Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

My neighbors and I got together for a block party the other night — a dessert party, how sweet (pun intended!) is that? There was cake and ice cream, as well as cookies, lemonade, an apple pie, and cranberry wine; but most importantly, there were friendly people. It was a lot of fun!

We’re all so busy, in and out at all sorts of hours, that it’s hard to do more than wave “hi” most of the time, if that. Yours truly is at work all day, at one grocery store or another nearly every day it seems, conducting interviews, doing research, cooking and baking (and then cleaning up the kitchen afterwards), attending events, eating out for Frugal Floozie Friday posts, writing and typing and typing and writing, taking pictures of food, editing… oy! To take a little time for bonding with my neighbors was a really nice way to take a deep breath and establish friendships.

This Banana Oatmeal Pie was my contribution to the buffet — it’s easy to make, and a great change of pace from the usual suspects as a way to put ripe bananas to use when you don’t think you can eat them in time. It’s a bit reminiscent of pecan pie, with a chewy topping over a rich, gooey layer.

I can’t begin to describe how fabulous this smells when it comes out of the oven — a bit like banana bread, a hint of oatmeal cookie, just pure comfort and bliss. One of my neighbors told me she was so excited to see on the Evite RSVP that I would be bringing this; she’d smelled it as she got out of her car the afternoon that I prepared it, telling me that the entire parking lot had the aroma of a bakery!

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Banana Oatmeal Pie (adapted from Marcia Adams’ recipe for Oatmeal Pie in Cooking From Quilt Country)

1 9-inch pie crust
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon Drambuie (or 1 teaspoon of either vanilla or rum extract)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3 packets instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal
ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust into a glass pie pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Whisk in corn syrup, butter and Drambuie. Whisk in bananas, then oatmeal. Pour into prepared pie crust and bake for 55 minutes until the pie is golden brown, has puffed up a bit (it will sink as it cools), and is set when jiggled. Let cool completely.

Serves 8-12, depending on serving size. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Mary Bilyeu writes for AnnArbor.com on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, telling about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests, meeting new friends … whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions, comments, or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

The phrase “You Should Only Be Happy” (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.