Pi Weekend

It's Pi Day!!!  You know, 3/14/15 (@ 9:26:53 even)--the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.  And we're celebrating with a whole weekend of pies, both sweet and savoury, store-bought and homemade.

In prepping this email about all things pie, I exchanged several email with my Aunt T, the family baker.  She confirmed some directions AND sent more recipes (now in the Heritage Pie section below.)

Here are some of the recipes we're considering, my compendium of pie (with a few incomplete recipes and a few I'm thinking about trying).

HERITAGE PIE

Custard Pie from Bammie and Aunt T
Chocolate:
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar

Coconut Custard:  The custard pie recipe Aunt Quilt uses, this time chocolate.  She made Coconut Custard for Gommie's birthday,  just omit cocoa and add 2 handfuls of coconut to the custard and then sprinkle more on top of the meringue (which is just 3 whites and 6 T sugar whipped)

No instructions, and I can't recall if you cook it over double boiler or how long you bake it.  I've emailed my aunt for the directions.

 Aunt T's note:  The first recipe for chocolate pie is the one I use for coconut and lemon also.  I combine the flour and sugar dry.  I sometimes use salt and sometimes not.  I don't know why.  I add the cocoa to this dry mixture when  it is chocolate. Then I add the egg yolks and milk.  The butter nilla are added after the custard has cooked and thickened and you have taken it off the fire.  Somehow I never got a double boiler so I have always   used the bottom of a pressure cooker I got from my Grammy.  It is very heavy aluminum.  I stir the mixture constantly, though until it boils which shows it is cooked and as thick as it is going to get.  When I make coconut, I essentially do as you said and use Southern coconut , not angle flake.  Be sure on all that the whites for the meringue are whipped completely before you add the sugar.

Bammie's Lemon Pie
**need to get amounts; photo of recipe is cut off
1 cup sugar
?? eggs
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch salt
2 cups boiling water
grated rind of two  lemons
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix sugar, starch, flour, salt.  Add egg yolk and cream together.  Add boiling water.  Cook til thick stirring constantly.  Take from fire.  Add lemon juice and rind.  Cook a few minutes longer.  Pour into pre-baked pie shell.

   

Aunt T's note:  The lemon recipe you included is not familiar to me.  To make a lemon I use the same recipe as for the others.  Of course, eliminate the cocoa.  Instead of two cups milk, I use 1 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup lemon juice.  

I will check my book to see if I can find that other lemon one.  It might be Cleo's French Lemon Pie, but I don't know.

Grammy could make pies, but mother never seemed to be able to or maybe she just did not want to. I think I always made the pies.

Aunt T's note:  I found nothing that looked like what you describe.  The closest thing I found
was a note from Aunt Maggie on what was supposed to be a recipe for Butter Scotch Pie
written in the handwriting of  Daddy's mother, Virgie.  I don't think mother ever could make it.

Butter Scotch Pie

Cook together

2 1/2 Cups brown sugar

3 Tablespoons butter

After butter and sugar has been cooked, add the following

 until like custard.

2 Cups milk

Yolk of 3 eggs

3 Tablespoons flour

I presume you were supposed to pour it into a cooked pie shell. 

Cleo's French Lemon Pie

4 eggs

2/3 Cup butter

1 1/2 Tablespoons flour

2 Cup sugar

3/4 Cup cream

1/4 Cup lemon juice, and grated rine 

1/2 Teaspoon lemon extract

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and flour until creamy.  Add cream and mix lightly.
 Add lemon juice, rine and extract.

Put into unbaked pit shell.

300 degrees F for 30 minutes

Have fun.  Aunt T

CRUST

Church Pie Crust, our favorite
Makes 2 crusts

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1/3 + 1 tablespoon ice water

from Joy of Cooking

*Grammy and Aunt T's Original Oil Crust:

2 cups flour

½ cup oil

¼ cup milk

Mix flour, oil, and milk until it is the consistency of store-bought pie crust. Take 1/3 of dough and put aside for crust. Roll out remainder until the size of the pie plate, about ¼ inch thin. Place in ungreased plate (we used bread tin). . . . Later, roll out other crust and cover plate. Puncture to allow steam release, dab with pats of butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup butter, unsalted and chilled, cut into pieces

1/4 cup ice water

In a food processor, pulse flour with salt and sugar. Add butter. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Add water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if needed, add up to 4 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overmix. turn out onto a work surface; knead once or twice, until dough comes together. Chill dough shaped in discs in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Everyday Food

All-Butter Pie Pastry (double-crust), in a food processor

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4" pieces

about 1/2 cup cold water

Put flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor. Pulse several times to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse 7-8 times to cut the butter in well. Remove the lid and fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl. Drizzle half of the water over the dry ingredients. Pulse 5-6 times, until the mixture is crumbly. Fluff the pastry and sprinkle on the remaining water. Pulse 5-6 more times, until the pastry starts to form clumps. Overall it will look like coarse crumbs. Dump the contents of the processor into a large bowl.

Text the dough by squeezing some of it between your fingers; if it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the dough and work it in with your fingertips. Using your hands, pack the dough into 2 balls as you would pack a snowball. Make one ball slighlty larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust. Knead each ball once or twice, then flatten the balls into 3/4" thick disks on a floured work surface. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling (if more than one hour, let warm 5-10 minutes before rolling).

Ken Haedrich, Pie

TRIED and TRUE

SAVORY

Adapted from Mme M's Quiche

1 pie crust (or half of my pie crust recipe, below)

4-5 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

8 oz. Colby or cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes (do not grate/shred)

2 cups frozen broccoli florets, cooked and drained til less wet

salt, pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.  Place pie crust in pie plate, crimping edges.  

Mix all ingredients.  Pour into prepared pie shell.  Bake 35-45 minutes until middle is set and crust is golden.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Mommy Hungry

Cheese and Onion Pie
shortcrust pastry dough made with 3 cups flour and 3/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 1/2 cups good, strong Cheddar, coarsely grated
1/4 lb potatoes, peeled, steamed, and diced
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons heavy cream
a bunch of parsley, chopped
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
beaten egg for glaze

Preheat oven to 425F  Divide the dough into two balls, keeping one a little larger than the other.  Melt the butter in a pan and gently fry the onion until softened and translucent, then let cool.  Throw the onions into a bowl with the grated cheese, potato, eggs, cream, parsley, and the seasoning, and mix everything together with your fingers.

Roll out the larger ball of pasty and line a shallow greased 9" tart pan.  Tip the cheese and onion mixture into the pie crust.  Moisten the edges of the crust and cover with the rolled out top piece, crimping the edges together carefully.  Brush beaten egg over the top and bake in the oven for 30 minutes until crisp and golden brown.  You can sweat leeks instead of onions, or add buttered apple slices instead of potato.

Tamasin Day-Lewis, Tarts with Tops On, or How to Make the Perfect Pie

Kale and Polenta Pie

1/2 lb kale, washed, destemmed, and chopped finely

salt

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup instant polenta

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add kale, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon of the oil to the water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 6 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Slowly stir in polenta with a wooden spoon until smooth, about 1 minutes. Partially cover and cook until the polenta is thick, about 6 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and stir in cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if necessary. Grease a 9" round cake pan with remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Scrape polenta-kale mixture into cake pan.

Bake until polenta pie is firm and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let pie cool until barely warm, at least 30 minutes and up to several hours (it will firm as it cools). Cut into wedges and serve.

Jack Bishop, Vegetables Every Day

Wild Mushroom and Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Topping:

1 1/2 lbs cubed peeled Yukon gold potato

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

dash of ground red pepper

Filling

1 cup dried petite green lentils

4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth, divided

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

4-4 oz packages presliced exotic mushroom blend (such as shiitake, cremini, and oyster)

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon white truffle oil (right. it works without it)

chopped chives, optional

To prepare topping, lace potato and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes or until very tender; drain. Return potato to pan. Add buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper to potato. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375F.

To prepare filling, combine lentils, water, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and bay leaf in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup vegetable broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Set flour mixture aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms; cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 2 cups broth. Add sherry, soy sauce, tomato paste, thyme, and lentils to mushroom mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in flour mixture, and cook until mixture thickens (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk.

Spoon lentil mixture into a 2 quart casserole; top with potato mxiture, spreading evenly. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes or until potatoes are golden. Drizzle truffle oil over potatoes. Garnish with chives.

