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Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, with Pie
"Women sharpen women. I'm convinced that you can learn a lot about a woman based on what she feeds herself and the people she loves; a woman's recipes--especially her prized recipes--are a revelation of who the woman what she thinks, how she behaves, what she values, and how she lives her life."
This is a collection of 70 such pie recipes, gathered from the women in author Patty Pinner's life--family, friends, women who are part of her own personal history. What distinguishes this book is its utterly beguiling storytelling--each recipe is accompanied by a story told on the woman known for making the pie, from Sister Baby's Buttermilk Pie to Miss Hatfield and Her Jelly Pies. It also filled with the truths handed down by our mothers (or that we wish had been handed down by our mothers) "An unhappy husband will ask for toasted snow" and "You don't want a man who is jealous of nothing "or "everything." This is a cookbook that's about love, life, family, friendship, and community as much as it is about the recipes.
This is a collection of 70 such pie recipes, gathered from the women in author Patty Pinner's life--family, friends, women who are part of her own personal history. What distinguishes this book is its utterly beguiling storytelling--each recipe is accompanied by a story told on the woman known for making the pie, from Sister Baby's Buttermilk Pie to Miss Hatfield and Her Jelly Pies. It also filled with the truths handed down by our mothers (or that we wish had been handed down by our mothers) "An unhappy husband will ask for toasted snow" and "You don't want a man who is jealous of nothing "or "everything." This is a cookbook that's about love, life, family, friendship, and community as much as it is about the recipes.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 10, 2014
I love this book! My daughter gave it to me for Christmas several years ago. This is a cookbook that is both fun to read and to use for the recipes. In fact, for years I avoided making my own crust because it never seemed to come out right. This book convinced me to try again and now is my go to for pie recipes. I now can say, proudly, that I make wonderful pie crusts and wonderful pies. I have some fresh peaches right now, so I'm going to the kitchen and make "Mayor Ham's Brown Sugar Peach Pie" right now. Yummy!
November 15, 2021
Okay, I normally would not add a cookbook to my list of books I've read, but this is so much more than a cookbook. I think it's my favorite cookbook ever and I haven't even made any of the recipes yet! The author decided to take all the women in her family and friends and gather their best pie recipes, but she also gathered all their womanly wisdom and best stories to go along with it. I love it. My mother didn't bake and she didn't have any "womanly wisdom" to pass down to me, either. She was neglectful and especially so in the kitchen. It made me so happy to find a cookbook that also made me feel like I had a mother and a community. It also made me think about the kind of mother I want to be in the kitchen, so that in the future my own daughter feels warm fuzzies while baking. I don't believe cooking and the kitchen are the woman's job/place at all, but we all need to eat and I'm super into the concept and art of home economics / home making right now, so this is truly perfect for me and this cookbook is a true gift to readers. Thank you for this delightful read, Patty Pinner!
November 13, 2021
Love Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, with Pie beBook! The recipes are very good; however, the real treat is the stories behind each of them. Any southerner would enjoy the text telling about the characters who cooked these pies. Liked it so much I bought another as a gift to a friend.
Buy the eBook NOW:
Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, with Pie
Buy the eBook NOW:
Sweety Pies: An Uncommon Collection of Womanish Observations, with Pie
October 13, 2020
This recipe book was filled with unique recipes.
What I did not care for was the "womanish observations". Those were filled with bake to keep your man sentiments. Just thinking about it makes me angry and liable to go on a rant.
I'd give this book 4.5 / 5 stars for the recipes and 0 stars for the womanish observations.
What I did not care for was the "womanish observations". Those were filled with bake to keep your man sentiments. Just thinking about it makes me angry and liable to go on a rant.
I'd give this book 4.5 / 5 stars for the recipes and 0 stars for the womanish observations.
April 21, 2021
This is hands down my favorite cookbook! The recipes are great, but the stories that go with them are even better!
February 16, 2022
Such a joy to read!
August 31, 2007
Everyone who likes desserts has a favorite kind. Some folks like cake. Some favor ice cream. Some prefer pudding. Me? I like pie: chess pie, rhubarb pie, peach-blueberry pie, sweet potato pie, heck, just about kind of pie, really. So an entire cookbook devoted just to pie (and its tasty cousins tarts and cobblers) was a must have for me.
The author frames the recipes with family stories and recollections, often about the women who created the individual recipes. The stories are interesting enough, I guess, but truthfully whether you are interested in them is totally irrelevant.
If you like pie, especially old-time country cooking covered-dish supper kind of pie, you need this book. Really. Fruit pies, custard pies, merengue pies, and even my new must-try category, cereal pies.
