Recently I caved into family pressure and entered the Dakota County Fair Pie Baking Contest.  According to the judges, I make the best tasting cherry pie around.  I will discuss the results a little later.

As I was preparing my pie for the contest, my mind wandered to a recent political debate - the debate regarding President Obama's Virginia campaign speech and the infamous words "You didn't build that."  The President is saying that his words were taken out of context.  Mitt Romney is saying that the President meant what he said and that he is insulting business owners and entrepreneurs across the country.  The local business community and Chamber members that I have discussed this with also feel insulted.  After all, was it not their long hours, sacrifices and investment that contributed to their success?  Was it not their income and property taxes that helped pay for the government services that they "benefitted" from?   

So as I methodically made my pie crust, my thoughts went to the idea that even though I was baking from scratch, perhaps I really "didn't bake that"!  Well, let us look at the facts.  My recipe is a modified "Fresh Cherry Pie" recipe from the 1981 version of the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, although it has taken me years to perfect the recipe.  Pie crust from scratch uses the recipe my mother taught me when I was a young girl (the secret ingredient is patience).  So neither the pie crust nor the filling was my own "invention".  While I do use the cherries that are grown on the cherry tree in our back yard, I can't take credit for growing the tree from seed.  We purchased the tree eleven years ago from either Pahl's Market or Terra Garden Center so I guess they should get that credit.  The other ingredients - the flour, sugar, spices, etc. - were purchased at the local grocery store, so I didn't make them either.  The knowledge to bake pies in a delicious manner was taught to me by my wonderful mother.  She also instructed me on the importance of patience when baking.  Does this mean she baked my pie?  Do any of my 40+ years of baking count for anything?
   
Business people and entrepreneurs around Lakeville and around the country combine knowledge, resources, long hours, hard work and patience to create products and services.  Just like them, I combined the knowledge and ingredients available to me to create a cherry pie.  It was a pie that I took pride in because of the hard work and years of experience that it took to create that particular pie.  Therefore like all business people and entrepreneurs, I did bake that!

As for how I did in the pie contest at the Dakota County Fair, I am proud to say that I took second place!  The winning pie recipes will be on the Dakota County Fair's website after the fair is over.  Bon appetite!