Could it be as easy as this?

Did you ever have a lightbulb go on over your head, just like in a cartoon?

I've always been a clean-your-plater. I can't stand to see good food go to waste. So it's been a problem for me, in this two-person household, to get a handle on my pie consumption. The s.o. doesn't like sweets much, so when I make a pie, I have to contend with almost the entire thing. And I do. Oh, sadly, I do.

I can freeze half a pie, but what fun is that? The next time I want pie, chances are I will have some new kind of beautiful ripe fruit at my disposal, and I'll want to make a whole new pie out of it. I enjoy the process, not just the product. Evidence: I've had half a pineapple pie in the deep freeze for a couple months now. I haven't felt the urge to defrost it yet, which is really something considering how much I like pineapple pie.

I was pondering this problem today, over my nth piece of delicious muscadine-apple pie. I started thinking, "Boy, it can't be healthy to replace so many of my meals with pie. I think I'm supposed to be eating vegetables, or maybe whole grains. If only I could make half a pie at a time."

What do you do when you have a problem? Consult the internet, of course! And truly its wonders never cease. I have just ordered this pretty little 7 1/2-inch pie plate (rutile blue, no stripe). It holds half the amount a regular deep-dish pie plate holds.

This is exactly what I have needed for ages. Now I will be able to save my full-sized pies for potluck dinners and holidays, which is where they belong.