative of pie for this month's edition of FridayPieDay. I originally made this with the intention of sharing for a "favorite '80's movie-inspired" post I did earlier this month with Kimberly from Coffee and Casseroles, but I watched a couple and wound up sharing something inspired by License to Drive instead. Fortunately that means I can share this Cherry Pie Milkshake that was inspired by one of my favorite '80's movies (and books), The Outsiders, with you today!

If by some chance you're not familiar with The Outsiders, it's a story set in Oklahoma in the mid '60's—a time when "class wars" were a pretty big problem. It revolves around a lovable (and super cute*) group of "Greasers" from the north (poor) side of town and the "Socs" [pronounced: soh-shis] from the south (rich) side of town.

Triple Cherry Pie inspired by Twin Peaks | #FridayPieDay

About one month ago, I finally watched Twin Peaks. The first episode originally aired when I was a freshman in high school. I vaguely remember it coming out, but I think I was too young to be on the in where it was concerned. I've thought about watching it here and there over the years, but there were two things that really made me decide that now was the time to watch it.

The first being that there is a 25-year special coming out sometime soon—this year I believe. I wanted to be ready for that. But the real push actually came from a podcast that I recently discovered called Fiction Kitchen Podcast. I listened to a few minutes of their Twin Peaks episode before deciding that I really wanted to know what they were talking about...so I hit stop and binge-watched Twin Peaks before coming back to listen to that (or any other) episode.

Cherry Crunch Pie

It's the last Friday of the month, and that means...PIE! My visions for #fridaypieday included not only posts that included new pie recipes, but also some that featured different techniques, pie making tool reviews and recommendations, the occasional pie shop review, and some pie-centered cookbook reviews. So, when I was offered a copy of The Norske Nook Book of Pies and Other Recipes, I accepted.

So, first a little history. The Norske Nook is actually a small-town café that was founded in 1973 in Osseo, Wisconsin by Helen Myhre. Her hard work ethic and sense of family made the farm-style meals and pies attract media attention, which in turn brought tourism to the small town. Jerry Bechard bought the café from Myhre in the late 80's, when she decided it was time to retire and write a cookbook.

The heartwarming story of the start of Norske Nook and the change of hands, and how it grew to its now four Wisconsin locations—the café in Osseo, plus three others in Rice Lake, Eau Claire, and Hayward—is found in the 9 page introduction written by Bechard. I recommend taking some time to sit down and read this intro before you dive into the reicpes. (I think) the insight will put you into the right frame of mind, as well as make Wisconsin a travel destination in your very near future.

Cherry Pinot Noir Pie

When I think back to the desserts that I loved growing up, my dad pops into my head. He was the one who always took me to the candy shop. We would browse the glass cases for turtles, seafoam, and salt water taffy. I'd take my time choosing which of the bright sticks of striped hard candy in flavors like raspberry, watermelon, and lemon that I wanted. I'd study the tall wooden tree that contained branches of homemade lollipops in every color of the rainbow . I'd come home clutching a delicate white bag with handspun treats on the inside. Unfolding the flap and reaching inside was always as exciting as choosing the treats at the shop was.

Dad was also the one who brought all of the sweets into the house. Dad and I were the ones who browsed the bulk cookie bins at the grocery store, filling our bag with almond-studded spiced windmills, glazed almond shells, and rings of sugar cookies. Sometimes we'd get bags of soft molasses cookies or crumbly pecan sandies.

Dad bought the boxes of brownie mix and ran the blender for milkshakes. He filled the freezer with ice cream and popsicles. Yeah, I'm not sure that my mom was ever a big dessert person. She still isn't to this day, but she let him (or rather, couldn't stop him from) bring it into the house.