Yum!
The author frames the recipes with family stories and recollections, often about the women who created the individual recipes. The stories are interesting enough, I guess, but truthfully whether you are interested in them is totally irrelevant.
If you like pie, especially old-time country cooking covered-dish supper kind of pie, you need this book. Really. Fruit pies, custard pies, merengue pies, and even my new must-try category, cereal pies.
Yum!
August 13, 2009
I love this book. It's a cookbook that you can actually read and not just use a reference tool. Thanks Mom!
Anyway, it's a collection of pie recipes - a huge variety - and the story behind the recipes is included. It's like looking at a family photo album and having your grandma tell you stories about each person as you go. It turns the pictures from flat pieces of paper into living, breathing treasures. I feel that way about this book.
My favorite recipe so far is Miss Dezirae's Mixed Berry Pie. Everytime I make it, the thing is DELICIOUS. And it works ok with frozen berries too (just reduce the amount of water you add to the filling). My next pie to try is one of the peaches and cream pies.
Yeay! I love baking frenzies! Enjoy!!!!
Anyway, it's a collection of pie recipes - a huge variety - and the story behind the recipes is included. It's like looking at a family photo album and having your grandma tell you stories about each person as you go. It turns the pictures from flat pieces of paper into living, breathing treasures. I feel that way about this book.
My favorite recipe so far is Miss Dezirae's Mixed Berry Pie. Everytime I make it, the thing is DELICIOUS. And it works ok with frozen berries too (just reduce the amount of water you add to the filling). My next pie to try is one of the peaches and cream pies.
Yeay! I love baking frenzies! Enjoy!!!!
March 12, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. The pie recipes were wonderful, but what I loved about this book was the "womanish wisdom" that accompanied all her pies. Patty Pinner wrote small essays to accompany each pie recipe. Each one shared what she calls womanish wisdom. I call them lovely little stories. My favorite was the one about the lady who convinced a confirmed bachelor deacon to marry her using pie and foot washing. This book is worth a read whether or not you ever bake a pie.
August 13, 2008
An cute, entertaining little cookbook about making pies and the good women's stories that inspired the author.
I especially liked the philosophy of the author's mother: that she was a kept woman, instead of a housewife. This kept her wanting to look nice and serve her man without resenting him.
Recipes are varied and interesting.
I especially liked the philosophy of the author's mother: that she was a kept woman, instead of a housewife. This kept her wanting to look nice and serve her man without resenting him.
Recipes are varied and interesting.
July 30, 2016
I've always liked cookbooks that came with personal stories. Patty Pinner's stories are truly vintage. It was also an easy introduction to baking pies. I don't think some of the recipes came off well, but since it is partly a collection of pies the way they used to be made (Chess Pie / 'jes Pie) then it could be they just aren't to my tastes.
July 20, 2008
Maybe the best read of 2008 - combines nostalgic, romantic notions of women and wives with fabulous pie recipes. The blueberry pie with crumb topping is excellent! Normally I just check books out from the library, but I'm going to shell out the money to add this one to my permanent collection.
February 23, 2008
Love the womanish observations in this book - here's my favorite:
There's something immoral about a woman who'll give out her recipes to anyone who asks.
Oh, and great recipes too.
There's something immoral about a woman who'll give out her recipes to anyone who asks.
Oh, and great recipes too.
July 18, 2008
The women are real and their stories are wonderful, but some of the pies are scary! Cereal pies are probably delicious because of all the sugar, but I won't be making one anytime soon.
June 23, 2009
Seriously and unabashedly old school. "A woman should bake pies for her man" is Pinner's constant theme.
But...the pies...they...they are delectable.
But...the pies...they...they are delectable.
November 11, 2009
this was a rounded up "four" as far as cookbooks go - great stories for each recipe that I enjoyed. It read like a journal of sorts.
December 2, 2009
This is a cookbook with the funniest stories of the southern african american women who baked the pies. Even if you don't like pie, you will enjoy the text of this great book.
March 24, 2010
Pie making doesnt have to be a lost art.
August 2, 2010
There are two great things about this book - the recipes, which are fantastic, and the personal stories.
July 23, 2011
A nice book on pies. Unfortunatly these kinds of food are not common in Israel. According to the book it's a real shame. Maybe it's time to catch up with the world on this type of cuisine.
March 5, 2013
I really liked the stories that went with each pie. The great recipes were a plus to. :)
November 22, 2013
Good photos, good stories, and good recipes.
February 28, 2014
Equal parts memoir and cookbook, wonderful!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews