Coffee Cream Pie — A Cold Slice on a Warm Porch, for the People Still Here

Last day of school was Friday. I cried at dismissal, which I do every year, but this year more. I hugged each of my students. I gave Devonte the framed yearbook page to keep. I gave Marcus a book I'd bought for him at a used bookstore — a chapter book just above his level, with a note inside that said "you can do hard things, I've seen you." His mom hugged me at pickup. She said "thank you for this year." I said no, thank you. I went home and sat on the couch in my work clothes for an hour without moving.

Saturday I went to my parents' with the twins. Wally was on the back porch with Dad — they had wheeled his chair out so he could be in the sun for an hour. He had a baseball cap on. He had a Diet Coke that he wasn't drinking. He sat there and watched the twins run through the sprinkler in the backyard. The same backyard where my brother and sister and I had run through the same sprinkler three decades ago. The same yard where Babcia Rose had picked rhubarb from her patch by the fence, which is still there, which Mom does not use anymore because she does not have the heart.

I made a rhubarb pie. I asked Mom. She said "if you want to, sweetheart." I cut three stalks. I made it the way Babcia Rose used to — pie crust from scratch (which I am bad at), rhubarb, a cup of sugar, a handful of strawberries from the fridge to mellow it out, butter, a lattice top because I wanted it to look like an effort. It came out crooked and burnt at the edges and tart and perfect. We ate it on the back porch in the early evening with vanilla ice cream from the carton. Wally had two bites. He said "good, Myszka, very good." Mom and Dad each had a slice. The twins ate the ice cream and pushed the pie around their plates with their forks.

Summer is here. The pie is good. The yard is full. Wally is still here, in the sun, with a Diet Coke he isn't drinking. I will take it.

The small Chicago Public Schools special-ed-teacher role continues to be the small career-spine. The small Chicago Teachers Union member, the small eight-year-tenure at the small Logan Square elementary school. The small forty-hour-week with the small additional after-school-hours grading-and-IEP-paperwork. The small income is the small CPS-teacher-decent.

The twins Owen and Nora are toddlers (born 2023). The small Kowalczyk-family-of-four occupies the small two-bedroom flat in the small Avondale neighborhood with the small two-parent-two-kid arrangement. The small Ryan Kowalczyk (the small husband, no-relation despite the small same-last-name) works as a small Chicago-firefighter. The small two-blue-collar-and-teacher household has the small careful-budget shape.

The small best-friend Jamie’s death from opioid-overdose in 2022 is the small ongoing-grief. The small Jamie-and-Amanda twenty-year-friendship had been the small core relationship outside the small family. The small Jamie-Foundation Amanda helped start with Jamie’s sister Renee in 2023 (small annual fundraiser for the small Chicago harm-reduction services) is the small ongoing-tribute.

The small budget-cooking is the small forced-and-chosen discipline. The small CPS-teacher-salary plus the small union-carpenter-paycheck minus the small Chicago-rent and the small twin-childcare leaves the small grocery-budget at the small ninety-dollars-a-week target. The small bulk-pantry-cooking, the small bean-and-rice-and-egg foundation, the small careful-shopping. The small budget is the small art.

The small Polish-American heritage is the small kitchen-thread. The small pierogi-Saturday with the small memory of Babcia Rose (who passed in 2024), the small kielbasa-and-sauerkraut, the small placki-ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), the small barszcz (borscht). The small heritage-foods are the small budget-friendly because the small ingredients are the small cheap-staple ingredients.

The small extended-Polish-American Chicago community is the small social-anchor. The small Jackowo (the Polish-Chicago neighborhood) Saturday-morning trips for the small Polish-grocery-shopping at Bobak’s. The small Polish Roman Catholic St. Hyacinth parish. The small Chicago-Polish-Sunday-mass-and-coffee-after rhythm. The small heritage is the small daily-presence.

Babcia Rose’s rhubarb pie is the one I’ll always make when summer first arrives — tart and crooked-crusted and exactly right — but when I want to carry that same back-porch feeling into an evening that doesn’t ask anything more of me, this coffee cream pie is where I land. It’s cool and smooth and comes together before you’ve had time to think too hard about the week. Slice it cold, set it out with a carton of vanilla ice cream, and let people eat it in the yard.

Coffee Cream Pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch graham cracker crust or baked pie crust, fully cooled
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
• Cocoa powder or chocolate shavings, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Dissolve the espresso. Stir instant espresso powder into the hot water until fully dissolved. Set aside and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
2. Beat the base. In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.
3. Add coffee and vanilla. Pour in the cooled espresso mixture and vanilla extract. Beat on low until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
4. Whip the cream. In a separate chilled bowl, beat cold heavy whipping cream on medium-high until stiff peaks form, about 3–4 minutes. Do not overbeat.
5. Fold together. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture in two additions, folding gently with a spatula each time until no streaks remain. Work slowly to keep the filling light.
6. Fill the crust. Spoon the filling into the prepared crust and smooth the top with the spatula.
7. Chill. Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until the filling is fully set.
8. Serve. Just before slicing, dust the top with cocoa powder or scatter chocolate shavings over the surface. Slice cold and serve straight from the refrigerator.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 375 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 29g | Carbs: 25g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 195mg