LAST PIE IS DONE

BEDTIME += NOW.

Mitchel and Mickey are doing the dishes, I'm off to bed. Only a 29.5 hour 24-hour pieathon.

Goodnight. Thank you for all the love. There are many pictures to post soon.

Forward March!

Pieathon Continues.
Red Bull has been drunk. New crusts have been made. Baker is plowing ahead, in spite of looming deadline.

stay tuned.

Hitting a Great Big Huge Wall

For the first time in Pieathon, I'm completely here by myself. My helper elves who assembled boxes, and printed letters, and washed dishes all went to work or home to sleep. And unfortunately, it happens to be when I'm so tired I'm making a million dumb mistakes. The time is running out, and I'm too tired to deal with the mistakes in a mature way.

I've got a million "next years, I'll do this differently" But that doesn't help me now. I need that person at the end of the marathon, who feeds you and gives you water, and yells encouraging words.

Thank goodness I have cook friends who calmed me down. Who stopped me from just turning off the oven, going to sleep, and telling M. to not answer the doorbell tonight.

So I'm pressing on, but this is not fun. And this is not easy. I'm earning every single one of those dollars kids. In the most excruciating way.

good morning pieathon campers.

hello everyone! and welcome to hour #15 of pieathon. this is pie support team member #2. i've just woken up from a nap, which is more than i can say for the ever-energetic ms. pieathon herself. she's been such a trouper, and has baked off all of the sugar cream pies and many of the pecan pies. and she hasn't even broken into the off-brand no-doz yet! (yep, that was me too. we'll see how that goes.)

and for an extra boost of energy, the fantastic mitchel has arrived from san francisco. he's currently being a blue-ribbon houseboy and washing dishes. and he brought the best cookies ever made - dark chocolate with coarse salt on top.

it smells like nutmeg in here, in the best possible way. i wish i didn't have to go to work right now.

much love to all you pieathon supporters,
mickey.

Daybreak

Just took a break for a second to appreciate the sunrise, and the new awake feeling that light outside gives me.
I've made some good progress since I last posted - no sleeping! Just baking! My sugar cream pies are almost all baked off, and the last of the pecan pie crusts are in the freezer chilling.

I'll fill the pecans, bake them, and then it's only pumpkin left to go.

10 hours left to go! I can make it.

This is the baker.

It's 3:53. I'm tired. Very tired. Only 13 more hours to go.

pie is fabulous

I am guest blogger number four - the one doing dishes before. it is late and I'm listening to chaka khan. Nina is covered in flour, I think she is on to new fashion trend so ya'll better watch out. this is the only time i have every willingly done dishes and seperated the recycables. Only for Nina would I not even bat an eyelash or complain. She has graham cracker pie crusts on professional racks waiting to be filled and the living room is filled with the sweet smell of pecans. oh and what was great some friends came over at 1 am to help label boxes. the only time it's ok to box something is pie. yes i think i made a really bad joke, but i'm ok with that.

I actually had a non-funny moment when i realized why I would come over late at night after a long days work and evening meeting and come help Nina with meeting her goal. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer over a year ago and it was one of the most painful things to watch my mom fight for her life. I was lucky that my mom had good health insurance and was able to take the time to heal. My mom has a clean bill of health at the moment. So, without realizing it, I wanted to help out because when my mom was doing her healing I felt really powerless and angry and now I can help support my friend do amazing things (like baking many pies) to support women with cancer getting the care they need, even if they can't afford it. I love you Nina!

Hi all -
It's the baker here. I was envisioning witty and succinct blogs at this point of the bakealong, with a clear contrast from the delirious ones I'm sure are yet to come.
And yet, I'm feeling really stressed, as there are many pies left to bake!

So you all will just have to insert your own banter.

But fortunately I've got an amazing crew of support, one of whom is washing dishes as I speak - er- type.

More to come. I'm deep into crust land - rolling, mixing, resting, forming.

pie music!

hi there, pie pal #3 (ariel) reporting for duty with a request to the pie-a-thon public:

what are your essential pie songs?

