Lop-Sided Chocolate Pie

It is almost Thanksgiving time and I was reminded of one of my favorite Jeff stories.  I have millions and this one is in the top 10.

This year we are going to my parents house for Thanksgiving.  Recently my oldest asked his Grandmother what Jeff's favorite pie was.  My mom replied "chocolate".  J1 then asked my mom to make that for him this Thanksgiving.  Later she told me about the exchange (we all compare notes when J1 talks about Jeff because we are so worried about him) and I laughed that she left out the most important part of the story.  Later that night, when I was putting J1 to bed I told him the true story...

In the first year of dating Jeff and I instituted the standard "every other year" policy for family Thanksgiving.  But that isn't the full truth.  See, may family does Second Thanksgiving.  It's true, we are practically hobbits.

Second Thanksgiving originated when my dad was an Army officer and as an officer he felt that he should have Thanksgiving dinner with the troops at the mess hall.  The mess hall wasn't all bad, in fact, two of my favorite Thanksgiving gluttony stories originate from the mess hall meals (think unlimited soda and a soft serve ice cream machine and two distracted parents and you get the picture).  However, the fun did not stop there.  Because my dad launched a leftover campaign, the need for turkey is strong in that one, and my mom fell for it.  So, we did Thursday dinner with the troops and a Friday family Thanksgiving dinner at home.  Second Thanksgiving was born.  This continued for years, years I tell you.  Second Thanksgiving fell to the sidelines when my dad retired from the military only to resurface later after my sister and I left for college.  This resurrection formed when my folks joined up with friends for Thanksgiving festivities and then my mom would cook on Friday (for leftovers!).  It's craziness.

So, that first year of dating Jeff and I went to his family's on Thursday and then went to my family's on Friday for Second Thanksgiving.  Jeff was in heaven.  He had never heard of such a thing and was thrilled to be having a full-on fresh-from-the-oven Thanksgiving meal two days in a row.

Prior to Thanksgiving my mom had asked Jeff what his favorite pie was and Jeff had told her chocolate.  She wanted to make a good impression and wanted to have his favorite on the table.  My mom is known for her pies and pretty much will bake a pie per person for Thanksgiving.  There is usually 2 pumpkin, 2 pecan, and an apple pie. (I asked her why two of each once and she replied that it was just as easy to make two as it is to make one.  That is the logic I live with, folks.)  Now, there was a chocolate pie tossed into the mix. Oh the gluttony.

So at the end of the meal, my mom brings out all the pies.  The chocolate pie had been covered with tin foil and in the freezer so with a flourish the tin foil was pulled back to reveal: half a pie!

See, it was a frozen-set pie and it had shifted in the freezer so all the filling migrated to half the pie and literally the other half was just pie crust.  Jeff, being Jeff, loudly exclaimed with a clap of hands:

"Lop-sided chocolate pie!  My favorite!"

My mom was mortified.  But Jeff was thrilled.  He got to eat a chocolate pie serving with double the filling.  Double.

So imagine what Jeff said the following year when the pie looked like this...

Yup, he gave my mom the biggest pouty face and asked where the lop-sided chocolate pie was.  Oh, he ragged on her for years.  So much so, that my mom took to doubling the filling for the chocolate pie.  But even then, it wasn't truly lop-sided. 

Jeff loved the tradition of Second Thanksgiving as much as he loved lop-sided chocolate pie. 

Neither are the same without him.

Sincerely,

Jeff's Widow