Cooking Light (235 for 1/8th casserole)

New Sweet and Savory Pot Pie

2 refrigerated pie crusts, at room temperature

approximately 1 - 1 1/2 cups of leftover glazed carrots (I didn't even bother to cut them up)

3/4 cup frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups cooked chicken thigh meat seasoned with soy sauce and Maggi (approx.)

1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
4 cups stock (I used vegetable)
salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Then add flour. Cook until brown (i.e. brown but not burnt--if it burns, toss it out and start roux again. You can't get rid of that bitter burnt roux taste). Allow to boil so "gravy" will thicken. Add vegetables and cooked chicken to heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spray inside of 9" pie plate with cooking spray. Roll out and lay down bottom pie crust. Fill with vegetables, chicken, and "gravy." Top with remaining pie crust. Vent. Put pie plate on cookie sheet to prevent spillover. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

Mommy Hungry, via Miss L and Martha Stewart's Everyday Living and Cousin S

My Pot Pie

2 refrigerated pie crusts, at room temperature
appx. 3 potatoes, diced
appx. 4 carrots, diced
appx. 4 stalks of celery, diced
1 can corn kernels
1 cup green peas, frozen
4 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons oil
4-5cups stock (I used vegetable)
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water for 10-15 minutes, until just tender. Meanwhile, boil carrots, celery, and corn in vegetable stock. When potatoes are just tender, add them to carrots, etc. Also add frozen peas (no need to defrost or cook ahead of time because they'll just get mushy. I only heat the corn ahead of time to drop the canned flavor and sweeten the broth). Simmer.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Then make a roux with flour and oil. When roux is done (i.e. brown but not burnt--if it burns, toss it out and start roux again. You can't get rid of that bitter burnt roux taste), add approximately 4-5 cups stock from vegetable pot. Allow to boil; the "gravy" will be thick. Drain the vegetables and then add them to "gravy." Salt and pepper to taste.

Spray inside of 9" pie plate with cooking spray. Roll out and lay down bottom pie crust. Fill with vegetables and "gravy." Top with remaining pie crust. Vent. Put pie plate on cookie sheet to prevent spillover. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

Notes: You can, of course, add chicken or other vegetables. Miss L sprinkles her crust with nutmeg, which is good but makes me hunger for a fruit pie instead. And I imagine you could add cheese to that vegetable "gravy" for added flavor. Or you could add herbs, but since the kiddos don't like flecks of things in their food, I didn't add any. Next time I'll add some minced garlic to the vegetables. Mama suggests a splash of Worchestershire sauce. Miss L also purees some of her vegetables to thicken her "gravy." She uses the bag of frozen vegetables (squash, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli) from the warehouse store as the mainstay of her pot pie.

J

SWEET

Buttermilk Pie

Frozen pie dough (or see my recipe for two crusts here)

6 tablespoons butter

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup sliced almonds or 1/2 cup currants

Preheat the oven to 350F. Fit the pie dough into a 9 inch pie pan. Crimp the edges to seal the pasty onto the pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool.

Combine the eggs, sugar, flour, the melted and cooled butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and beat the ingredients with a whisk or electric mixer set at a moderate speed 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Add the buttermilk and stir the ingredients thoroughly to blend it in well. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Sprinkle the nuts or currants on top. Bake 45 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and the center is set.

AMNY

Toll House Pie

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

½ cup flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

2 beaten eggs

2 sticks hot melted butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake 45 minutes at 350°F. Top with Cool Whip when serving.

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

1 cup apple butter

1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine apple butter, pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices in a bowl. Stir in eggs. Gradually add milk and mix well. Pour into pie shell. Bake for about 40 minutes or until set.

Paula Deen

Pecan Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup sugar

1 cup Karo syrup (light or dark; I usually have light)

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cup whole pecans

1-9 inch unbaked or frozen pie crust

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In large bowl, stir the first five ingredients until well blended.  Stir in pecans.  Pour into pie crust.  Bake 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between crust and center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack.

 Karo syrup bottle

Patricia’s Apple Pie
Now this is my signature apple pie, made for all holidays.  And as my paternal grandmother always used to say, “Apple pie without cheese is like a hug without a squeeze!”  Mama Hungry didn’t believe until she tried it; now she won't eat pie without it.

¾ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon nutmeg
6 sliced, peeled apples
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
pie crust and crumb topping

 Peel and slice apples, soaking in water and lemon juice to prevent browning.  Heat oven to 425°F.  Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Stir in apples.  Cover with crumb topping.  Cover edge of pie with aluminum foil, shiny side out.  Bake 40-50 minutes, removing foil for last 10 minutes.

Crumb Topping

1 cup flour
½ cup firm margarine
½ cup packed, crumbly brown sugar

 Mix with fork and sprinkle on top of pie.

my college roommate

Miss B's Swedish Apple Pie

3-5 apples, peeled and sliced (any kind or a mix)

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, melted (1/2 cup works, too)

1 cup flour (AP or whole wheat; haven't tried with GF but think it could work)

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional; we've also added Craisins or raisins)

Fill a greased 9' pie plate 2/3 full of apple slices. Sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Combine remaining ingredients into batter and pour over apples.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

N.B.  We have also added 1/2 cup or more of oats to the batter, to make it more like a crisp; use the full amount of butter in that case.

Miss B from playgroup

Mincemeat Pie

pastry for 2-crust pie (we used store bought)

1-27 oz jar None Such ready to use mincemeat

1 egg yolk, optional

2 tablespoons water, optional

            Place rack in lowest position in oven; preheat oven to 425°F.  Prepare pastry.  Turn mincemeat into pastry-line 9” pie plate.  Cover with to crust; cut slits near center.  Seal and flute.  For a more golden crust, mix egg yolk and water; brush over entire surface of pie.  Bake 30 minutes or until golden.  Serve warm or cool; garnish as desired.

None Such mincemeat jar recipe

My Own New Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 1/4 cups graham crackers, crushed

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 quarts fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
16 oz sour cream

Make graham cracker crust but combining melted butter and sugar, then stir into crushed graham cracker crumbs until they stay together when pressed. Press into lightly greased pie plate, bake at 375 for 4-5 minutes. Cool. (BH&G recipe)

Cap strawberries; reserve half of the best ones. Mash the other half and add sugar and cornstarch which have been mixed together. Cook 5 or 6 minutes until clear and thick. Stir in lemon juice. Cool. (This takes longer than you expect and is the hardest part).

- Add whole strawberries to the cooled mixture, save some for garnish. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with sour cream and garnish with fresh whole strawberries, if desired.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1-1/2 quarts fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 nine-inch baked pastry shell

- Cap strawberries; reserve half of the best ones. Mash the other half and add sugar and cornstarch which have been mixed together. Cook 5 or 6 minutes until clear and thick. Stir in lemon juice. Cool.
- Add whole strawberries to the cooled mixture, save some for garnish. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with whipped cream and garnish with fresh whole strawberries (though, we like it even better with a dollop of sour cream!)

strawberry pamphlet

Double Good Blueberry Pie
From the reusable farm basket . . . and it was good (and much like the strawberry pie we made last month). As usual, Sis liked the crust and Bud prefers his berries "plain."

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon lemon juice
baked, 9-inch pie shell

-Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan, add water, and 2 cups berries. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture is thick, clear, and boiling. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, cool. -Place remaining 2 cups of raw blueberries in pie shell. Top with cooked blueberry mixture. -Chill. Serve with 1/2 sweetened yogurt - 1/2 sweetened sour cream sauce, if desired.

Fruit Pie (adapted from Aunt T's Dewberry Cobbler recipe)

Crust*:

2 frozen pie crusts

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour, to thicken

2-10 oz. bags frozen mixed berries

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove both crusts from plastic bag. Place one on a cookie sheet. Cut the edge off the other so as to leave a circle of dough.

Mix sugar and flour together and then toss into frozen berries, mixing well (there is no need to defrost; the flour absorbs the extra liquid). Crush berries to extract juice.

Fill the pie crust with the berries. Remove the second pie crust (sans edge) and place it on top of the filled crust; it will overlap the edge of the filled crust. Pinch edges together and the impress with fork. Puncture the center to allow steam release, dab with pats of butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Cover edges with foil and bake 1-1 ½ hours, with cookie sheet below to catch spills, or until bubbling.

