Patti Patti!

It's that time of year again. Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away. Y'all know what that means, right? It's time to chow down on holiday favorites, like chilled potato salad, macaroni and cheese, greens, cabbage, dressing, yams, ham, turkey, green bean casserole, corn pudding, cakes and pies. Sweet potato pie in particular. Despite residing in the South for the better part of 15 years, I'm still not a fan of pumpkin pie. I baked a few about 4 years ago, and my family loved them. I even made bean pies a few years back. Let's just say the Nation of Islam has nothing to worry about.

Now, I make a mean sweet potato pie. But 2 years ago, I joined the thousand of people trying to get my hands on one of Auntie Patti's pies. I must have driven to about 5 different Walmart stores. Still, I was told the pies were selling out as soon as they arrived at the stores. My understanding is that people in Northern states were able to purchase the pies readily. When I FINALLY bought one, I brought it home, heated it in the oven per the instructions, and partook with my family. Truth be told, I was disappointed. Terribly. Okay, at least it was SWEET. The texture was airy, not solid. I also found the cinnamon to be overpowering. Y'all, I can eat an ENTIRE pie by myself; I ate one slice of Auntie Patti's and called it a....lifetime. That's right. I'm not buying it EVER gain. Nor have I purchased her cakes, bread pudding, banana pudding (I'm allergic to bananas), or cobblers. Now, don't get me wrong: I know her goods are being mass produced, which undoubtedly affects the quality. I guess my expectation were too high. These "play-play" goods are not a true indication of Auntie Patti's culinary skills. Not at ALL.

Which brings me to my final point. If possible, I would LOVE to partake in a meal prepared by Auntie Patti. I'm talking about real-deal cooking. I hear her fried chicken is legendary; she cooked a batch during an episode of MTV Cribs. I need to taste the sweet potato pie that her son was raised on. That's right. THAT pie. Fresh from the oven. Y'all, I will fly to Philly IF the offer is made. Keep a brother in prayer.