Day 216: Leslie

8 Nov

We moved back to Ashland about sixteen years ago. Not long afterwards, I was driving around town and saw a sign for a garage sale. I followed the sign to a street by Ashland Community Hospital and parked my car. My children were with me and as we got out of the car I noticed a sign for “free kittens.” Before we went another step, I told my children that we could pet the kittens but we could not take any of them home. I waited until they agreed before we proceeded into the garage.

Once inside we met a friendly lady who turned out to be Leslie, and my daughter Alexandra went off to play with the kittens while my son took off to play with Leslie’s son. Leslie and I chatted for quite a while and I thought, “she’s got things to do… we should go” and I found my daughter and gently extracted her from the kittens. When I asked where my son Coco was, Leslie brought me to her son Dylan’s room and we found the boys playing together nicely. Leslie then said, “If you’d like, you can leave your boy here for a while since they are playing so well.” I thought, “Really?” It was such a nice offer… and they seemed so engrossed in what they were doing… and so I said “okay.” It was a few minutes later when I was driving home that I started to wonder, “what have I done?” After all, I didn’t even know Leslie’s last name!

But anyone that knows Leslie knows that this was an easy offer to accept. She is warm and kind and gentle and somehow I “knew” that my boy would be safe with her. And as it turns out, her son and mine have been friends ever since… as have Leslie and I.

When I think back to that day, I can’t help but think “what a lucky day that was!” And that is why tonight I brought a Pecan Pie to Leslie and her family. I am very grateful to her for a friendship that has continued to grow over these many years… and for her welcoming spirit that invited us into their lives.

Tags: , , , ,

Day 215: U.S. Bank Tellers Rock!

7 Nov

This morning in my email I received an offer to buy a bamboo rolling pin recommended by Cake Boss Buddy Valastros on a site called Open Sky.

This bamboo rolling pin was $20 and that’s not a lot of money really. But I would like to suggest is that before you go out and spend money on a brand new rolling pin, try checking out your local good will, thrift shops, yard or estate sales. Over the years I have found rolling pins at all of these places… and they can usually be purchased for a few dollars or less.

For me there is something kind of cool about using a kitchen tool that has been used (and loved) before. It’s as if the tool has been passed on to you from someone on purpose… and you get to use it for a fraction of the cost of buying new. Now, if you are sure that you will be using that rolling pin for years, and money is not an issue, by all means by a new one. But if you are only going to make one or two pies a year, why bother?

Now I will get down off my soap box and tell you about a technique for making pie dough that I learned in a class I attended this past weekend. It was lead by Cory Shreiber. He and pastry chef Julie Richardson recently co-authored a rustic dessert cookbook. One of the suggestions for making flakier pie dough was to use a grater for the butter (as opposed to cutting it into small chunks) before mixing it with the flour.

I hope that you are able to see the marbling of the butter in this piece of pie dough. That marbling is what gives the dough it’s flakiness. For more tips on pie crusts, check out this page.

This afternoon I delivered my pie to the tellers at US Bank in Ashland. We have been customers of this branch for quite some time and have always enjoyed a very good relationship with the staff there. They have made the extra effort to make us feel valued and and always show an interest in our lives by asking about our family, work, etc. I want them all to know that we really appreciate the personal touch that they offer.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 214: Andy

6 Nov

Yesterday my daughter Alexandra ran into Andy, one of her friends from Ashland High School. Andy mentioned that he and his wife were in town for a family reunion because his brother was going to be moving away for a new job. This special family gathering seemed like a perfect occasion for a pie!

When Alexandra was in high school, she was a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. As her Mom, I was impressed that she was confident enough to go out and meet people that she did not know and conduct the interviews as a professional. And on several occasions, Andy accompanied her as the photographer. Knowing that Alex had a friend with her on those outings certainly gave me greater level of comfort.

In those days, Andy was one of a group of Alex’s friends that would come to the house, say hello to me on the way to her room and feel totally comfortable walking into the kitchen and checking out the food situation in the fridge. In other words, these friends seemed to feel at ease in our home – and that felt pretty good.