Blueberry Pie

2 pie crusts

2-10 oz bags of frozen blueberries (approximately 4 cups)

1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

cinnamon, nutmeg

1-2 tablespoons butter, cut into piece

Preheat oven to 350F. Place crust in pie plate. Place blueberries (still frozen) in bowl with flour and sugar. Mix together and slightly mash. Spoon blueberry mixture into shell. Cover with other crust, piercing to vent. Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar over crust and dot with butter. Bake at 350 for approximately 1+ hours, until golden brown crust and bubbly, covering rim of pie until last 15 minutes.

Mommy Hungry!

Chocolate Chess Pie

¼ butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9” pie shell

Melt the margarine in a small saucepan. Stir in the sugar and cocoa. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs; do not beat. Stir in the vanilla and evaporated milk. Pour into unbaked pie shell; cover edges with foil until last 5 minutes. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Let stand until cool. Chill, covered, until serving time.

Meet Me at the Loveless cookbook

Crème de Menthe or Grasshopper Pie

Just a note—Crème de Menthe gets much stronger with age! 

2 cups whipping cream

7 oz. marshmallow cream

¼ cup crème de menthe (or to taste)

            Whip cream and then add crème de menthe.  Then add marshmallow cream.

Pour into crust.  Freeze.  Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving.

Crust

1 stick melted oleo

24 chocolate cookies (1 ½ cups crumbs)

            Combine and form to pie plate, chilling for 1 hour before filling.

Gommie Hungry

TO TRY

Italian Ricotta Pie
Original recipe makes 2 deep-dish pies
Pie Filling:

12 eggs

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 pounds ricotta cheese

1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips, or to taste(optional)

Sweet Crust:

4 cups all-purpose flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup shortening, chilled

1 tablespoon shortening, chilled

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 tablespoon milk (optional)

Directions
Beat the 12 eggs, 2 cups sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta cheese and the chocolate chips, if using (see Cook's Note). Set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and 1 cup sugar together. Cut in 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in 4 beaten eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Divide dough into 4 balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two deep-dish pie plates.
Roll out 2 of the balls to fit into the pie pans. Do not make the crust too thick, as it will expand during cooking. Do not flute the edges of the dough. Roll out the other 2 balls of dough and cut each into 8 narrow strips for the top of the crust. (Alternately, you can use cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top of the pies.)

Pour the ricotta filling evenly into the pie crusts. Top each pie with 8 narrow strips of dough or cookie cut-outs. Brush top of pie with milk for shine, if desired. Place foil on the edge of crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes; remove foil. Rotate pies on the rack so they will bake evenly. Continue to bake until a knife inserted in the center of each pie comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate until serving.


Eagle Brand Coconut Flan Pie
Single Crust Classic Crisco Pie Crust
3/4 cup lite coconut milk
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut
Instructions

HEAT oven to 400°F. Prepare recipe for single crust pie. Roll out and place in 9-inch pie plate. Press to fit without stretching dough. Flute edges. Thoroughly prick bottom and sides with fork to prevent shrinking. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

COMBINE coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, water and vanilla in blender container. Process 1 minute or until blended. Add coconut. Process for 30 seconds. Pour into partially baked pie crust.

BAKE 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Chill 2 hours.

A deep-dish 9-inch frozen crust can be substituted in this recipe. Allow to thaw at room temperature 10 minutes. Follow directions above to prick with a fork and bake before adding filling.


IMPOSSIBLE PIE

4eggs
1⁄2cup margarine
1⁄2cup flour
2cups milk
1cup sugar
1cup coconut
2teaspoons vanilla
DIRECTIONS

Blend all ingredients in a blender for a few seconds, until well mixed.
Pour mixture into a 10” greased pie plate.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour or until centre tests firm.
Then flour will settle to form crust, the coconut forms the topping, the centre is an egg custard filling.



Black-Bottom Oatmeal Pie
From Smitten Kitchen Adapted, just a tiny bit, from Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Crust:
1 1/4 cups (155 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea or table salt
1 stick (4 ounces or 115 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup (60 ml) very cold water, plus an additional tablespoon if needed

Filling
1 1/2 cups (120 grams) rolled oats
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
4 ounces (115 grams) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup (145 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup dark corn syrup (see Note below for replacements)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
4 large eggs

Make the pie dough:
By hand, with my one-bowl method: In the bottom of a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Work the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits of butter are the size of tiny peas. (Some people like to do this by freezing the stick of butter and coarsely grating it into the flour, but I haven’t found the results as flaky.) Add 1/4 cup cold water and stir with a spoon or flexible silicone spatula until large clumps form. Use your hands to knead the dough together, right in the bottom of the bowl. If necessary to bring the dough together, you can add the last tablespoon of water.

With a food processor: In the work bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and pulse machine until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits of butter are the size of tiny peas. Turn mixture out into mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup cold water and stir with a spoon or flexible silicone spatula until large clumps form. Use your hands to knead the dough together, right in the bottom of the bowl. If necessary to bring the dough together, you can add the last tablespoon of water.

Both methods: Wrap dough in a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 48 hours, or you can quick-firm this in the freezer for 15 minutes. Longer than 2 days, it’s best to freeze it until needed.

Form the crust: On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12 to 13-inch circle-ish shape. Fold dough gently in quarters without creasing and transfer to a 9-inch standard (not deep-dish) pie plate. Unfold dough and trim overhang to about 1/2-inch. Fold overhang under edge of pie crust and crimp decoratively. If not parbaking, place in fridge until ready to fill. If parbaking, place in freezer for 20 minutes, until solid.

Par-bake the crust: [Optional, but will lead to a crispier base.] Heat oven 400°F (205°C). Line frozen crust with lightly buttered or oiled foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or pennies. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and let cool completely before filling.]

Heat oven: (Or reduce oven heat, if you just par-baked your crust) to 350°F (175°C).
Prepare filling: Spread oats on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (165°C).

To make the black bottom, bring the cream just to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Pour in chocolate pieces and whisk until melted and smooth. Scrape the chocolate into the bottom of the cooled pie shell and spread evenly. Place in freezer while making the filling.

To make the oatmeal layer, in a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, ginger, salt, and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and cider vinegar and whisk to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the cooled oats. Place chocolate-coated pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet and pour filling over.
Bake: For about 55 minutes, rotating 180 degrees for even color if needed halfway through. The pie is done with the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is slightly firm to the touch but still has a little give — like gelatin. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Sever slightly warm or at room temperature.
Do ahead: The pie will keep refrigerated for 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.



Crack Pie
From Averie Cooks

YIELD: two 10-inch pies

PREP TIME: about 2 hours
COOK TIME: about 25 minutes for the pie
TOTAL TIME: about 5 hours, to allow for cooling
INGREDIENTS:

Pie
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 recipe Oat Cookie (recipe follows)
1 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 recipe Crack Pie Filling (recipe follows)
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Oat Cookie
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp. white sugar, granulated
1 large egg yolk
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/8 tsp. baking powder
pinch baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Crack Pie Filling
1 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c. white sugar, granulated
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. corn powder (corn powder is defined as freeze-dried corn, ground to a fine powder)
1/4 c. milk powder
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 large egg yolks

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare the Oat Cookie crust, preheat the oven to 350°. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. On a lower speed, add the egg to incorporate. Increase the speed back up to a medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar granules fully dissolve and the mixture is a pale white color. On a lower speed, add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 60-75 seconds until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Your dough will still be a slightly fluffy, fatty mixture in comparison to your average cookie dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

Pam spray and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat. Plop the oat cookie dough in the center of the pan and with a spatula, spread it out until it is 1/4″ thick. The dough won’t end up covering the entire pan, this is okay. Bake the oat cookie for 15 minutes. Cool completely before using in the crack pie recipe.

To prepare the pie filling, mix the dry ingredients for the filling using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed. Be sure to keep your mixer on low speed during the entire process of preparing the filling; if you try to mix on any higher than a low speed, you will incorporate too much air in the following steps and your pie will not be dense and gooey – the essence of the crack pie. Add the melted butter to the mixer and paddle until all the dry ingredients are moist. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until the white from the cream has completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the egg yolks to the mixer, paddling them in to the mixture just to combine. Be careful not to aerate the mixture. Use the filling immediately.

To assemble the pies, preheat the oven to 350°. Put the oat cookie, brown sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse it on and off until the cookie is broken down into a wet sand. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can fake it till you make it and crumble the oat cookie diligently with your hands.) Transfer the cookie crumbs to a bowl and, with your hands, knead the butter and ground cookie mixture until the contents of the bowl are moist enough to knead into a ball. If it is not moist enough to do so, gently melt an additional 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and knead it into the oat crust mixture. Divide the oat crust evenly over 2- 10″ pie tins.

