Turkey Day? I think not.

   Let me begin by saying - Happy Thanksgiving!  This is a day to eat way too much, to spend time with family and friends, to try not to kill family and friends and, to drink (maybe too much).  For me, Thanksgiving is always great fun.  For one, there is rarely any fighting.  Because I come from a long line of WASPs, we tend to keep all of our dissatisfaction and anger bottled up inside.  Secondly, the food is always superb.  My step mother is a brilliant cook of the gourmet variety.  Lastly, the friends and family that I spend time with on Thanksgiving are intelligent, thoughtful, creative and very very funny. This Thanksgiving, I was free of the perils of driving to Yellow Springs.  Wendy, who my family views as my adopted sister, drove.  And, I was not even responsible for taking anything with me - not even pie. So all in all, it was a lovely stress free holiday.  Black Friday may be a completely different story.  I do, in fact, work at Williams-Sonoma for a bit so it could get a little crazy!
   There were two pies offered up at Thanksgiving (both recipes from "Food and Wine" and both made by my stepmother).  The first was a sweet potato pie with a pecan ginger graham cracker crust.  This pie was incredible.  In my pie experience, I have found that I prefer sweet potato pie to pumpkin pie.  This pie confirmed that belief.  The second pie was a pecan pie.  Pecan pie happens to be one of my father's favorite desserts.  It also happens that his birthday is near Thanksgiving.  So generally, we have pecan pie, as well as, another dessert.  This pie was excellent.  For a moment, I had thought I might have time to make a pie to take along. I was wrong.
   For my next pie experience, I plan on making a pear-cranberry pie.  This seems like a great seasonal pie choice.  And since I can't get behind pumpkin pie, this may be the one.  Although, I plan on taking another go at the salty caramel apple pie.  I made this pie a week ago (the photo above).  It was a lovely apple pie.  But the general opinion was that it was not caramely enough.  And the caramel sauce was full of salty goodness by itself but mixed with the apples it was not salty enough.  So salty caramel apple pie will make an appearance at least one more time.
    But tonight, my belly is full of non-traditional Thanksgiving fare.  There were mini spinach pies with cheddar crusts and red wine to begin.  The first course was made up of three types of handmade ravioli: pumpkin, four cheese and carrot with ricotta (my favorite) and red wine.  The main course was comprised of roasted pork, squash gratin, green beans with caramelized onions, homemade applesauce with orange and more lovely red wine.  All prepared by a woman who might very well be my hero in the kitchen.  As you can tell, there was no shortage of wine.  I enjoy wine but know virtually nothing about it.  My father knows what is going on there and believes in refilling wine glasses throughout the meal.  So it probably was a very good thing that I did not drive. 
   It was a good day - a day to forget the little dramas, the bigger dramas or whatever existential crisis you may be suffering from (oh sorry that's just me).  It was a day to eat or drink yourself silly and not feel guilty.  Because...after all... It was Thanksgiving!

my favorite holiday movie - "Home for the Holidays"
 

"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K"

Edwin - who is also afraid of cameras

   Aster (my cat) thinks she is on the verge of death.  She made this quite clear a few minutes ago when, in an attempt to inform me of this horrible news, she knocked a lamp off of the mantle.  This, in turn, sent Edwin (my dog) skyrocketing up the stairs.
   I am a bad mother.  Aster would certainly tell you so:  I come home from work.  I ignore her cries.  I sit down to check out facebook, my email and various other virtual interests while her bowl sits empty.  Edwin, I am sure would agree - although for very different reasons:  I leave him.  I do not do anything about the wind or rain.  My phone makes noise.  I let men into the house.
   The last couple of weeks have been a challenge for me.  And when I say challenge, I mean more of a challenge than usual.  Shortly before I turned forty, I started to quietly unravel.  It's been six months since that fateful day.  I have not come completely undone...yet.  Actually, I am experiencing a shift in perspective not a true unraveling.  Unraveling sounds like I am losing my mind.  While I am sure there are a few who would say I have already lost it, I feel I am quite sane.  Although, the way I see things and what I want are changing.  I am sure this has been a challenge for my furry family.  They are truly creatures of habit and changes in routine are way scary.  Times like these make me think of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure"...."Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."
   This week, I had a dream about the end of the world as we know it ( and I did not feel fine).  I was a part of a world in which almost everyone was controlled by a "big brother" type of character.  And, everyone was wearing white.  In the dream, I was a member of the resistance.  This seemed like the only choice since A: I don't like being controlled, and B: I do not look good in white.  It was a very frightening dream and has been living near the surface all week.
   A few other unusual things have happened in the past few weeks that have made me even more uneasy than normal.  I am not going to detail them here and now.  But, I will spend a little time on possible cures.  Tonight, it was chicken fingers, onion rings, french fries, conversation with my girls, a vodka cocktail, and Arcade Fire's "Ready to Start" (which is on a loop in my head).  Tomorrow, it will be "Harry Potter".  During the weekend, it will be rest, leaf raking, making a salty caramel apple pie, dinner with a friend I rarely see, and vodka cocktails.  Oh, that makes me sound like a lush.  And I just don't care. 

