October 14, 2009 | 2:30 pm

Rainy Days and Pies Never Get Me Down

Posted by Mihal Levy

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Rain in Lala Land is almost nonexistent, so when it rained yesterday for the first time in forever, it was like a miracle.  I expected manna to fall from the sky next or Noah in his Ark turning the corner outside my living room window.  My son was so excited as he watched the rain fall outside.  I half expected him to forget what rain was since I can’t remember the last time he saw it, except maybe on a Barney video.

I then did what any good mother would do and donned my son in his coat and rain boots that he squeezed into from last year and had only wore once or twice, and sent him out in the rain…to splash in the puddles of course.

After a run around in the rain, we made a pumpkin pie.  Baking cookies is overrated.  (And besides, I had to test out my pumpkin pie before Thanksgiving, and will probably have to “test it out” a few more times by Thanksgiving, too.)  We had it for lunch…not the whole thing.

At the end of the day, my son told me that he had so much fun today.  I don’t know if that was because I let him eat pie for lunch or what, but whatever the reason, it was a great day.  And I realized that playgrounds and theme parks may be lots of fun, but sometimes eating pie for lunch and splashing in the rain can be just as fun but without the overpriced souvenirs.

No Bake Pumpkin Pie recipe (revised from this month’s version in Good Housekeeping Magazine)
Ingredients:
1 6 oz. graham cracker crust
2 packages vanilla pudding
1 cup cold milk (or soy milk substitute)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ cups whipped topping
chocolate or caramel syrup to top
1 spray can of whipped cream

Instructions:
Drizzle chocolate syrup into pie shell.
Beat pudding mixes, milk, pumpkin, and spices until blended.
Stir in whipped topping.
Pour into crust.
Spray whipped cream on top of pumpkin mixture.
Drizzle chocolate or caramel syrup over the whipped cream.
Refrigerate and serve.