Using your fingers and the palm of your hand, press the oat cookie crust firmly into both 10-inch pie shells. Make sure the bottom and the walls of the pie shells are evenly covered. Use the pie shells immediately or, wrapped well in plastic, store the pie shells at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Place both pie shells on a sheet pan. Divide the crack pie filling evenly over both crusts (the filling should fill the crusts 3/4 way full) and bake at 350° for 15 minutes. During this time, the crack pie will still be very jiggly, but should become golden brown on top. At 15 minutes, open the oven door and reduce the baking temperature to 325°. Depending on your oven this will take 5-10 minutes – keep the pies in the oven during this process. When the oven temperature reads 325°, close the door and finish baking the pies for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the pies should still be jiggly in the bull’s eye centers, but not in the outer center circle. If the pies are still too jiggly, leave them in the oven an additional 5 minutes.

Gently remove the baked pies from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool at room temperature. You can speed up the cooling process by transferring the pies to the fridge or freezer if you’re in a hurry. Freeze your pie for as little as 3 hours or up to overnight to condense the filling for a dense final product – the signature of a perfectly executed Crack Pie. Just before serving finish with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

Adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar

Failure and Success

Ok, I wrote this on Wednesday, but instead of changing all the time references, I'm just posting it as is.  (I've been having some second thoughts about eating meat, but that's another post.)


Yesterday, I went to make a new post-vegetarian chicken recipe (see, I'm having this weird chicken craving that really induced the post-vegetarianism, except I've been having moral pangs, or are they ethical pangs) and, as I pulled all the chicken out of the fridge, I realized that it needed to marinate overnight.  Ugh.

So, not wanting to freeze the chicken, I prepped the overnight dish, a honey soy ginger chicken dish, AND made the other new post-vegetarian chicken recipe, a Chicken Divan casserole, for dinner.  And it was kinda complicated

And one of the kiddos didn't like it at all.  She likes rice.  She likes cheese.  She likes chicken.  She likes broccoli.  And she likes Panko breadcrumbs.  But not altogether.

Sigh.

Bud liked it so much that he even took it to lunch today.

Tonight's dinner, on the other hand, was a roaring success!  They both loved the marinated soy honey ginger chicken (though, I confess to only mentioning the honey and soy.)  LOVED it.



-=-=-=-=-=-

Honey-Soy Sauce-Ginger Chicken Marinade
1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
8 cloves garlic, minced
bunch of scallions, finely chopped

Combine ingredients and pour over about 2 lbs chicken pieces (I used boneless breasts and thighs.)  Marinate in refrigerator overnight.  Bake COVERED at 350F for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 30 or 40 minutes at 375F.

The Mom 100 Cookbook

Peace. Hope. Love.

I went to the birthday party of my almost 90-year-old hospice patient yesterday.  It was my idea to hold a party early in celebration of his life so that his family could gather to honor and support him; he had been feeling less well and more in need of his family in the last week or so, asking for them to come.  

And so they did, several grandchildren and children, and a few members of the hospice team, gathered in his room, laughing and sharing wonderful memories through tears.  We even sang and had cake, because that's what we do for birthdays, even if everyone was a little choked up to sing and eat.  And our inspiring hospice chaplain led everyone in a prayer to acknowledge and thank the patient for what he had been to them.

It really is the reason I got into hospice, to bring people together during the dying process.   So often, it doesn't happen as well as it did yesterday.  I hope it brought comfort to them all and eases my patient's exit.  

For me, it was a wonderful reminder to celebrate every chance I get.

Our Snow Day

The kids woke up super early at 6:20 a.m. and watched "Phineas and Ferb" while I slept, then

we made cinnamon toast in the broiler.

Afterwards, there was some piano practice,

and reading, followed by

LEGOS!

Yep, Magic Trunk produced a couple of LOTR Legos.

I crocheted and also tangled:

We had lunch, played outside a teensy bit in the snow, and played Just Dance (I got four stars for the "Macarena!!")  Bud loves it and is good; I mainly wave around the arm with the controller in it.

Then we watched Harry Potter 3.

Mama came home.

We cleaned the driveway and sidewalk and Sis played outside with neighbors.

Then we had baked chicken and rice and gravy dinner

and played Ticket to Ride.

We finished off the evening with two rousing Mario Kart prix.  I was Lukita, with a carousel horse kart and a flying squirrel canopy.  

And I didn't come in last!

A very good day.

Celebration

My hospice patient is hanging on.  I've said goodbye to him three times now--thanking him for our time together and wishing him peace--each time thinking I wouldn't see him again. He's uncomfortable and waiting to die.  But he's still there in the nursing home.  On Tuesday, I kept up some light conversation, said a few prayers (a metta meditation and the Lord's prayer), and sang several songs.  He really liked "Amazing Grace."  And Elvis's "Love Me Tender."

He has said he wants his children there "when the time comes," though he didn't want to bore them with waiting.  But he realizes now that it's time.  And he was asking for them again.  "Why aren't they here yet?"  So, knowing it is his (big) birthday next week, I suggested an early birthday party to bring everyone together and perhaps pass the milestone together early. I passed it on up the hospice team hierarchy and people liked the idea.  I thought they'd do it some evening this week, but perhaps with the snow . . . .

Anyway, it's on Sunday.  Some extra out-of-town/state family members are coming in for it, I think. And I've been invited!  I'll be glad to celebrate his life and birthday with his family and other hospice team members. Even if it means saying goodbye again.

-=-=-=-=-=

I just read a great article about being a hospice volunteer in the NYTimes by Ann Neumann; it sums up a lot of my own feelings:

I couldn’t change the fact that people were dying, but I could make their dying easier.

My job as a hospice volunteer is to reassure patients that there’s no right or wrong way to die. I’ve learned to be attentive and patient, to divine their last requests from their actions and concerns. No two patients are alike. Every last request is specific and unique. Fulfilling them feels like a small blessing — not just to these patients, but to me.

Again

Wintry Mix

Today:  first there was sun, now there are clouds.  And there could be snow--1-3" worth--beginning any minute.

Tomorrow:  The overnight snow will change to rain and sleet and ice, at some point highs will reach in the 40s.

Thursday:  by the time the afternoon comes, there will be more snow, maybe even 1-3 more inches.

So, that means maybe a delay AND an early dismissal tomorrow, or just a cancellation?  And then a delay or cancellation on Thursday.

Who knows.

But I have food and activities for all of us regardless.

Changes

I've made a decision:  I'm not a vegetarian anymore.

In truth, after almost exactly seven years, I haven't been a vegetarian for awhile now, nipping some chicken here, eating fish there.  But in my mind, I always reverted to vegetarianism.

But I've decided to give up the label and just focus on good food for all of us.

Which is to say, I'm not running out for a McDonald's burger or a hot dog.  In fact, I don't imagine I'll add that much meat to my diet.  And when I do, it will be pasture-raised, free-range, organic when possible, "happy" meat.  (And still no veal, or lamb, or rabbit.)

But I've been overwhelmed with trying to feed two totally different audiences:  me, the vegetarian, and everyone else, the omnivores.  In the end, I made a lot of mediocre meals that satisfied none of us fully.

And so, a new chapter.

We'll see how it goes.

Flip Side

For a few years now, I've noticed that sometimes I can hear and understand everything someone says to me, and sometimes I can't.  I've been to two ENTs about it--one said it was my advancing age, another said it was a vacuum caused by my little nose, teeth, and little ears.  Neither had any real suggestions.  And even with two hearing tests, neither said my hearing was anything but average.  Maybe not as good as it had been, but still regular.

Well, I finally did less than average on a hearing test!

Yay?

Average is to about 15 or so, and I'm closer to 25, if I understand the explanation correctly.

I went to a new ENT, recommended by a friend, last week.  He ran tests--audiology and x-ray.  And I have a bit of a hearing loss in each ear, more on the left, particularly in the high frequencies--all of which means I don't hear all consonants, especially if it's noisy or if the person's voice is higher.  It's not ear wax or build up, not sinuses or infections, not TMJ or jaw pain and inflammation.  Probably the very common sensorineural loss.

Yay?

And the only treatment is hearing aids.  Which can run expensive.  And aren't covered by insurance. So, they were asking me if it affected my life?  Well, several times a day I have to ask somebody to repeat something, usually Sis, who gets tired of it and says, "Never mind."  So yeah, it affects me.