  
Ready to Start

A Whole Lot of Lovin' and Way Too Much Pie!

   While preparing for my pie tasting, I watched a lot of "Pushing Daisies".  For those of you who are not familiar, PD was a short lived show about a pie maker who could wake the dead.  I would highly recommend it to anyone.  Because I watched so many episodes recently, a quote from Olive Snook (the Pie Hole waitress) popped right into my head when I decided to detail the Eye on the Pie tasting.
    So here's the... " Poop. The scoop, the skinny, the haps, the dealio, the 411. PI lingo."  The pie tasting was a huge success for the ten, count them, people who attended.  I don't say this to make anyone feel bad.  I realize that everyone else has their own lives and they may not revolve around pie or... me. And,  I have politely declined a party or two in my time.  So I get it, I do.  But the stars did not align on the fateful eve and I made way, way, way, too much pie for this particular pie shindig.
   Enough on the startling lack of participation, let's talk detail. I did indeed make the eight pies that I listed in the previous post.  They all turned out well.  Although, as a whole, I preferred the savory pies.  My favorite pie filling was the Thai red curry with bison.  This pielet was fantabulous!  The filling consisted of ground bison, potato, red curry paste, coconut milk and a few miscellaneous spices.  It was a very tasty twist on the traditional meat pie.  The bacon and mushroom pie was wonderful, as well.  And as promised, the chicken chorizo and sweet potato was very good.
   The sweet pies, oh the sweet pies... The pie tasters seemed to have differing opinions about their favorites.  Once again, these all turned out well.  I thought the cherry pie was yummy ( The alcohol added a nice layer of flavor. So did the raspberries I snuck in there.).  But, my favorite of the sweet treats was the blackberry pielet.  There is something to be said about the simplicity of this filling. As Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing."
   Another good thing that came out of the pie tasting was leftovers.  Last night, I wrapped up the whole pielets and popped them in the freezer.  I think I am going to be really happy about having pielets in storage.  When it is cold outside, and snow is on the ground.  Just knowing I have a little pie in the freezer waiting to be packed in my lunch will make me happy.  See, that is good thing.  Oh Martha, you are so right about a lot, but you still had to go to prison.
   Now, I am ready to move on to a full sized pie.  I am thinking - salty caramel apple.  One big pie.  And I might be willing to share.  But, only if you are nice to me.  Think it's worth it?

 

THE FINAL EIGHT

   Just a little post to highlight the pielet lineup for the first ever EYE ON THE PIE pie tasting and cocktail party.  There were some tough decisions that had to be made.  But I think I have finally arrived at the final eight.

  So here goes.....

 Savory Pielets:

chicken chorizo and sweet potato

Thai red curry with bison

bacon and mushroom 

parmesan vegetable 

Sweet Pielets:

red raspberry and chocolate

blackberry

cherry with cointreau

pecan

   Right now, I gotta say I am pretty psyched about these choices.  Sorry if I ruined the surprise for those of you who plan to attend.  But then again, it's kinda nice to know what you are getting yourself into.  Hopefully, the little beauties won't dissapoint!

   Don't fret if you cannot attend, for whatever reason.  There will be a detailed report with photographs, graphs, and spreadsheets.  Well, maybe not that detailed.... 

   Nothin' says crazy fun like pie and cocktails!

"You've got red on you" - Zombies and Other Scary Stuff

   I want to talk a little bit about zombies.  During the last month, I have been involved in several discussions about zombies.  This makes some sense considering Halloween has just passed, "Shaun of the Dead" has had several household views, and I watched the first episode of " The Walking Dead".
   I am not sure how I feel about zombies.  Are they scary? - Sure.  Come on, the idea that a person could be bitten by a zombie, become infected, die and then reanimate as a slow moving, glassy eyed people eating monster is really really scary.
   At this point, I must share a little secret with all of you.  I do not do well with horror movies, books and stories.  As we all know, most of our neurotic behavior is rooted in some childhood trauma.  So here goes...When I was seven or eight,  my babysitter Karen (pretty sure that was her name) thought it was a good idea to read "Amityville Horror" to me.  I can emphatically say - it was not.  As time passed during the readings, I got more and more freaked out.  Eventually, we would read the book sitting on the floor with our backs against the door between the house and the garage.  Of course, she never stopped reading it to me.  But that's another story for another time.  A few years later, I attempted to watch, "The Changeling" ( I think that was the name.) with friends.  Oh my goodness, I don't think I have ever been so scared since.  And, that horrible clown doll in "Poltergeist" sends me over the edge every time.
   So, zombies.... I can deal with "Shaun on the Dead" because it is so incredibly hilarious.  Somehow reanimated corpses don't seem so bad when accompanied by witty repartee. And, let's be honest here, I have a little crush on Simon Pegg - that also seems to help.  But, I am not so sure how I am going to handle "The Walking Dead".  My friend Chuck mentioned it a few times in passing.  Then I heard about it several other times, as well.  Although the show was not even on my radar until my friend Michelle announced that Andrew Lincoln was in it (always with the boys).  So, I watched the first episode online.  Man, it was scary.  It was great but it may just be too much for me.  At one point, you saw a half-bodied zombie woman dragging herself along the ground.  I found myself saying out loud, "That is not okay."  I may not make it through.  Or at the very least, I am gonna need to watch it with a buddy.
   It may be in my best interest to push the idea of  creepy zombies into the furthest recesses of my mind.  What I need to think about is pie.  I need to think about the sixty plus pielets that I must make for the pie tasting.  I need to think about eight different varieties of filling I have planned.  I need to think about the cocktails I am making, the cleaning I need to do, and the grocery shopping I must do.  I need to decide if I am making these adorable pie lollipops that my friend Rebecca told me about.  So for now, I am just going to say no to zombies and yes to the comfort of pie and cocktails.    

