Dearest Boo……….Happy Pi Day! It’s true; I have gone to the Dark Side….I have gone to the Geek Society. It was so much fun telling you “Happy Pi Day” and you had no idea. Yeah! I got one over my resident Geek.
And I even have my own Geek Code:
GO d-@ s:+ a++ C@ U---? P--? L? E? !W++@ !N* !o-- K--? w@ !O--- !M-- !V-- PS@ PE@ !Y !PGP- t@ !5 !X- !R- tv+@ b++@ DI++ !D-- !G e++>$ h->$ r@ z+
I have no idea what it really says, based on the questions I had to answer it probably means “One Giant Idiot”. The code generator asked how good was my knowledge of Unix, Perl, Linux, Emacs, USENET Oracle, Kibo, and VMS. Heck, most of those things I have never head of before in my entire life. I was just pleased that I know what “Pi” means. It ‘s the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle; approximately equal to 3.14159265358979323846. Math, you say that word and my eyes glaze over, a giant knot grow in my stomach, and I am searching for food to help eliminate the pain.
What I can understand are Pi jokes. And here are some for your laughing pleasure
- Q: What do you get when you cut a jack o’lantern by its diameter?
- A: Pumpkin Pi!
- Q: What do you get when you take green cheese and divide its circumference by its diameter?
- A: Moon Pi.
- Q: What do you get when you take the sun and divide its circumference by its diameter?
- A: Pi in the sky.
- Mathematician: “Pi r squared”
- Baker: “No pies are round, cakes are squared!”
Oh, gosh I kill me sometimes! Okay, you may not think these are funny, but I know that your cousins Colton and Shea are “ROFL”.
National Pi Day has only been a “holiday” since March 11, 2009 – so, using my all knowing math skills – this is it’s second celebration. When I was online “Googling” to find more information about Pi and why it is important to me here is some things that I did find interesting.
“Pi Day” was so designated to be March 14, as this is the birth day of Albert Einstein. I found a website on BBC News explaining how we all use pi every day in our lives and why it is so important:
“Pi shows up everywhere. In mathematics, pi appears in many fundamental equations that have nothing to do with circles. In science, pi is inextricable from measuring everything from ocean waves to economic statistics.
Pi is found in the very measurements of the Great Pyramid at Giza. And if you divide the length of a river from source to mouth across a gently sloping plane by its direct length “as the crow flies”, you’ll find pi.
Pi also appears where you least expect it. Religious scholars point to the Old Testament which, when describing the measurements of Solomon’s Temple, implies that pi is only three. In the transcripts of the famed OJ Simpson trial, you can find arguments between the judge and an FBI agent about the actual value of pi.
For a time, Givenchy offered a men’s cologne emblazoned only with the symbol. Nobel Prize winner Wislawa Szymborska (Polish) wrote a poem about pi, and pop star Kate Bush sang 100 digits of pi on her album Aerial.
In this age of high-tech precision instruments, where we assure ourselves that perfection is attainable, pi is an ever-present, sometimes grating reminder that there are puzzles that can be solved and there are mysteries that, perhaps, can not.”
I also know that pi can mean “private investigator” and in my book the very best PI is
Hubba Bubba, Baby.
For me, the most important thing to know about pi is “You can’t spell “happiness” without “pi.” So, for me pi is important, because it brings “happiness” into my life. And how did I use pi today? Why by making a pie and using pi be cut it into nice, even slices! The best part? Sharing it with you and your cousins, Kim, Stuart, Colton and Shea. Joy Rising!
The Best Chocolate Cream Pie You Ever Ate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 1/2 hours (actual cook time is 30 minutes, the rest is cooling time)
Source: www.forkingdelicious.com
Ingredients:
- 8 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 1/2 c half and half
- 2/3 c sugar
- 1/4 c cornstarch
- 9 eggs, divided into yolks and egg whites
- 9 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 2/3 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 c heavy cream for topping or use the egg whites to make a meringue
- 3 T milk chocolate shavings for topping
- 1 purchased oreo crumb pie crust or graham cracker pie crust
Directions:
- Heat half and half in a 4 qt saucepand over medium-high heat until it just begins to simmer.
- Remove pan from heat.
- While heating the half and half, in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch until combined.
- Add the egg yolks to the sugar/cornstarch mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Temper the half and half into the egg mixture. When egg mixture ready drizzle in the remaining half and half. Whisk completely. To temper means to add small amounts of the hot liquid into the eggs, slowly raising the temp of the egg mixture. By doing this you will not “cook” the eggs, causing them to become scrambled eggs.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan, heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until bubbles rise to the surface and mixture is very thick (about five minutes).
- Remove pan from heat and add butter and chocolates in small batches, whisking until smooth.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Set a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl and strain chocolate mixture. Do not skip this step! This will remove and “scrambled” egg pieces that are in the mixture.
- cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic onto the surface to prevent “skin” from forming.
- Refrigerate until set, about four hours.
- Remove plastic wrap from the chocolate filling and, using a rubber spatula, stir mixture until smooth.
- Spoon mixture into reserved crust, forming a dome, and smooth surface with the spatula.
- Your choice of topping. You can either whip the cream into stiff peaks and spread on top of pie. Sprinkle on the milk chocolate shavings. Or you can make a meringue using the egg whites, spread on top of pie, and broil until lightly brown. Sprinkle on the milk chocolate shaving.