Still, we're checking into some things.  Trying a nasal spray just in case it helps, though he didn't see fluid or pressure (my ear drum functions normally.)  And I'm practicing trying to always look right at people to hear them better.

But in the end, it'll probably be hearing aids.
Sis said, it's a good thing I'm taking sign language.

Ouch.

But I guess at least I heard her.

Coincidence

So, I saw The Vagina Monologues on Saturday with the monologue about different names for the vagina.

And on Sunday, apparently, during OWL class, the kids talked about different names for breasts, vagina, and penis.  And all the kids in class decided that was GROSS.  But at least they learned the appropriate names and also the ones they should never use.  Apparently, they came up with all the ones I could think of, and many more.

Can't decide if that scares or impresses me.

Whew!

What a wonderful, exhausting, frustrating, fun first 24 hours.

• Kids' Service Team event.  The kids' service team is a great combo of community building and helping others.  We shared pizza, salad, and brownies at church, and then the kids made fleece blankets and the adults tried their hands at knitting.  Sis and a few of her friends joined us and we practiced casting on and knitting . . . and fixing our mistakes.  I learned a few new techniques--the one needle cast-on, how to prevent curling edges in an all-knit piece by dropping the first stitch of each row, how to rework dropped stitches with a crochet hook (over-under, over-under), and how to pull stitches off a needle and put them back on (very carefully, making sure stitches are facing the right way)--with the help of one of the experts.  It was all fun.  But now I have a scarf to finish!  
• Ice skating!
• Kung fu!
• Cookie booth--oh, the stories I could tell.  And so I will.  Of course, the GS cookie booth troubles started a couple of weeks ago when the store that had agreed to host several troops selling cookies changed their minds and we all had to scramble for new times and places and reschedule everybody!  Then today, we our people showed up at a different store, they said we weren't supposed to be there, though we had registered and our contact was on her way to smooth it over.  Well, don't mess with Cookie Moms!  And so we stayed put.  Until we had to move--our shifts were split between two stores because of the aforementioned schedule change.  THEN, a GS mom stationed at the store we'd just been at came over and harassed us for being at our store, saying we were competing with them and ruining their sales and that wasn't supposed to happen (though, there had been another troop at the store all morning--the troop of an older sister of one of our girls.) It happens every year.  EVERY Year.  Novice.  Again, don't mess with Cookie Moms!  But all of our girls worked their shifts, even in the cold, and we sold 40 cases of cookies, which is excellent.  We are very proud of our troop and very grateful to all of our volunteers.
• The VAGINA Monologues:  Our old church sponsored a fundraiser reading of the Eve Ensler play this evening and I went with a bunch of friends, who first gathered for dinner together.  Veggie lasagna, salad, garlic bread, flourless chocolate cake, and almond cake.  Yum!  And the show, oh, the show was amazing.  I'm ashamed to admit, as both a feminist and a lesbian, that I had never seen it.  But this production was perfect because I knew 95% of the cast, from old church and around town, and there they were saying things like vagina, cum, cunt, orgasm, hair, coochie snorcher, folds, clit, lips, wet, etc etc outloud in public!  And talking about rapes in Kosovo, female genital mutilation, repression, and even dry cotton tampons and cold duck lip specula!  We laughed riotously--at the Angry Vagina and the dominatrix who curated moans of her female clients (and demonstrated several of them, like the WASP moan and the exhausted Zen moan!)--and sighed at the "cellar" and "tulip" and lack of self-awareness (and cheered at the painful, glorious discovery of such), and choked up at the memories of violence.  It really was a wonderful evening.  So proud of the cast of wonderful, talented women, and of the UU church community that brought them together to benefit a women's outreach center nearby.  Well-done!  (It was also great to see so many old church friends, whom I miss often.  Took me awhile to hug my way out the door.  Haven't felt that much love and support and energy in a space, like that, since lesbian coffeehouse in Chicago.)
• I got home to discover that my BIL had been called back to work a hospital shift tonight.  He was with the kiddos and his sis for about an hour.  They were very sorry to see him go and quite subdued when I got home.  We know he'll try again soon and we'll have a good time and besides . . . . . 
• It looks like the weather is turning ugly earlier tomorrow than we expected, with anywhere from 1-6" coming (depending on whom you believe) plus ice, and so it is probably best that he won't be on the road tomorrow night.
• And so we'll see what tomorrow brings weather-wise, along with church, Soup Sunday, and the arts and crafts party.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Solo Almond Bundt Cake

Almond Glaze Topping
1 cup confectioners sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoon light cream

Cake
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
3  eggs
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 can Solo Almond Cake and Pastry Filling or 1 jar of any other fruit filling
1⁄4 cup milk

Chocolate Glaze Topping (no chocolate on the one at church)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoon buttermilk or low-fat milk

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in almond filling until blended. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt until mixed. Add to almond mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.  Beat until blended. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack. To make glaze, combine ingredients in small bowl, and stir until blended and smooth. Spoon or drizzle over top of cake. Let stand until glaze is set. Or top with fresh fruit and whipped cream!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

TGIW?

I'm not sure this is the kind of weekend people look forward to when they need a rest, though it will be fun.  Besides the 5F degrees tomorrow, we have this weekend:

• a kids' service team event
• ice skating
• kung fu
• Girl Scout cookie booth
• dinner with friends and a play
• church
• an arts and crafts party
• and a visit from Goo.

Whew.

I am the Champion!

The kids have finally found a video game I actually don't mind playing:  Just Dance!

You hold the Wii U controller in your hand and follow the moves of the dancers on the screen as they dance to current popular songs.

Kinda like aerobics videos, but with better outfits and soundtracks.

And you don't feel like you're exercising.

It's fun.

We even get karaoke credit for singing along!

And I win, most of the time.

My secret?  Just worry about the hand with the controller, not all the fancy footwork--the computer can't see your feet, just the controller.

The only downside:  this is a game I will only play with my kids with no one but Mama watching.  Ever.

As Sis says, "It makes you feel a little bit self-conscious."

So only the kids will ever see my Nikki Minaj moves!

Our Great Big Cat Adventure

I will start this post with the end of the story:  we did NOT take in a fifth cat.

Okay, to begin with the beginning of the tail tale.

Sunday morning, when we were outside in the sunshine cleaning the snow off the driveway, our across-the-street neighbor came over.

"You know about cats, right?

The night before, in the cold and snow, a small, young, clean and healthy, tortoiseshell cat "knocked" on his kitchen window. Even though they are not pet people, he had brought the cat inside to his mud room, an enclosed unheated space, not unlike our enclosed porch--probably quite literally saving her life that very cold night.  And he wanted help finding the owner.

Sis gladly helped by taking the above photo of the cat, and with it, I contacted the local lost pet people and the local cat rescue club and I left a message for Animal Control.  And we kept in touch though there wasn't much news.

But the temperatures Monday night were going to be 4 below.  Which means the mudroom would be too cold for the cat.  My neighbor was ready to offload the cat; he'd absolutely done the right thing but was ready to be done all the same.  He'd run out of the cat food he'd bought (and so they'd fed it an egg!); I'm not sure he even had litter.  I think he had expected to find the owner when he knocked on doors Sunday afternoon.  "If we'd wanted a cat," he told me, "when would have already had a cat."

We didn't want to take in another cat, certainly not one who hadn't been tested for disease, but we didn't want it to suffer either.  So we arranged to board the cat at our vet very temporarily and to have it checked for a microchip and different diseases; our neighbor was relieved.

And then Animal Control called.  They couldn't take the cat in, it being healthy and uninjured and probably clearly owned by someone, but they could help find the owner.

And a bit later, the AC officer called back--someone a few miles from here was missing their cat, a recent rescue.  The owner called me and she came over to my neighbor's to see the cat, with her son, a boy a little older than the kiddos.

And it was their cat!  They were so happy to have her back.  And I was so glad, and also relieved that we didn't have to figure out how to take in yet another cat.

As a friend said, yesterday, we were heroes to a cat and her family.

And we hugged our four a little longer last night.

Cold, Cold, Cold

It was below zero again this morning, and cold despite the sunshine.  I think it'll be our last below zero day, but there are still several single-digit days on the way.  And one of them will be the day of our Girl Scout cookie booth!  Whose big idea was it to have outdoor cookie sales in New England in February and March??!!  Door to door sales in January were hard enough--almost every Saturday was bitter and drippy.

But we carry on.  Which is easy with the sun shining.

Good Morning!

So pretty....

