1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, 2 tbsp kentucky bourbon

For most of my early years I lived in or around Louisville and enjoyed all of the traditions and events leading up to the first Saturday in May and the Kentucky Derby. There really is a difference in the level of interest and excitement in Louisville from the rest of the Common-wealth when it comes to the Derby. The first May after we had moved to Bowling Green (I was in the 8th grade) I was really surprised by how little coverage the Derby Festival received on the local news. It seemed that many of my new classmates knew nothing of the Great Steamboat Race, the Hot Air Balloon Race (by-the-way, The Belle won this year), the Run for the Rose’, the Pegasus Parade, and various other Festival events. People might watch the Derby. But a fair number had very little knowledge of the traditions that I had grown up almost taking for granted. For me the Derby was more than just the first Saturday in May. However, while living in Nashville for ten years I really felt like something of a novelty when I’d show up with my Benedictine sandwiches and Derby Pies to share. Now that I’m back in Bowling Green I’ve been able to watch Derby Festival coverage on the Louisville affiliate channel we get through our cable. And last night I went grocery shopping to gather a few ingredients to bake a couple Derby Pies. When I arrived in the baking aisle and found that every 16 oz. bag of Kroger brand semi-sweet chocolate chips was gone Bowling Green didn’t seem so far from Louisville after all.

The two Derby Pies I made last night for my Nashville co-workers.