This is the first pie I ever made and it worked! It actually worked! The pear/pomegranate combination is perfectly tart and mellow, soft and textured.

• 1 pomegranate
• 3 pears
• sugar
• butter
• Marie Calendar pre-made pie crusts (set of 2)

Separate the pomegranage seeds from the husk in a bowl of water (the seeds will sink, the rind will float – easy!). Do not juice or attempt to separate the fibrous part of the seed from the juicy one – that’s just silly. Throw these in a pan with melted butter. Slice the pears and throw them in, too. Pour in about a cup of sugar and let this cook until the pears are soft and coated in sugary goodness.

Dump the contents into one pie crust and slice the other crust to create strips of pastry on top the pie. Bake at 400 for one hour.

The pie is very good warm and will firm up into a perfect pie when cool.

• 1 Chicken
• thyme
• basil
• lemon
• 2 parsnips
• 3 yams
• 1 large beet
• 8 carrots
• 2 boxes o’ rice a-roni
• 8 cloves garlic

Start the box o’ rice a-roni cooking according to instructions and throw away the spice packet. Spice it yourself with thyme and basil and lots of garlic. Dice a cup or so of carrots and throw in. Stuff the chicken with the prepared rice and rub thyme and lemon between the skin and the flesh.

Slice the yams, beet, parsnips and remaining carrots and create a bed for the chicken in a roasting dish.  Pile the rest up around the chicken.  Bake the entire covered dish for one hour.