Mini Star Spangled Pie

I just need to use the word spangled two times this week....I'm getting ready for fireworks in a few weeks....
Anyway....I just had to share this little pie press thing-a-ma-jiggy-rig-a-ma-roo I found (thanks to advice from my pal, Kelly) at William Sonoma. I get nothing for saying this....the only incentive I have for anyone to shop at William Sonoma is so that it stays in business and I can continue to go there and spend too much of my money.

I've got some 'work left' to do to make this worth it's weight in gold....or dollars. It was 9 dollars, but I was pretty sure I 'needed it.' I get at least one thing I 'need' a month as important and life alterning as this gadget. I'm pretty sure I need one of everything at William Sonoma...more on that later, but I really, really needed this in honor of July 4th. To be honest, (where's the fun in that?) you could do this same little pie making process with a large cookie cutter, and fork to seal the edges, but I feel it's necessary to fill my life, and ultimately my house with useless kitchen gadgets. I made a strawberry filled pie this time around, and threw some ice cream, and strawberries/blueberries on a plate in honor of the ol' red, white, and blue. You could do this with any pie filling (I know you needed me to tell you that), and instructions are right on the box. As for my really complicated process... I took store bought pie dough, cut up several strawberries for the filling, sprinkled a few teaspoons of sugar inside, and then sprayed the top with butter, and sprinkled it with more sugar before cooking at 400 for 15 minutes. I think this gadget has some potential, and really, I felt the need to do something a little patriotic amidst the chaos that is the month of June. You can also make fried pies using the same process. I'll explore this again someday....