* american pie by don maclean
* american pie by madonna (not a cover!)
* cherry pie by warrant
* sugar pie honey bunch by the four tops
* that's amore ("when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie) by dean martin


what else? your suggestions needed!

flour looks a lot like first snow.

guest blogger #2 reporting for duty. this is mickey, aka nina's right hand man, posting at the beginning of hour number five (roughly speaking). things have gone relatively well so far, though nina is concerned that she is a bit behind. needless to say, she has plenty of time to catch up, and plenty of caffeinated substances to help her along the way.

there is a fine dusting of flour coating much of the kitchen. it's kind of winter nostalgic-looking. ariel (aka guest blogger #3) is currently making a video of nina doing her magic. magic meaning "adding shortening and advising others never to undertake such an insane proposition as this, ever."

the first photos of Pieathon-in-Progress are here! you can almost smell the crusts baking, the graham crackers being ground into a sweet crumble, and the indomitable, adorable nina soldiering on in her quest.

that's a lotta pumpkin.

it is taking yeoman restraint not to tear into one of these babies with my bare hands.

our intrepid pieathoner! isn't she the sweetest thing you ever saw? yes indeed.


(please pardon my lack of HTML and layout knowledge/wherewithal, as evidenced in this post. i hope not too many eyes have been offended.)

pies, hour 2.5

greetings from camp pie-a-thon. this is pie-helper #1, aka rachel, reporting in from the couch in nina's kitchen. i arrived here a half an hour ago, just in time to help sierra bring his large baking rack in for nina to borrow. also in time to catch nina in the act of changing her shoes from a pair of gold ballet flats to new balance running shoes. it smells very nicely like christmas cookies in here; nina is in the pie crust cooking phase of things. she has a plan! a pie-baking logistics plan! of course. and that plan begins with a lengthy pie-crust making moment. and so the room is filled with dough and puddles of flour and the smell of yum. she has all her graham cracker pie crusts done and baked off. whatever that means. i don't know from this stuff.

lets amble over to the baker at work and get some insight into the work in progress.

rachel: how's it going?
nina: five crusts down, 33 more to go!
rachel: what are you thinking about RIGHT NOW?
nina: i'm thinking about "don't fuck up," because its very easy when you're making so much stuff to forget an ingredient, you know? [silence] sorry, i'm really trying to concentrate.
rachel: sorry its my job to bug you. one final word for your fans?
nina: i don't know. i think i've decided that pie and stuffing are the two most important parts of the thanksgiving table.

there you have it folks. straight from the activist baker's mouth. more in a minute.

And So It Begins....Almost

Thanks to my cat scratching me and a loud dog upstairs, my plans to stay up late last night and then sleep in this morning failed miserably. So instead I got up, dealt with more logistics (so many logistics!) and got a head start. All my graham cracker crusts are assembled, and in the fridge. I'll get a few pastry crusts to the resting stage, and then go take a long nap.

And then it will really begin. I'm nervous and excited. I've got a great fundraising total over there on the right, and I know there are more donations on there way to add to that figure. (Be sure to hit refresh so you can see the current total. Over $3500!)

Just one small problem. I somehow volunteered myself to stay up for 24 hours and make 55 pies. Plus 6 more on the weekend for family members who wanted pie for next week.

Am I insane? Is this the most ridiculous idea ever? Pretty much. But I created it, and now I must feed my monster.

I'm even making plans on how to do it bigger and better next year.

Stay tuned.

Pie Orders Are Closed!

But it's not too late to participate in Pieathon!

- Make a donation to CancerCare
- Leave a comment or 10 during the liveblog, cheering me on!
- Do something to make a chronically ill person's life a little easier or cheerier
- Give thanks for the people that love you

"See" you all tomorrow during Pieathon!

-- Nina

Pieathon updates!

I'm still tallying all the donations, and last minute orders are coming in fast and furious, but I've already counted over $2500 in donations/pie sales!

If you still want to order a pie, please do so by the end of the day on Sunday. I need to make sure I've got all the ingredients and pie tins and boxes I need.

