Yesterday I eagerly checked the results of the random drawing for an entry into the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon hoping against odds that I would get in. I did not – wah! And that’s after having a completely loony dream about the race days ago. I could still get in on the February 15th drawing so I’ll be asking for a universe of crossed fingers near that date.

All was not lost on the day, though. My race club had its annual Holiday party which included a dessert contest. I didn’t really care about winning but I have had a hankering for pecan pie ever since Thanksgiving. We had pumpkin pie and we had apple pie but we did not have pecan pie, the absence of which left a burning hole of desire in my psyche. I wasn’t about to make a pie just for me, though. Oh no – I had done that earlier in the fall with some apples I’d picked and the results took weeks to remove from my already ample hindquarter. There would be no pecan pie in my house. This contest gave me the perfect opportunity to get my mouth around a mere sliver of pecan pie so I was happy to enter.

I won! I was so excited. The glory and the $25 gift certificate to Target didn’t quite make up for not getting into Escape from Alcatraz but it helped – it really did. The pie was so delicious that I am sharing the recipe with all of you. I highly recommend it for your Holiday gatherings. I also recommend you NOT make this pie if you don’t have enough people around to eat the whole thing or you will certainly find yourself having to work off a few extra pounds.

I did have to make a modification to the recipe due to lack of ingredients. Instead of using corn syrup I used ‘fake’ Maple syrup (Log Cabin) which is pretty much corn syrup with some maple flavoring. I also didn’t bother with the fancy crust – who needs more egg yolks than are in the filling? Not me. Enjoy!