Tea Time

I went to tea with a friend today--cute place, delicious tea, great fun catching up.  Really, tea with a friend is the perfect antidote to the winter's cold.

Thoughts and Prayers

Two separate friends have accompanied their in-laws to the hospital in the last day or so.  Our thoughts are with them both as their loved ones are diagnosed, treated, and hopefully recover soon.

Xing Jia Eu-Ei!

Happy Year of the Sheep, or Goat or even Ram/Ewe (see the NYTimes article on the difficulties of translating the Mandarin)!

But because of the death of Lao Gong, or great-grandfather, we are still in mourning, at least as far as wearing red and having a big party goes, as I understand.

Also, with Ma and Gong out of the country, we aren't obviously going to their house for a big meal and observance as usual.

In fact, we're not sure what we're doing.  The kiddos have been invited to their bus mate's house (her parents are from mainland China) to roll dumplings on Sunday.   Dumplings aren't part of our family's tradition, which is based in Guangdong (which capital is Canton), but it will be a fun activity.  We have lots of snack foods, which we picked in Flushing, but they don't make a meal  (though, they'll be good to send on Sunday to the little friend's house.)

Today, I went to a friend's annual Tet celebration, which is Vietnamese New Year.  She has held a potluck luncheon for several years, with everyone bringing what they can--some get take-out from Chinese or Vietnamese places, others attempt an Asian recipe, and still others just bring something else.  My friend puts out makings for noodle bowls, with rice noodles, lettuce, cilantro, cucumber, sweet and sour sauce, and deep fried egg rolls to cut up over everything.  So good!  (minus the cilantro, of course)  I took dried plums, red plum wafers, and almond cookies, all from Flushing, which Ma helped me choose.

My friend also had coconut sticky rice, which was much sweeter and creamier than Ma's version (I'm surprised to find I don't have her recipe; must get it), but still very good.  She served it with sliced persimmons (we serve it with mangoes.)

So, I give you my friend's version, in case you'd like to make your own little Sheep celebration, and wish you a happy, lucky, healthy, prosperous year.


-=-=-=-=-=-

Miss D's Coconut Sticky Rice

3 cups rice
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients and cook in rice cooker.

Serve with sliced fruit.  Yum!

D.S.

Last Things

Last notes on Gommie's visit, since I forgot to chronicle Mon-Wed:

• More yummy food:  my simple butter marinara, sourdough biscuits for breakfast, chicken and dumplings for lunch, quiche for dinner.  And Mama brought special restaurant desserts as a treat on our last night:  delicious fudge cake, caramel apple pie, molten lava cake, and blueberry lemon sponge.
• We started a puzzle together, a maritime Americana puzzle with 1000 pieces.  It was a real challenge (some of the pieces didn't so much connect as abut), but we didn't come close to finishing it.
• On Monday, after eating a great seafood lunch, we went birding.  First, we drove along the river and actually spotted a bald eagle!  We all saw it and weren't imaginging things.  We also saw some big hawks, perhaps Northern Harrier or Broad Shoulder.  Inspired by this, we stopped at several more places along the river and the shore, marveling at the ice build up and frozen waters.  We did look for a long while for a Snowy Owl and I did think I spotted one in the far distance, but I'm not counting that as a positive identification.  I'll just have to keep looking.  But it was a wonderful activity for us all.  And with Gommie present, the kids didn't complain as much about the cold.
• We watched Big Hero Six, including all the behind the scenes things.  Gommie really liked it (she doesn't always like animation or fantasy/sci fi), much more than she liked The Avengers!  
• There was more game playing--spit, solitaire, Rummikub, and Scrabble--and more tangling.

All in all, a great visit.

Three Strikes

It's not been the best kind of day.

Gommie left, which is always hard, even with a wonderful long visit.

And then, I got a call this morning that my hospice patient, whom I've seen since late October, which is a long time in the hospice universe, was in active heart failure and wouldn't last too long (more like days, than hours, though.)  So after dropping Gommie off at the train station, I headed to hospice.

Only on my way, I got a call that Mama was headed to NYC--a neighbor had noticed oddness from her parents' house only to find that a hot water pipe had broken in the first floor, damaging both the dining room and the basement (remember, her folks are in Thailand . . . for Mama's grandfather's death and funeral, including 7 days of ritual mourning and then cremation and more days of prayer.  And now it's Chinese New Year, which they can't fully celebrate because of the mourning, if I understand correctly.)  Only the sump pump kept it from being worse.  Thank heavens for the attentive neighbor! But the heat coupled with the water ruined their inlaid wood floor, which buckled.  There is condensation so thick in the house that all the ceilings are dripping and the windows opaque.  And there is a lot of damage to all of the tiles and insulation in the basement's drop ceiling.  So Mama has been there all day with plumbers and heating people.  She might or might not come home tonight, but only if the house is stabilized enough to be left for 24 hours, when Goo can next check on it.

So I went in and sat with my hospice patient for an hour, holding his hand and mostly sitting in silence.  He looks like my dad, but older--same complexion and facial skin and baldness, very similar profile as he lay in bed.   He's not uncomfortable and is receiving a lot of love and attention from the staff; he is very well liked (and the difference in care between liked patients and disliked is vast, unfortunately; I've seen it close up.)  When I left, I said goodbye and that I wished him well if I didn't see him again, that it had been a real pleasure sitting with him these months.  May he be comforted.  May he live with ease.  And die with ease.

So that's my day.  I'm definitely pretty frayed around the edges and PMS makes it worse.  At least there was a little sunshine.

Otherwise, I'm glad it will be tomorrow soon.

My Garden Grows

Can't imagine why my thoughts are turning to flowers . . . . 

Cultivating My Crochet Garden

Taking a break from both crocheted Big Granny Square Afghans and from tangling for a bit, I've been practicing a new art:  crocheted flowers.  I must admit to having never paid much attention to crocheted flowers before, though undoubtedly I saw them on baby beanies in magazines and such.  I even picked up a pattern at a yarn store some 15 years ago.  But it wasn't until I purchased a salmon-colored tulip/rosebud (hard to tell which) at St. Paul's Cathedral in London last year, that I realized that I might be able to make crocheted flowers.  (I wore that flower almost everyday we were in the UK; I now have a lavender flower, probably knit with tiny stitches, that I also like to wear.)

So I started searching Pinterest and Ravelry for free patterns, even picked up the basic book on the topic, Crochet Bouquet, and began to practice with afghan remnants.  But Lion Brand homespun, while fluffy and soft, makes a very chunky rose and it isn't the best yarn for counting stitches and practicing new stitches.  

My first few roses were fine, but then I bought some yarn (it's a variegate Patons) in pink and green, which I made into a simple rose this afternoon.  And then I made a leaf from the Crochet Bouquet book to go with it (looks like a stem in this picture, but it's a simple leaf.)  The leaf, while simple looking, had not only the usual chain, single crochet, double crochet, and slip stitch, but also half double crochet, treble crochet, and half treble, plus something called a slip stitch picot, all of which were relatively unfamiliar to me.  Still, it didn't take that long:  both flower and leaf were finished long before I finished watching Big Hero Six this evening with Gommie et al.  (And that was in the half-light or less of a winter's evening.)

Isn't it pretty?  I can't wait to secure a brooch pin to it and wear it with a scarf.  And so easy.  I can't wait to try some of the other flowers--up next, perhaps, a rosebud and maybe a blooming lotus!

My Tangled Owl

My winter-weekend project.  Ultra fine Sharpie on unglazed pottery from Michael's.  Sis added the rainbow loom necklace.

Scarf Love

Continues... and keeps my neck warm.

Freezing

It is BRUTALLY cold outside.  It was -3F this morning, with a windchill around -29F something.

And guess what?  Lambeth, our pipes did NOT freeze!!!!

Mama had gone to great lengths to seal the basement and wrap various pipes, using the guidance of her new thermal camera attachment that shows heat gradients (which is also just fun in general--she's taken photos of the kids, cats, and even a boat of sushi!!)  It was very gratifying to discover that all of her efforts worked.  And we like having a working dishwasher and kitchen sink.

But the sun is out and the snow is beautiful.

Though, Gommie has taken to wearing her thermals 24/7 because, even with our turning up the heat several degrees, she is still just cold.

