Sometimes life is hard, sometimes life is challenging. And sometimes, life is just perfect. Like the three days Andy and I spent with five friends on Hatch Lake in upstate New York for Fourth of July weekend. We planned this back in March when my dear friend Abby suggested we go to her family vacation home for the holiday. We all agreed. She said it was a place of healing. In my mind I was thinking, “Yeah, okay, it’s a nice lake house. We’ll have fun.” I was skeptical about the ‘healing’ part. I was wrong. The scenery, the house, the company, the food, the drink, the weather, the fireworks, the sun, the boat, the water. It was all perfect. While we were there I could almost see my “life-satisfaction-o-meter” rising.

The first night, we were the last to arrive. We stepped out of the car and it was actually chilly. We needed sweaters and they had built a fire in the wood-burning stove. In the heat and humidity of July, that was heaven. The second evening we went out on the boat, Andy was wakeboarding, the rest of us were drinking Mojitos as we soaked up the last rays of the setting sun. And on July 4th we all sat at the end of the dock, watching fireworks around the lake, listening to “Fix You” by Coldplay (not a dry eye on the dock). There were a few moments when I really just sighed, smiled and thought: “I am so lucky.” I love going away on vacation, but I really love short get-aways that allow you to turbo charge your batteries in a short period of time. I practically spent the whole three days in my bathing suit. How freeing is that? I would be a happier person in New York City if I could just wear a bathing suit everywhere when it’s 100 degrees and 100% humidity.

And then, just when I thought life couldn’t get any better, my friend Wendy suggested we make Peanut Butter Pie, using her mom’s age-old recipe. As a helpless peanut butter lover, I hardly needed encouragement. So we made the pie. And that’s when the needle on my “life-satisfaction-o-meter” positively pegged. This Peanut Butter Pie was the culinary highlight of the weekend, only to be rivaled by Jonathan’s Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Dish (I’ve already solicited him for a guest post on this). This pie is not only delicious, it’s simple. It’s one of those desserts you can make in under 10 minutes and people will gush and gorge. Plus, if you like peanut butter, look no further. This pie is the business.