Flaky Mini Pies for Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers #cookthebooksclub

December/January's selection for Cook the Books Club is Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers, by Sara Ackerman. Thanks for hosting, Deb from Kahakai Kitchen, who happens to be a blogger from Hawaii, where this wonderful book is set.

Cook the Books Club is a group of bloggers who love to read, then cook something that inspires them from the book. The book has a lot of references to pies, which is what I chose to make but others are doing more Hawaiian types of food.

From Amazon:  

Hawaii, 1944. The Pacific battles of World War II continue to threaten American soil, and on the home front, the bonds of friendship and the strength of love are tested.

Violet Iverson and her young daughter, Ella, are piecing their lives together one year after the disappearance of her husband. As rumors swirl and questions about his loyalties surface, Violet believes Ella knows something. But Ella is stubbornly silent. Something—or someone—has scared her. And with the island overrun by troops training for a secret mission, tension and suspicion between neighbors is rising.

Violet bands together with her close friends to get through the difficult days. To support themselves, they open a pie stand near the military base, offering the soldiers a little homemade comfort. Try as she might, Violet can’t ignore her attraction to the brash marine who comes to her aid when the women are accused of spying. Desperate to discover the truth behind what happened to her husband, while keeping her friends and daughter safe, Violet is torn by guilt, fear and longing as she faces losing everything. Again.

I love historical fiction, so this book is right up my family.  I love how the story bounces between Ella and her mother, Violet. As a retired school principal, I was taken in by Ella and her story. I eagerly read about her big secret she was keeping from her mother, which caused her great emotional harm. The story is of friends, neighbors and soldiers all yearning for some sense of family.  As usual, food is the key to bringing people together and in this case, the women decide to open a pie stand outside of the armory to make a few extra dollars and to give the soldiers a taste of home. 

I have a dear friend who moved to our neighborhood who makes pies. She regularly brings pie to our book club and instantly I have a sense of family when she serves it up. It was easy to be inspired to make a pie with all the talk of pie and thinking of my friend, Christie.

I wanted to try to make individual pies, but I don't have any pie tins for that. I decided to try a drape of pie crust over the bottoms of oversized muffin tins.  I made this pie crust from Bisquick:

Yield: 4 mini piesAuthor: Terri Steffes

Baking Mix Pie Crust for Mini Pies

Pie crust made using a baking mix like Bisquick.

prep time: 10 minscook time: 14 minstotal time: 24 mins

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups baking mix
• 1/2 c butter
• 1 or 2 T hot water

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the baking mix into a bowl.  Add the ice cold butter and cut into the flour using a fork or by rubbing the butter with your fingers until the baking mix resembles a bowl of peas. Starting with 1 T of the hot water, mix until the dough comes together.  Add more water, a little at a time until the dough can be stretched without breaking.
2. Divide dough into fourths.  Spray the backs of the muffin tin with cooking spray.  Take one of the fourths, and pinch out a 6 inch circle.  Place over the muffin tin.  Push the dough together so that it forms a cup.  Bake in over for 12 minutes, or until dough is cooked through and is golden brown.
3. Remove cups from muffin tins and let cool thoroughly before filling.

calories
-386

fat (grams)
30

sat. fat (grams)
16

carbs (grams)
27

net carbs
27

protein (grams)
4

sugar (grams)
5

Created using The Recipes Generator

For my family, I made a simple filling of low-fat sugar-free pudding and sliced bananas. Banana cream pie is my daughter's favorite and this was a wonderful way to serve up a portioned controlled piece of pie.  If you'd like another filling, I suggest this delicious Peach Pie!

I highly recommend this book to you if you love historical fiction, Hawaii or cooking. It has the elements of a good mystery as well, so there is something for everyone!

If you consider reading this book, consider purchasing it from me. I will make a small commission from Amazon, but the price stays the same for you!