Having problems with paypal? Email me at ninabeans@gmail.com and I'll make other arrangements with you.

Thanks again to everyone for supporting pieathon!

Nina

The Great Thanksgiving Pie-a-thon 2007

The 10-year anniversary of my mother's death from cancer is coming up, and to honor her, I've conceived of a unique fundraising project - Pieathon! - which will raise money to support low-income cancer patients.

What: I, Nina Callaway will bake pies for a heck of a long time - over 24 hours of solid baking. Delicious pumpkin, pecan, and sugar cream pies for your Thanksgiving table, with Nina's patented amazing homemade crust. People who believe in supporting cancer patients will sponsor me by the hour of baking. Local folks in NYC can preorder one of the pies I will make. At the end, I'll go to my family's Thanksgiving table, exhausted but happy at a job well done.

Why: I feel incredibly fortunate that for the five years my mother was sick, she had good health insurance and other resources. Her community and family rallied around her and made sure she had everything she could want. Most people aren't so lucky. Money raised will go to CancerCare, a national organization whose great programs include direct financial assistance for low-income cancer patients. More about CancerCare and why I'm doing this project.

How: It's a daunting project, but I think I've got a good solid plan. Watch this space for more details. I also plan on liveblogging during the pie-a-thon itself. There may even be video blogging and pie barkers!

How you can help: Donate! There are two ways to participate, pledging an amount per hour of baking, or, if you live in the New York City Area, buy a pie.

About my Mother

Carol Hamill Callaway
4/18/44-1/08/98

My mother, Carol Hamill Callaway was a great cook. Taught to cook as a child by her grandmother in Texas, she drew on not only French and Southern cuisines but also those from her world travels. As a child, I was irked to have to always eat a green vegetable along with a main entrée and a side starch, all made from scratch. When she was feeling healthy, dessert would be fruit salad. But on magical nights, there would be pie.

I blame my mother for my intense sweet tooth; hers was even stronger than mine. She had a delicate touch with pastry, and always knew the right balance of seasonings and flavorings. From her I learned the power of food – not only the beauty of feeding people you love, but also the ways in which food can bring people together, forming community. So it appropriate that this project in honor of her rests on a foundation of food.

But my mother was much more than a cook. A lifelong scholar, she was an artist, a teacher, a curator, a writer. She returned to graduate school at 40, earning her PhD in pre-Columbian art history. Her work as an art historian centered on the intersection of indigenous iconography in the facades of the Catholic churches of Oaxaca, Mexico. At Dumbarton Oaks, she took fierce pride in caring for the pre-Columbian collections and working with her fellow scholars. My own love for art is rooted in the hours I spent by her side drawing, or watching her take pictures. She needed no accolades or recognition for it, only the quiet time of reflection and observation that art gave her.

But above all, my mother was a friend. In the years since her death, many many people have told me that she was an important connector in their lives. Not only did she stay in touch with childhood friends, helping them in turn to stay in touch with each other, but also she made friends easily, and took great pleasure in bringing old and new friends together.

When she was sick, those friends rallied around her, coming out of the woodwork to support her in ways she never could have imagined to ask for. They did everything from bringing meals to dealing with insurance paperwork. One friend came weekly with cheerful movie rentals. Another organized colleagues to make a get well quilt. They went to doctor's visits with her, and helped her deal with the emotional burdens so that she didn't have to burden my brother and me. Her friends allowed me to focus on her, rather than a million details.

My mother's legacy is rich and varied. I carry her spirit inside me in so many ways, known and unknown. And I know if she were here now, she'd tell me to stay in touch with her friends, and to be sure to have a delicate touch with my pie crusts.

About CancerCare

When I first started contemplating this project, I thought a lot about my mother's life and illness. I considered working for an organization which supported art, or Mexico, or any of the other many things that she loved. But what really moved me was thinking about her illness. She had the very good fortune to have a fantastic community, excellent health insurance, and good resources. One of her medicines alone cost tens of thousands of dollars a month - a (then experimental) drug that raised her red blood cell count so that she could have more energy in spite of chemotherapy. It was totally covered by health insurance. She was able to spend her final days at home, with her loved ones around her. And her health care decision were made based on what was right for her, not what they would cost. These priviledges are immeasurable.