When we're not focused on the cold and snow, we're still having a great time:

• We skipped church yesterday because of the 45 mph winds and occasional white-outs from blowing snow, instead staying in jammies to play games and tangle;
• We did, eventually, go out to a hockey game yesterday, Gommie's very first.  Our local team isn't doing very well--we have lost several of the games we've been to and we're almost in last place--but it was still entertaining to watch.  Gommie was amazed by the force of the body checks and the speed of the game; she couldn't believe the seeming lack of control over the puck, which just went all over the place, quickly.  Surprisingly, there wasn't a single glove-throwing, helmet-removing fist fight, just a lot of heavy body checks and some fouls; it's the first hockey game we've seen without the proverbial blood on the ice.  Otherwise, I finally figured out how to spot offsides--and caught the foul along with the officials a few times!
• We continue to eat well, as always--take-out from the delicious Italian deli with eggplant parms, seafood salad, chicken cutlet sandwiches, chicken cutlet chopped salad sandwiches, pasta fagioli (soup), arancini, broccoli rabe, nutella wafer cookies, Orangina, and some kind of cooked pastrami dish; apple crumb cake, which we all loved but decided needed the filling doubled; and today, we will be going to Gommie's favorite seafood place;
• We have been playing lots of non-computer games:  Mama introduced Spit, which has proved popular, after Gommie had revived the interest in Solitaire.  They have also played Qwirkle, Rummikub, and Gravity Maze.  Mama has Ticket to Ride that we're hoping to play later.  (I say "we" when you know I mean "please, please, please don't ask me to play a game.  I still REALLY don't like games, especially when there is a lot of gloaty-snarky smack talk.)
• The tangling has slowed down in the wake of the game playing and today I'm thinking of crocheting some flowers.  But there are lovely drawings all around the house.  And also a porcelain owl that I decorated (photos later.)

That's about it.  Gommie is here until Wednesday and the kids are off school again tomorrow.

And we're expecting more snow tonight.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Miss R's Apple Crumb Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups flour

1 can apple pie filling--she uses Comstock (frozen fruit doesn't work; We realized 2 cans would have been even better)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all ingredients except apple pie filling and form into a dough ball. Divide ball in two.

Grease a 9x13 pan. Press one dough ball into pan. Spread apple filling over dough. Crumble other ball in teaspoon-size crumbs over the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.

We served hot, with creme fraiche.

Miss R

Happy Valentine's Day!!

TGIF

It's been a rough week on several fronts (grief for Lao Gong, weather, school interruptions, some general malaise) but has ended on a high note with the arrival of Gommie on Wednesday evening.

We have

• "Tangled," or meditatively doodled, using the inspiration, skills, and materials of my retreat last weekend;
• baked delicious saltine cracker toffee;
• gone for a haircut for Bud, who I'd started to call "Bieber boy;"
• played Mario Kart (despite some 60-odd years of driving, she's awful and spent most of the time laughing too hard to drive), Infinity (Gommie was a good sport, but this is a challenging game if you've never played any video games before), and Zoo Tycoon (essentially, you create and operate a zoo, which Gommie says is more her style and speed); 
• had take-out pizza, also homemade chicken rice and gravy, scrambled eggs which Sis made for breakfast, Indian buffet lunch when the kids were at school, and gumbo tonight;
• showed off piano playing and magic card tricks and line-dancing moves;
• watched beautiful snowfalls yesterday and admired the frozen floe on our local river;
  
  
  
  
  
• walked outside some, avoiding black ice, in 14F cold--and it's going to get colder and snow some more;
• (grown ups) watched episodes of "Miss Fisher's Mysteries" and "Foyle's War";
• watched, with the kiddos and Mama, Maleficient (tonight, maybe, Big Hero Six), and without Mama watched The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug;
• had several lovely chats already;
• and we still have so much to do:  more movies, ice skating, hockey, and that 1-6" of snow!!

In Mourning

Mama's grandfather, the children's Lao Gong, has died.

We have put away all of our red clothes as a sign of mourning.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Mama and Goo, Ma and her siblings, as well as with all of Lao Gong's grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

On Retreat

My weekend was marvelous.  And I'm not even sure where to begin, knowing that the typing up of it might dull the glow that I've carried with me.  I'd actually never been on an overnight retreat before--it's not quite like an academic conference because it's totally lacking in "political" networking or posturing.  It was 48 hours of being completely cut off--I even deinstalled various apps from my phone, so that I only connected with Mama a couple of times a day to check in.  Otherwise, the only part of the outside world I knew about was the snow I could watch falling from inside!


Monastery
Held at one of the largest Catholic retreats in the world, the retreat--sponsored by Copper Beech Institute, a mindfulness non-profit--was surrounded by symbols of Catholicism.  Bud even worried as they dropped me off, "Mom, it looks so religious!"  Yes, indeed, in that post-war, wood paneling, 50s sort of way.  I've stayed in another monastery--one in Rome that ran a hostel that housed my summer school abroad--but that was less-dated looking, though probably older.  The monks were rather the same, though--robed, friendly, very quiet.  No surprise that Rome would have more ambiance than Connecticut!

My room itself reminded me of Agnes of God--a bed, a desk, a chair, a nightstand, and that all-important waste-paper basket.  Whites, browns, red curtain and bedspread.  No Bible, though.  Only a print with a Wendell Berry poem for decoration and a gorgeous view of a snow-covered landscape with gumball tree and statues.

The hall, with numerous other doors leading to replicas of my own room, had that old-college dorm feel, especially with the communal showers and toilets.   Though, there was art on display made by local artists, including one mixed media canvas entitled Silent Weavers by Elisabeth Moss, which became my especial favorite.  I would intentionally pass by it so that I could study it every chance I got.  I saw a veiled woman, possibly an angel with wings, and a little owl (with beak and wing); I emailed a photo to Mama, who saw the Host and Chalice, given its Catholic context.  One of my co-retreatants saw the Virgin Mary.

The rest of the center was huge--three big buildings and practically two of everything (chapels, dining rooms, elevators).  In fact, there was another retreat of about 80+ Catholic men and we rarely ever saw them!  But it was all inside so we never got snowed upon.  I especially enjoyed the little bookshop with sweets, gifts, and books, where I picked up a few things for the family.  I also liked the Solarium, a long thin hallway with seats and cushions  . . . and potted pink geraniums on the sill overlooking a snowy expanse.  There is a labyrinth on the grounds, with a beautiful rock sculpture in the center but, alas, it was under two feet of snow.  No one ventured out to find it.  I'll go back on another retreat and walk the path.

Food
It's a rare place that focuses on vegetarian food, with an animal protein as an after-thought, but such was the case with this retreat.  Lentil salad, porcini risotto, arugula salad, spinach salad, parmesan cheese grits, broccoli frittata, chickpea stew, kale and white bean soup, potato pancakes, scrambled eggs.  So much goodness to eat at every meal.  And it was local and sustainable when possible.  The baked goods were a treat too:  pb cookies, this rich sweet zucchini bread/cake, and these fabulous lemon poundcakes. Snack one day was bowls of sunflower and pumpkin seeds and marcona almonds.  Mmmmmm.  Plus abundant tea and coffee.  And I bought chocolate at the little shop.  What more could I want?  There were some retreatants who snuck over to the buffet line of the Catholic men's retreat--they had meat and potatoes; and it was all okay to choose what you wanted to eat!






Drawing
Of course, the purpose of this retreat was something called Zentangle, a meditative drawing technique that focuses on process as much as output.  Before it was copyrighted, you would've just called it doodling.  I had discovered Zentangle officially some months back when I noticed various drawing pins on Pinterest and also an article in UU World about a doodling minister.  I started playing around with it myself, as you've seen in several posts, and this retreat was my chance to learn more techniques.

We had a whole room to ourselves, stocked with an Art Bar full of materials and tools, numerous displays of the teachers' own work, reference books, and snacks!!!  It was a grown-up candy store.  We even each got a lot of our own goodies--pens, papers, a sketch book, various project materials, and a door prize--mine was a wooden frame that I can decorate.

The initial session was a basic intro to Zentangle--the dots, the tile, the strings, the tangle patterns.  We also discussed embellishments, etc., and some of the concepts--childlike curiosity, awareness of breath and body, staying present, lack of judgement, no erasure, nothing is a "mistake" (just an opportunity!)  I'm more into it for fun, but some of the people are obsessed Zentanglers, who hold meetings and complete weekly challenges.  One woman even flew in from Ohio to take a class with a specific teacher.

Some of the other sessions were beyond me--I wasn't quite ready to design my own unique Tangle pattern and I wasn't that interested in making several paper books to be platforms for my own tangleations (yep, there's this whole lingo.)

