Sweet Mama bakes a cherry pie

I'm on sort of, what you might call, a high-sugar diet.

I like to keep a steady stream of sugar flowing through my veins pretty much all day long.

I start each day with two cups of hot tea, each loaded with two tablespoons of sugar. I then follow that up with a can of Coke around lunch.

My standards for portion size also seem to be a little, um, higher than other people's. For example, if I were to make Triple Chocolate Brownies, I would think it was perfectly normal to top them with a scoop of ice cream and some hot fudge sauce.

Around here, we joke that I need all of that sugar to make me the nice, sweet mama who gives my kids lots of love. And as a result, I have earned the nickname, Sweet Mama.

When I dole out three chocolate chip cookies, rather than one, that is called a Sweet Mama dessert. When I give two scoops of ice cream, compared with a half of a scoop from dad, the kids cheer, "Sweeeeeeet, Mama!"

But there is one person in the house who doesn't go near my high-calorie creations: Capable Dad. He doesn't even put sugar in his hot tea. (Gasp!)

While friends rave about my chocolate molten lava cakes or my cream cheese squares, he has never even tried my world famous chocolate chip cookies. He is not tempted by chocolate. Too much sugar gives him a headache. And he doesn't even give a second glance to my best friends, Skittles, Smarties and Milky Way.

So on Capable Dad's birthday, which is today, I can not show my love with a birthday cake made of triple chocolate or a Tiramisu trifle. My Cinnamon Coffee Terrine with Chocolate Ganache would be the worst possible dessert to celebrate his special day.

This is when I must pull out the pie pan and do my best to create something tart and tangy on which to plant his birthday candles. My man's favorite dessert is a cherry pie.

Never fear. I have my top-secret recipe.

It involves two pre-made pie crusts (one for the top and one for the bottom) and two cans of cherry pie filling. I cut cute little hearts in the top crust. And even though I know this probably ruins the pie, I can't resist sprinkling it with sugar.

So, tonight we will dine on cherry pie in honor of CapableDad. It doesn't come naturally for Sweet Mama to serve a "dessert" with fruit. Isn't that considered a side dish? But I do my best for the man I love.

Would you be so kind as to wish him a happy birthday in the comments section? If you don't normally leave comments, you can click Anonymous and type your message. Just be sure to leave your name. He does check my blog and read the comments, so I know you would make him smile.

And if you want to add a pie-baking tip, please feel free. I'm sure he would appreciate it.

Happy Birthday, Honey!

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