So many people are nowhere near as fortunate. They worry not only about how to pay for radiation and chemotherapy, but also about how to get there, or who will watch their kids while they're at the hospital. In thanks for the many blessings that my mother gave me and the world, as well as the daily blessings I have in my life currently, I wanted to give back to an organization that helps people with the financial burden of cancer.

Donations from Pieathon will go directly to CancerCare, an organization that not only offers counseling and support services to those affected by cancer, but also has a direct financial assistance program helping people with the expenses of chemotherapy, radiation, pain medications, child care, home care, and more.

In their own words:

CancerCare is a national nonprofit organization that provides professional support services to anyone affected by cancer: people with cancer, their loved ones, caregivers, children, and the bereaved. CancerCare programs – including counseling, education, financial assistance and practical help – are provided by trained oncology social workers and are completely free of charge. Founded in 1944, CancerCare now provides individual help to more than 91,000 people and receives 2.1 million online visits each year to its websites, www.cancercare.org and http://www.lungcancer.org/. For more information, call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673) or visit us online.

To make a donation, go to www.cancercare.org/donate
Check the box under "tributes" and put "pieathon" or "Carol Hamill Callaway Memorial Fund".
All donations will then go to their direct financial assistance program.

Thank you so much for helping me support a great organization.

Donate!

Thank you for wanting to make an immediate donation to CancerCare.

Click here:


Be sure to check the button marked "tributes" and then enter either "Pieathon" or "Carol Hamill Callaway Memorial Fund" so that we can appropriately credit your donation!

Sponsor Me!

Can Nina really bake pies for 24 hours? Will she go crazy in a flour-induced haze? Will she fall over in exhaustion?

Inspire me to keep baking by sponsoring me! You can either

- make a flat donation by going to www.cancercare.org/donate. Check the box under "tributes" and put "pieathon" or "Carol Hamill Callaway Memorial Fund".

- make a pledge by leaving a comment on this post. After the pie-a-thon is over, I'll contact you to remind you of your pledge. You'll make your donation directly to CancerCare, so all donations will be fully tax-deductible.

Your comments should include:

-the amount per hour you are pledging
-some way of contacting you, ideally an email address.

All donations will go to CancerCare's direct financial assistance program.

The cost of doing business

One of the first questions in my mind (after "am I crazy?) was, would this actually work? Could I make enough money to pay for ingredients and have enough left over to donate? As I started to list out ingredients and costs, I got worried. The cost was climbing. But then I realized the secret is in adequately publicizing the pie-a-thon for sponsorships.

I've made a super-preliminary spreadsheet, with a lot of assumptions on it. The prices for items are from memory, or freshdirect prices. Obviously if I can find things on sale, or use my wholesale contacts, I could save even more money. But then, it also doesn't include things like a car rental, if I need that for deliveries and can't find one to borrow.

Still, this chart shows a very possible $3600 could be raised, or potentially a lot more. I'd feel very proud to write that check.

What are these pies you speak of?

I love to make pie. And although I'm a simple home baker, I've made a whole lot of kinds. For pieathon 2007, I'm offering three kinds of pie that I think will be awesome on your Thanksgiving table. Pumpkin, Pecan, and Sugar Cream Pie. (For those of you who don't know, Sugar Cream Pie is an speciality of the midwest, originating with the Amish. It's a pie crust spread with butter and brown sugar, then filled with a vanilla custard and sprinkled with nutmeg. Delicious!)

All pies will be made with my special homemade flaky and tender pie crust, and be baked from scratch.

I'm hoping to be able to offer delivery in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as having a central pickup location. Pies will be ready in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 21 just in time for Thanksgiving!

Please don't order pies if you don't live in New York City. Quantities are limited, so preorder now before they sell out!