Early this morning I brought an Apple Blueberry Pie to Andy’s house so that his family could have a surprise treat for breakfast. I wanted to wish them all a wonderful reunion and to thank Andy for being an important part of our lives.

Day 213: Amey

5 Nov

When I am preparing a pie for someone I try to consider what their dietary restrictions might be. Sometimes I know that a person is gluten-intolerant or that they are a vegetarian. This information helps to guide my choice of pie (or quiche) and I do my best to meet or exceed their needs.

Occasionally a person’s needs challenge me to create something that I have not made before. Such was the case today when I needed to make a pie that was both gluten and sugar free. It took a little bit of thought but this is how I went about it. First I needed to make a crust without flour… and so I chose to grind up almonds and add a bit of butter and pressed that into my tart pan.

Next, I added a mixture of cream cheese, egg, and apple juice concentrate to the crust.

Finally, I arranged sliced apples on top of the cream cheese mixture. The apples had been tossed in a syrup made from apple juice concentrate and cornstarch.

The tart baked for about 45 minutes and when it was done it had a lovely golden brown tint on the apples. It looked and smelled quite nice… if I do say so myself.

Today’s pie was made for Amey, one of the department managers at the new Medford Food Coop. Amey was one of the first managers hired, and she has been an incredible asset to the Coop. I know I speak for everyone involved when I say that we are very lucky to have her on our team.

Tags: , , ,

Day 212: Friends of the Ashland Library

4 Nov

Last evening we had dinner with our neighbors Deb and Armo and I was reminded that tomorrow (Saturday, November 5) the Friends of the Ashland Library will be hosting one of their biggest fundraising events – the Annual Book Sale and Silent Auction. The hours for this event are from 12:00 to 4:00 PM on Saturday (with a members only presale from 10AM til noon – and yes, memberships are available at the door!) and from 12:00 to 3:00PM on Sunday.

This is a wonderful chance for you to purchase gifts for the holidays and feel good about the money that you are spending because it will benefit our beautiful library. There will be hundreds of books available for purchase in new or nearly new condition. In addition, many local businesses have donated goods or services to the auction and the volunteers have put these items together in a number of themed gift baskets for you to bid on.

Since I knew that the volunteers would be working long hours today finalizing preparations for this big sale, I sent a Bacon and Cheddar Quiche to the library so that they might have something to sustain them. This afternoon I received a text from Deb with these words: “If it hadn’t been for your quiche, we’d’ve not had the engergy to still be working… we are so lucky.” Actually, we the people of Ashland, are the lucky ones to have such dedicated volunteers working to keep our library as wonderful as it is.

Tags: , , ,

Day 211: Beau Club Bob

3 Nov

Today when I was preparing my pie, I thought of Bob from the Beau Club. We’ve known Bob and his wife Annie for more than 20 years having met them when we worked at Geppetto’s restaurant. Bob was (and still is) the owner of the tavern that was right next door to the restaurant. After work we would often go to the tavern to have a drink and play cribbage and listen to the juke box. Sometimes we might even play a game of pool. It was a comfortable place to unwind from our kitchen or wait shifts.

One memory I have from those days is from when I organized a 5 mile walk to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis that asked people to get pledges per mile walked. When I asked Bob if he would sponsor me, he took the form and wrote $20 in the per mile box. When I explained that maybe he meant to make that the total donation, he confirmed that he knew it was per mile. I could have hugged him because it was such a generous thing to do.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the tavern, but I still see Bob around town, and he always makes me smile for a couple of reasons. The first is because Bob always seems happy to see me and asks about my family. The other is because Bob is one of those quick-witted folks that can make jokes out of an ordinary conversation and he helps to keep me on my toes.

Today I brought Bob a warm Apple Pie to say thanks – for the fond memories from those long ago days and for being the generous gentleman that he is.

