The holiday is almost upon us, and time to think of a menu that lets our tummies know it's time for celebration. We don't have room in the refrigerator for a watermelon, so I'm baking some pies. One of them will be a sugar-free cherry pie at the request of our friends coming over for dinner.

Cherry Pie Made with Splenda
4 cups pitted cherries
1 cup Splenda sweetener
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp salt

1 egg for pastry eggwash

Pastry for a 9" double crust pie


Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the cherries, Splenda, almond extract, flour, and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour the cherry mixture into the pie shell.

Roll out the remaining pie dough and cut your lattice strips. Arrange on top of the cherries with the edges hanging over the side of the pie plate. Fold the ends of the bottom crust over the lattice edges and seal/crinkle.

Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, or until crust is nice and golden. About ten minutes before you pull the pie out of the oven, beat the egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to brush the beaten egg onto the crust to give it a shine.

Let it cool before serving.