A little zombie music for ya -- Dawn of the Dead

"I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference"

   I spent a good portion of the day making pie dough in preparation for my pie tasting party and it got me thinking about process.  As a pre-kindergarten teacher by day, I try to focus on the process of doing rather than the end product.  Although, this seems to be at odds with what we are encouraged to focus on as adults.  Generally, we celebrate the reaching of a goal rather than enjoying how we got there.  Goals are great and all.  But what happens when a person is so focused on the end result everything else becomes a blur?  Or, what happens when a person's path takes them on the road less traveled? How do we celebrate that path?  Or do we at all? 

    I have found that I love making pie dough completely by hand.  I enjoy using my hands to blend the butter into the flour.  I like pinching the pats of butter with my fingers.  I like squishing the dough in my hand to see how it holds together.  I enjoy experiencing the whole process.  Somehow, it just feels right.  Using a food processor or mixer removes me from the experience.  That does not feel right.  And yes, for those of you out there that are worried, I always wash my hands. 
   As a woman who has clearly taken the road less traveled (single and no children, at an age when those non-existent children could be adults), I realize the importance of celebrating the process of living.  My life is my life.  And as far as I know, the only chance I have at living it.  Maybe this is why I spend so much time in my head.  Maybe, I am just trying to figure out how everything and everybody works.

  Just like with making pie dough, we have to look inside ourselves and figure out what works best for us.  We must take our time and experience the ride that is this life - all of it - the good, the bad and the ugly.  And if you find yourself on the road less traveled, maybe even off road, deep in the forest, where there isn't even a path, here's what I suggest: take a moment, consider your position, and let your freak flag fly! 

Princess Gloom and Doom Ponders Her Existence

   Yesterday was election day.  On that day at about 7:20pm, I learned a startling fact.  According to the Franklin County Board of Elections, I no longer existed.  Of course, this knowledge sent me into an existential tailspin culminating in a fitful night of sleep and a rather disconnected day at work.  I mean, "Where the hell did I go?".
    It's true, at times I feel like what is happening around me is not real.  But, I am pretty sure that I am alive and not in a dream world of my own creation.  The disjointed feeling is probably due to the fact that I analyze everything that happens to me and around me - tearing it apart, bit by bit.  To my credit, I have made some progress in controlling this special brand of neurosis.  But when I was presented with the fact I no longer existed on the roll for Franklin County, it made me think, and think, and think...
   Before I found out there was no me, I was busy with goofy pie related fun.  I am hosting a pie tasting/cocktail party on the 13th (All of my blog readers are invited of course.  Hit me up if you want more information).  I mean, there are important things to consider: what pies to make, what cocktails to serve, AND,  what songs to put on the pie/candy/sweet/sugar playlist.  Who knew there were so many choices out there.  From one of my favorites "Lips like Sugar" by Echo and the Bunnymen, to "Candy Shop" by 50 cent, to the classic "American Pie" by Don McLean.
   And then there was the link that my girl Amy sent me.  The link was to a blog called, "Diamonds for Dessert".  This particular posting featured - wait for it - an apple pie-rate ship    http://diamondsfordessert.blogspot.com/2010/05/apple-pie-rate-ship.html  This pie is absolutely incredible.  It got me thinking.  I gotta make this ship for the pie tasting.  In fact, I might just make it a prize for the raffle to benefit Village Coalition Against Hunger at the partay.  You know you want to come to this pie tasting.  It's gonna be off the hook!
   But tonight, I am at home writing and pondering the meaning of life.  And for those of you wondering, the soundtrack for this melancholy scene includes broody hits from Bon Iver, Iron and Wine, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes and The National.
   As Amy said a few days ago, "I feel like Princess Doom and Gloom."   Although, this song is just plain beautiful.  Take a listen.  It's worth it.  Iron and Wine "Resurrection Fern"