A pie for mikey! 9-1-11

Once in a while I run into something on twitter or facebook that COMPLETELY takes my breath away!  There has been so much talk within my friend groups about both of these social media outlets that we/people use to communicate EVERYDAY!!  YES, people use them a lot to vent, to complain, TO CREATE some sort of jealousy within others...  BUT they are also used in amazingly good ways...  I LOVE them for communicating with family and friends who are far away, I also like them for recipes, and for sharing pictures, articles, recipes and what-nots going on in my life... Social Media is definitely what we take from it...  :) 
I stumbled upon injennieskitchen's blog, thru someone else I follow on twitter, I have followed her amazing story of grieving and survival ever since...  I am not married, BUT I feel like I can totally relate to her loss....  we all lose people close to us, and we all have to figure out how to pick up the pieces and move on, we have to figure out how to "survive" without our loved one...  jennie cooks to help her "move on,"  I LOVE her recipes, I have only tried this one of hers...  I made it and I shared it, I think they liked it, I'm not a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, so I didn't have any!  ;)  I LOVED the idea behind this "pie"....  on her blog she asked people to bake a peanut butter pie in memory of Mikey, her husband....  She said it was his favorite, and she always thought that she would make it for him "tomorrow", never thinking that tomorrow may be too late...  you can read her specific pie for Mikey blog here,  the outpour on the internet/twitter was OVERWHELMING...  they even ran an article on CNN, and it was on the 10 o'clock news...  WOW!!  I went ahead and joined this campaign...  I made the pie, wasn't sure who I would share it with, then brought it over to Jessica's...  I LOVED the idea behind the whole campaign.....  sometimes we get so involved in our everyday lives that we forget to tell and show those close to us how important they are to us...  It is my hope EVERYDAY that my loved ones will know how MUCH they mean to me ALWAYS...  and that they all know how much they have impacted my life... We never know when it will be too late...
Without further ado here is MY PIE FOR MIKEY!!  made with all of my LOVE....  :)
Homemade oreo cookie pie crust, and chocolate ganache!

mmmm... creamy peanut buttery filling!  ;)

..... almost ready for the fridge!!

....then it was time to deliver it...  I think miss Ella was the most excited to try it...  and she went ahead and gave it a good ol' lick!!  ;)  I think she approved! 

looks good.... no????  ;)

And with that, here's our reminder again.... that we should hug our loved ones tighter, and tell them we love them today....  Tomorrow is not guaranteed! 

here's Jennie's recipe that I used!!  :)

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

8 ounces chocolate cookies

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

and enjoy!!!  :)