Pie a Day Give Away

Today it was easy to choose a recipient for the pie giveaway.  Today is Saturday and most Saturday’s during the Spring and Summer I spend a few hours at the Rotary Garden.  This garden came about due to the generosity of Ned and Stella.  They offered to share a portion of their land with the Ashland Rotary club which enabled us to grow food for the Ashland Emergency Food Bank.  Each week a group of us meet at the garden to plant/weed/mow and eventually harvest produce.  It was at this garden that I dug up my first potatoes (it was like hunting for buried treasure!) but most of the time I mow the grass between the beds. It’s a job that needs to be done and it offers a big reward – you can see immediately the benefit of your work.  I like that!

Today I made a Dutch Apple Pie for Ned and Stella to thank them for opening up their hearts and gardens to those in need.   Last year we delivered over 3,000 pounds of fresh produce to the food bank – something we could not have done without you.  Thank you both.

Today I wanted to make a pie to thank the man (and his wonderful wife) who had taken care of (dog-sat?) my dog every time we went on vacation.  In reality, without this man, we may never have even met our dog.   I became acquainted with Tim  Church (who works at the Ashland Recycling Center) many years ago.  I found out that he has helped hundreds of dogs (and some cats too!) find permanent homes by collaborating with the Jackson County Animal Shelter (JCAS).  Over the years, Tim showcased animals at the recycling center that the JCAS deemed adoptable.  Grover, a mixed breed, white and brown longhaired dog, was one of those animals.   I probably would have bypassed Grover for one of the lovely black lab pups that always seemed to be available.  But Tim wouldn’t even let me consider adopting one of them.  “You do not want a puppy.  You have two small kids.  You are running a restaurant.  You don’t have time for a puppy.”   Tim seemed to know a lot more about dogs than I did, so I listened to him.

And then one day, Tim asked if I would host a “shelter” dog for the weekend as he and his wife were going out of town and he could not watch him.   I asked “What is this dog like?” and Tim replied, “He’s depressed.”  Excuse me?  “How can a dog be depressed?”  Tim told me that “Grover” had been at the shelter a long time and “his number was about up.”  And sure enough there was a “number” on a piece of tape attached to the top of Grover’s head.   I took Grover home that weekend and somehow he became our family dog for the next eleven years.  There are some things you should know:  Grover did not do tricks.  He did not chase sticks or balls.  He shed…. a lot.

Best of all, Grover was a mellow dog who knew that we had saved him from something terrible and was incredibly good at showing how grateful he was.

Today, in honor of Grover,  I made an Apple Walnut Pie is for Tim and his darling bride.   Thank you both from the bottom of my heart for all the work you have done.

This is the first day of what I hope will be a year long adventure in pie baking.  I’ve been baking for many years and wanted to find a way to express my gratitude to my friends, my family, the universe… and decided that I would bake a pie of one kind or another every day for a year.   Each day I will find someone to give a pie to.   That person could be a friend or neighbor who I know could use a pick-me-up… or maybe it will be someone that I don’t know yet… but who has come to my attention via this blog.

Today’s pie (my first of the year!) was in the form of a quiche – Quiche Lorraine – and it was delivered to a dear friend who I had not seen in quite a while.

I’ve long been a fan of the book/movie “Like Water for Chocolate”.  In this film the lead character is a wonderful cook who infuses the foods that she prepares with the emotions that she is feeling at the time.  I hope to infuse the pies that I make with love and good wishes to all that receive them.

Please join me on this journey.  There are many ways that you can become a part of this voyage.  Perhaps you will share your favorite pie recipes with me.  Maybe you will suggest a person who needs their day brightened.   Or maybe you will find a way to send me pie tins that you don’t need that I may use for this experiment.

Whatever way you choose to participate, I welcome you.   Thanks for your support!

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