Because I've got some lard and I need to use it for something

Alex, what is "A good reason to bake pie?"

You may or may not remember my Thanksgiving escapades (if you don't, it's because they were just like everyone else's Thanksgiving escapades, e.g. FOOD), but in the process I made an apple pie and (tragically) only used half the lard I bought for the occasion.  Which means I have the perfect opportunity to try my hand at mince pies, a Christmas tradition here that I've never tasted, let alone made.  (In other Christmas tradition news, I found out what a Christmas pudding is.  It's fruitcake.  Apparently people actually eat them here instead of passing them around as some sort of seasonal practical joke.  Maybe theirs are less...less...rocklike.)  But mince pies, on the other hand, sound fantastic--they're basically a pie crust filled with a syrupy candied fruit and spice mixture, and I'm looking forward to trying them.

That was really the whole point of this post.  I've been cooking a lot here and really enjoying it, but I find myself doing unusual things in the name of food.  Like purchasing pure lard, or grinding cardamom seeds with the end of a rolling pin (or cutting up small pine trees with my kitchen implements, but I don't know if that one counts...).  It's an adventure.  The adventure hasn't led me to haggis yet, and though I'm a bit curious, I think overall I'm OK with that.