Tags: , , , ,

Day 210: Coach Tim

2 Nov

When my daughter Alexandra was a young girl we lived in Portland.  On a few occasions we took her skiing on Mt. Hood.  It was really just an introduction to skiing but it was a great ski area and we wanted her to feel comfortable on the mountain.  A few years later, we were back in Ashland but Alex still had little skiing experience.

One day I read a story in the  Ashland Daily Tidings that stated if you brought 5 cans of food the next day you would get a day pass for Mt. Ashland; and for another 5 cans you could rent gear.  This was such a great opportunity that I kept Alexandra out of school for the day and took her skiing.

As luck would have it, when we arrived at the ski area, the Mt. Ashland employee told us that the newspaper had made a mistake and that “special” was for Mt. Shasta.  Perhaps it was my disappointed look, or maybe it was divine intervention, who knows, but  that same employee said, “Since you came for the special, we will honor it.”  In no time at all,  Alexandra and I were outfitted with skis and went out onto the mountain on a perfect blue sky day.

Later when Alexandra and I were on the bunny hill, I was desperately trying to explain the “pizza wedge” to Alex and she was becoming more and more frustrated with me.  At one point I told Alex that I would leave her alone to think about what I’d said and meet up with her in a few minutes.  As I was riding the chair above Alex a few moments later I overheard a teenaged girl explaining to Alex how to make a wedge wtih her skis.  For some reason the light that would not go on for me was flashing with this young gal, and Alex finally understood how to position her skis to get down the hill!

Fast forward to a few years later.  By this time Alexandra has been involved in the Mt. Ashland Racing Association... and the tables have been turned.  I am still a tentative skier and Alex wants me to ski with her.  When she tells me where she wants me to go, I tell her that I am not sure I can handle that slope and she says,”Don’t worry Mom, I’ll ski with you. ” And she did…. downhill and backwards, coaching me all the way.

To do this she had to have had some good coaches… one of whom was Tim.   I am so grateful that he was able to encourage her to be the fearless person she was… because I don’t know that I could have ever done that.  It certainly was not something that I learned, for my Mom had already lost one child; and there was too much fear that she might lose another.  She could not be fearless because she was always aware of the dangers.   If only for that reason, I wanted my daughter to be brave.

Tonight I made an Onion, Bacon and Cheddar Quiche and brought it to Tim and his wife to thank him for giving Alexandra the permission to be as fearless as she could be.  It was an important trait for her to learn and I am very grateful for his part in her development.

Tags: , , ,

Day 209: Mr. Bill

1 Nov

It seems like it was a million years ago when my Uncle Tommy introduced me to Mr. Bill Lambert.  He was a baker and he owned a shop called “Raymond’s Bakery” in Stapleton, Staten Island.  My Uncle knew that I loved to bake and he was willing to help me out by suggesting to his friend that I might be a good apprentice.  Up until the time I set foot into Bill’s bakery the only baking I had done was in my Mom’s kitchen – and soon I was to find out how small scale that was compared to the production that went on inside that shop.

Soon I learned that real bakers begin their day long before the rest of wake up… and sometimes before others of us go to sleep.  It was a crazy schedule but it was kind of exciting to see the inner workings of a bakery. .. and to smell those smells wafting from the oven in the early hours was too much!  Before I knew it I had gained five pounds just from “tasting” things – the old fashioned donuts, the breads and rolls hot from the oven,  the cookies….  Yum.

Even though all the tasty treats were a delicious part of that experience, I would have to say that the best part was working with Bill and the other bakers – including Bill Jr., an older German man named Karl, and a man  (I think his name was Jimmy) who was really a policeman but who would stop by in the mornings to help out and talk with ‘the guys’.

I remember one day when I was learning to form rolls for the first time.  Bill set two small balls of dough in front of me and told me to roll them both at the same time.  That sounded like rocket science!  But I tried it and when I was done I looked at the bottoms of the dough balls and they looked wrinkly and I thought, “Is this how they’re supposed to look?”  Well, Jimmy took one look at my rolls and made some kind of remark about how I had made a big mistake.  And for a moment I thought – uh oh – here is when Bill tosses me out… and then Jimmy picked up a few rolls on the baking pan to show me that they all looked like that!  Of course I felt like punching him…. but it also felt good to be kidded and one of the guys.