In fact, the last session was my favorite:  we learned how to Tangle labyrinths.  We drew four types--basic, the interior of Chartres, the labyrinth at the retreat center, and a concentric circle labyrinth--and discussed all the various patterns that lended themselves to labyrinths.  I had enjoyed drawing labyrinths way before I knew of Zentangle; we used to make them out of painters' tape on the floor!  I hadn't thought to Tangle them before.  I know I'll be filling those little books with labyrinths.

Other Offerings
When I wasn't drawing, I was taking advantage of other retreat offerings.  The first night, I had a thirty minute Reflexology session.  While I've had my chakras cleansed, accupressure, accupuncture, and fascial release, I've never had reflexology, which is focused on energy conduits in the feet (same system as accupressure/puncture, but different "entry" point.  The whole thing was relaxing--dim lights, soft music, sweet lotions and oils--but I couldn't say if the effects were from the qi manipulation or just the rest.  And I'm not sure it really matters.  (Yes, I have become much more open to alternative healings since my back injury, which was mostly helped by Integrative Manual Therapy not traditional meds, injections, etc.)

I also attended an early morning mindfulness meditation session, just like a few I've attended before.  The director (who is the husband of a new friend of mine) led the meditation and has one of those soft, NPR voices and such a calm manner; it reminded me of everything that I love about mindfulness meditation.  (Even though I was down on my mat on a very cold tile floor!)  I liked his metta phrases at the end, "May all beings be happy.  May all beings be peaceful.  May all beings be free from suffering.  May all beings be healed."  I really liked the "healed" part.

I also went to a yoga class!  I don't have much yoga experience, mainly prenatal at home alone with a DVD a decade ago.  Again with my mat on a cold floor, I listened to the soothing voice of the teacher, who chanted beautifully, and followed gently each of her moves to the best of my ability.  I of course especially liked the long rest and then meditation at the end.  I'm not sure yoga will be my thing--stretching is fraught with the possibility of injury for me--but I'm glad I got the chance to try.  I also liked chatting with her and the other students over tea (Big Y's "calming" blend of chamomile and lavender--organic, even--who knew.)

I also went to a music concert the second night, a couple playing guitar, flutes, and singing bowls.  Nice music of a type, but I was so exhausted from sitting all day that I didn't last long.  I wish I could've though; it was tranquil.


I was ready when the weekend ended, even with the good food and opportunities for learning and relaxing.  I wondered how Mama and the kiddos were--with their gaming (mainly Disney's Infinity, and trip to the Winter Festival for ice fishing (they didn't catch anything but got to eat some of the fish someone did catch!  They said the ice was a foot thick.)   Mama's grandfather is dying, which is hard for the whole family (we're getting updates from her parents, who are other in Thailand with him.)

And so, with a snowstorm on the way, I headed back to reality and the grocery store and home, which needed some attention, and now today's snow day from school.  Re-entry is never really smooth.  But I'm glad to be back with the family . . . and I can always take a mini-mental retreat with my sketchbook when I need to.  All told, it was a marvelous experience.

And the painting of the woman with wings hangs in our living room as a reminder.

And I'm Off . . . .

Heading off to my retreat this afternoon.  Be back online after the weekend.

Stay warm and take care!

Snow, Snow, Snow

18" on the ground.

Fluffy flurries this morning.

6-10" more this weekend.

After being pretty quiet, winter is finally really here.

And, while it's beautiful, it does make me edgy to go out in it sometimes.  I was out at hospice yesterday and took a long time to traverse the icy parking lot.  Today, I have a crafters' group and a meeting at the historic house about making an educational video.  And this weekend, I am going on a retreat focusing on meditative drawing, or Zentangle.   It'll be great, except all the snow that's coming.  But Mama will do the driving to and fro and I can stay in the center without worrying about slipping around outside.

Still, I find I like snow much better when all I have to do is stay inside and look at it!  

Visitor

Right Now

Of Super Bowls and Sanitation Workers

We have boycotted the Super Bowl this year, the culmination of boycotting all NFL games on television this year.

We discussed it as a family and voted not to support professional football.

Because of concussions.

Because of indifference to domestic abuse.

Because of cheating.

Because of greed.

And so, over lunch today after church (at the fish restaurant, Gommie!  And your char was on the menu.  You can go again in less than 2 weeks!!), we discussed the Super Bowl.  The kids had discussed in RE (religious education) how some jobs get overlooked, the workers ignored--like sanitation workers and postal workers.

And so I asked them, which job is more important to us on a daily basis:  Super Bowl quarterback or garbage man?  Which would we notice more if they quit working tomorrow?  Who helps society more?

And what do they get paid?

Making up numbers, for perspective, we averaged sanitation workers got $15/hour while the quarterback could make $50 million via contract.

Why?

Because in reality, the quarterback makes so much money for so many other people, namely the owners and the NFL and the merchandisers, who then don't care much about the players except to exploit them as money-makers.  Who does the garbage man make money for?  Nobody.  And so, who is "worth" more?

What is worth?  What is value?  What is important?

We acknowledged that nothing we could do would ever change the relationship of NFL salaries to sanitation workers, pop stars to teachers, movie stars to physical therapists.  But we wanted the kiddos to be aware of the discrepancies, to look where the money is, to see through the consumerism and the merchandising and the capitalism, to examine the dominant or majority or popular opinion.  To question it.

To not watch the Super Bowl when tens of millions of people were.

And so Bud rearranged his Lego Lord of the Rings dioramas and put together a new one of Lake Town.  And Sis and I made candles, one of the projects of my Hibernate workshop (we made two rose-scented candles and two "medieval" blend ones, with rosemary, thyme, orange, etc.)

And then, later this evening, we turned on the tv.

I had agreed to watching Katy Perry's halftime performance.  We like her music and the kids wanted to see it.  It was our nod to the occasion.  (When Bud was asking questions earlier about the game, we asked if he wanted to change his mind and watch. I didn't want to be the mom who wouldn't let them watch; I wanted it to be a group decision. "No," he said, "but it was hard not to do what everyone was doing."  So true. Don't get me wrong:  I like football.  I remember my paternal grandparents watching the Cowboys; I went to almost every football game while I was in high school.  I'm from Texas--football is our sport.   So, standing up for beliefs can be so hard, especially when they are unusual or unpopular.  Or have difficult consequences. Or just aren't as fun. But you stick to your decision anyway.  There's a great essay on that somewhere; I'll link back if I find it.)

And that's when we saw the ad about domestic abuse, using that real 9-1-1 call when the woman orders a pizza as a hint to the 9-1-1 operator that she is in danger.  I had heard about the call on FB and so could explain to the kids what was going on.  They had never heard of domestic abuse.  They couldn't fathom why someone would beat another person, or why someone might stay with a person who beat them.  It was delicate territory.  Especially when I explained why the NFL was showing the ad, as a way to make amends for their reluctance to take a stand on domestic abuse.    And even more especially when I explained that the woman down the street was beaten by her boyfriend so badly on Christmas day that the ambulance was called  . . . but that the boyfriend is back in the house (and to stay away from him and to come get us if they hear anything.  And yes we mentioned that the authorities are trying to help her and her kids, but that these situations are hard to understand and are very delicate.)  We even talked about how my maternal grandmother was abused by her first husband but was saved by her brother, divorced the man, and married again (even though she was kicked out of her Catholic church, divorce being quite unpopular in small-town Texas in the late 1930s.)  We talked about our zero-tolerance policy for hitting or violence because we don't want them to hurt others and because we don't want them to think it's okay for people to hurt them.

Fun, no?

Thank goodness Katy Perry roared on the field with that origami tiger right around then and we could cheer to all of her songs.  (And thankfully there wasn't too much in the way of exploitation of women that I had to address, nor cultural appropriation aka Miley Cyrus.  There was even Missy Elliott, always good for shifting paradigms!)   We liked it so much that we rewound it and watched it again.  And then, for good measure, we watched the video of Katy Perry singing with a young woman with autism (and spent some time talking about autism!  Whew.  It was our "inherent worth and dignity" of all people night.)

(We did have to discuss why there was "Pepsi" everywhere, how Pepsi had paid for the concert so that we would like their soda.  But really, what was a bubbly beverage have to do with music anyway?  Really?  Look for the money.)

And then we turned the Super Bowl off so that we could pet our NYcat Mojito, who had been sitting on the couch with me through the whole thing.

(And I'm so glad I didn't have to explain the end of the game, which apparently included a brawl.)

All in all, it was a good game(-less) day.