See Alice bake. Bake, Alice, bake!

A mover, shaker and pie-maker in Glen Ellyn for 45 years, Alice Vanest will be among the volunteers donating pies to the Glen Ellyn Historical Society bake sales this summer at the Farmers Market.

The popular pastries will be available on Friday and Aug. 2 and 14. The market runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Main Street parking lot downtown, but don't count on finding any pies if you show up late morning.

"Pies are the favorite American dessert," says Alice. "People today are busy working and don't have time to bake them; they sell quickly."

Homemade pies were central to Alice's childhood in the small town of West Branch, Mich., where she grew up surrounded by relatives.

"My grandfather was a great berry picker; we were always baking berry pies," she says.

When the whole family gathered at the summer cottage on the lake, pies were always among the desserts.

"Everyone brought something. They were real feasts," says Alice.

As a grade-school student learning to read, Alice couldn't escape mouthwatering images of flaky, homemade pies, even when she was sounding out "see Jane run."

Sour Cream Peach Pie

1 9-inch prepared pie crust (or your own homemade)

6 large firm peaches, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons "minute" tapioca

½ cup sugar

teaspoon salt

¾ cup thick sour cream

1 cup light brown sugar

teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay pie crust in 9-inch pan; crimp edges and set aside.

Sprinkle lemon juice over peaches and mix gently to coat.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, tapioca and white sugar; spread in unbaked pie shell. Arrange peaches on top.

In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, brown sugar and salt; pour over peaches. Moisten edge of crust with water to prevent excess browning. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees and cook 35 minutes; reduce temp further to 250 degrees for the final 25 minutes.

Cool completely and chill before serving. Garnish with fresh peaches.

Serves eight.

Alice's Curried Chicken Fruit Salad

cup plain yogurt or sour cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon curry powder

teaspoon salt

teaspoon lemon juice

6 ounces cooked chicken strips

1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup green grape halves

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained

cup thinly sliced celery

2 tablespoons chopped cashews

¼ cup halved, stuffed green olives

Paprika for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, salt and lemon juice.

In large bowl, combine chicken, mandarin oranges, grapes, pineapple, celery, cashews and green olives. Fold in dressing until well combined. Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika. Serve on crisp lettuce leaves.

Serves four.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 370 calories, 17 g fat (3 g saturated), 44 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 15 g protein, 25 mg cholesterol, 470 mg sodium.

"When I was growing up and reading a basic 'Dick and Jane' primer their momma always had a blueberry pie in the window cooling off," she recalls. "It used to make me so hungry."

Entertaining has come naturally to Alice, who hosted twice-monthly cocktail parties for Army officers during her early marriage to husband, Joe, an officer in the New Jersey-based Signal Corps. As she became involved in politics and civic organizations she added those groups to her social calendar as well.

A familiar figure in Glen Ellyn, Alice is a past president of the local Infant Welfare, was a Republican precinct committeeman and an aide to former Sen. Beverly Fawell. She served six years on the village's Preservation Commission and she and husband, Joe, are life members of the historical society.

Though many cooks consider pies one of the harder items to master, Alice considers them a snap, even when she prepares crust from scratch. In recent years the grandmother of five and great-grandmother of one has converted to store-bought crusts, but she still makes her favorite fillings.

For the historical society bake sale, Alice will contribute a couple of her chocolate pecan pies, an easy-to-make recipe with a decorative top of pecans arranged in concentric circles.

A layer of sour cream and brown sugar caps her fresh peach pie, a rich variation on the classic double-crust version.

Just add a summer salad, another favorite from Alice's kitchen, and you've got a complete meal. Her Curried Chicken Fruit Salad dates back more than 20 years.

"I just had these ingredients laying around, and I tossed them together," says Alice.

A mixture of fresh and canned fruit with a yogurt and mayonnaise-based dressing, this salad is easy and requires no cooking if you buy prepared chicken strips at the market or use your own leftovers.

It's perfect for a lazy summer meal, followed, of course, by a nice slice of pie, or two.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 9-inch prepared pie crust (or your own homemade)

1 cup dark corn syrup

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

½ cup melted butter

½ teaspoon salt

3 eggs, beaten until lemon yellow

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups whole pecans

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place pie crust in 9-inch pan, flute edge.

In a large bowl combine corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, salt, eggs and vanilla. Using electric mixer beat well.

Soften chocolate chips in a glass cup in the microwave, about 40 seconds; add to mixture. Spread evenly in prepared pie crust.

Top with pecans in concentric circles, starting at edge of pie and working toward the center. Moisten edge of pie crust with water to prevent over-browning. Bake 55-65 minutes or until deep golden brown and filling is set. Cool completely.

Serves eight.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 720 calories, 46 g fat (15 g saturated), 79 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 8 g protein, 105 mg cholesterol, 190 mg sodium.