Bill had such an interesting way about him which I think had something to do with the times in which he was raised.  He was a very quiet man and said more with his facial expressions than he ever said with his words.  That was hard for me – a natural born chatty-cathy.  But he didn’t chide me… he just let me figure out a way to find my place in the shop.  I was definitely the chirpy one – especially after a cup or two of coffe – but he didn’t seem to mind.

The only thing I remember Bill complaining about was when I washed out his coffee cup – the one that was really white but looked brown from all the coffee stains on the inside.  One day I just decided to clean it out with baking soda to surprise him… which I guess I did.  Bill teased that I had washed away all the “coffee flavor” – just the same, I never washed his cup again.

When I left the shop to go to the Culinary Institute of America, Bill and his wife gave me a copy of my favorite book at that time (the Sherlock Holmes Complete Collection) and when I was married a few years later, Bill made (and did not charge me for) my wedding cake.  And the very last time I visited him he searched for something to give me despite my protests.  He didn’t realize that he’d given me so much by just letting me spend time with him in that bakeshop all those years ago.

This afternoon, I brought a Dutch Apple pie to Bill’s son in honor of his Dad and brother, and all the love that they showed me without ever mentioning the word at all.

Day 208: Thailand – Land of Smiles

31 Oct

You don’t have to wait long to figure out why Thailand has been labeled the “land of smiles”. From the moment you arrive in Thailand you can expect to be greeted with warm smiles from the locals.  Thailand is a country located in Southeast Asia that has warm tropical weather year round, with the exception of a few months during the “rainy season”

During the past few weeks, while you may have been watching the world series or monitoring news of the latest celebrity divorce, chances are that you missed the fact that Thailand is currently facing a severe crisis. Over the past few months, an excessive amount of rain has fallen on the country. The extraordinary amounts of rain combined with alleged mismanagement of local dams have left parts of Bangkok and surrounding areas of the country submerged; some areas have been flooded with waist deep water for the past two weeks.

It’s hard to imagine any Thailander would be smiling while their country is in such danger, however when my nephew’s wife, Kanyarat,  came over today I was greeted with a traditional Thai smile. You wouldn’t have known that most of her family  (including her mother) are awaiting their fate from these ravaging flood waters.

Today I made a pie as a gesture of hope for the people of Thailand, and presented it to Kanyarat.  I made sure to present it with a traditional Thai smile “Yin” and some words of encouragement “ให้ความศรัทธา” (keep the faith).

Tags: , , , , ,

Day 207: Counting our Blessings

30 Oct

Yesterday in the Northeastern part of the country there was a storm that broke many of the previous records for snow in the area.   On the 29th of October we experienced a pretty nasty snowstorm.   There was a lot of snow, ice and slush.  Many trees were felled by the weight of the snow on their branches… and thousands upon thousands of people were without power because of downed power lines.

Yet here on my sister’s quiet street on Staten Island, we did not have any downed trees; we did not lose power – we were very lucky.  We read in the news today that many folks are still without power, and may be without power for a few days.   It is at times like these that it is important to count your blessings.  Okay, there was snow in October and you may have felt like singing Christmas carols instead of donning a Halloween costume.  But if your life was pretty much unaffected, you need to take a moment to thank your lucky stars.

It seems that it is natural for us to complain about our minor inconveniences rather than thank God (or the Universe, or whomever you please) for the blessings we have.  Do you  have food to eat?  A place to sleep?  Check out this poster and really take a moment to think about how fortunate you are.

This afternoon I gave an Apple Cranberry Pie to a man who has been an incredibly giving volunteer at a local church in my old neighborhood.  This is a guy who has a demanding full-time job yet still finds time to give many hours to the causes that are important to him.  He is a true blessing to the folks that he serves… and I hope that he knows that his service is very much appreciated.

Tags: , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →