The world of food blogging now knows that bloggers made peanut butter pie on Friday to honor a special request for a fellow blogger who lost her young husband suddenly, unexpectedly, prematurely.
What would you do if you suddenly lost the love of your life and you’re in your 30’s, an age that is still in the beginning of life not anywhere near death? How would it shake your world?
His name was Mikey. He left this world deeply loved by his wife, Jennifer Perillo The food community rushed in to offer to help in any way they could. She had a request. Could we make a peanut butter pie because it was Mikey’s favorite. Life happened fast and furious and that pie wasn’t made as often as it could have been.
A few years ago, my husband was hit by a car while standing on the sidewalk. But, through some miracle, he walked out of the hospital the same night. Tonight a car came directly at us going the wrong way on the road at lightening speed and just before hitting us, swerved over to the adjoining road. These were near misses that could have ended in sudden tragedy, yet it wasn’t our time.
There are two ways that people generally leave this world. Suddenly or slowly. Given the choice I want to go suddenly like my grandfather, who ventured to the next world promptly after eating lunch. I was the only one home to watch this. Or my favorite Aunt Rita who died on the dance floor on New Year’s Eve, after living a long life ballroom dancing. Although they never had the chance to say goodbye, they had lived their lives to a good age and died doing what they love.
As I write this, I realize that today is my father’s birthday and he is no longer with me. But he didn’t die suddenly. The kind of illness he had gave us a lot of time to prepare. I had a year to spend with him talking on the phone for hours every single day. We touched every kind of topic imaginable, including meeting Jesus. That topic occupied many of our long distance hours, and when he left this world, I felt at peace. His words to me the night he died will be in my head forever. He had the time to make his peace with God and he had the time to make peace with me. We were always close, but there was some business to take care of, some forgiving from both ends. My father was a gambler, but with me he left no debts behind.
I was blessed with time when my cousin and brother were taken early. I had time to grieve before the grief. I had time to cry in front of them. They had time to make some plans for what it would be like to leave me behind. And, while it seemed so cruel at the time to be heavily burdened with multiple death, there was the gift of precious time to polish our relationships in ways only an oncoming finality of death can do. You can read their story here.
I cannot explain the sweetness of terminal illness. The people in my life that were dying seemed to be gathering a heavenly spirit with each passing day. And, when their time came, it was mixed with relief, peace, sadness and anticipation.
Jennifer didn’t have the gift of time with Mikey. They didn’t know their last day was their last day. They woke up that morning confident that that they had at least another 40 years together. I didn’t know Jennifer outside of a few tweets here and there, but I consider her part of my world, because the food blogging community is like that. My heart hurt when I heard the news.
As I serve and eat this peanut butter pie, I want to tell my husband how much I love him, can’t imagine life without him, and I will get to the chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting that he’s been asking me to bake for months. In the meantime, he said this pie was delicious.
Note: I didn’t use the recipe from Jennifer Perillo’s Blog. I just put this together with what I had.
Recipe
Chocolate short bread tart crust, pre-baked (see below
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
Whip peanut butter, cream cheese together. Whip heavy cream to whipped cream, but not stiff. Mix 2/3 of whipped cream into the pie. Reserve the rest for topping.
Pour into chocolate shortbread tart crust. Refrigerate overnight.
Hold back a little of the dough to make a cookie to use for crumbling.
Spinach Tiger Entry 287 Angela Roberts – Peanut Butter Pie for Love, In Memorium
Categories: Desserts, Pie
All original content (outside of adapted recipe) copyright © 2011 Angela Roberts, All Rights
{ 0 comments… add one now }