Tag Archives: barra de navidad

Day 301: Construction Crew

1 Feb

Yesterday I mentioned how the hurricane caused damage to some of the buildings along the shoreline in Barra de Navidad.  Last night we saw some of the workers building retaining walls, pouring concrete, etc., but they were doing it without the benefit of a pump or a concrete mixing truck to facilitate the work.   Instead the men had a small machine that mixed the concrete and then they carried it by the bucketful to the backhoe which in turn put it where it was needed.  Backbreaking labor to say the least.

Last night when  I saw them working so hard I thought I surely must bring them a pie.  This morning I put together a chocolate peanut butter pie and placed it in the fridge to set.  Then we took a launch to the island across from Barra de Navidad so that we could explore the island.

Being on that island – especially on the side of the island with the Grand Bay Hotel is in a way surreal.  There is so much money invested in the hotel while a short boat ride away there is a great need for that capital infusion.   The word “opulence” only begins to describe it.  We took a few photos.

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When we got back to our apartment, I quickly added melted chocolate to the top of the pie and popped it into the freezer to set up quickly.  After a much-needed shower we took the pie to the men who were working on a hotel property by the shore.  We waited until the cement mixer stopped and then I approached them with my pie.  I told them I’d been making pies and giving them away for 300 days… and then I thanked  them for their work and told them I appreciated their efforts.   While most of the men looked on in what I assume was confusion, one of the men spoke English and thanked me.  I handed him the pie and some forks and plates and we said goodbye before they saw me crying.  How can something as simple as giving a pie feel so overwhelming?

Presenting the pie to the men working at the construction site.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.  ~Thomas Edison

 

 

Presenting the pie to the workers

 

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Day 300: Lucy

31 Jan

Lucy and her Dolphins

Before we left the apartment today I put together a Chocolate Cream Pie using the same basic custard recipe that I followed yesterday except in today’s batch I added about 4 ounces of chocolate.  Later I tried making whipped cream with what I thought was whipping cream but eventually I figured out that it was closer to half and half (which will never hold a soft peak no matter how long you whip it!).  So until I had whipping cream, I just let the pie set up in the fridge.

Then we took a walk along the beach of Barra de Navidad for the first time since we arrived.  We had heard others mention that in the last week or so there had been an underground (under sea?) earthquake that released some toxic levels of gas which caused thousands of fish to die.   This disaster followed the hurricane that occurred last fall in Barra and caused quite a bit of damage to many of the buildings along the shoreline.

It is hard to understand why some regions experience so much devastation and others seem to go unscathed.  And yet we did not see people complaining at all.  Instead the waiters beckoned us to eat and the vendors set up their wares to sell and somehow the people just carry on as best they can.

After our walk we found a grocer who sold whipping cream and once home I whipped it up and spread it atop the pie.  Finally I found a chocolate bar and grated some of it for the garnish and then we were off to deliver the pie to Lucy.

Lucy runs a restaurant in Barra named appropriately, Lucy’s.  We first met her on our last visit to Barra.  We were introduced to her by our friends Marie and Dale and have enjoyed several cold drinks and the occasional hot meal there.

Lucy has a way of drawing people to her.  She has had guests from around the globe and she has displayed flags from those countries on her wall.  In addition, we saw  she had posted hand-lettered welcome signs to returning visitors.   It’s that kind of thing that keeps her guests coming back year after year – a warm welcome and the knowledge that they have been remembered.

To recognize her for her warmth and hospitality, tonight I brought Lucy the Chocolate Cream Pie.  There is no doubt in my mind that she will share it with her many friends.

I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.  Nancie J. Carmody

 

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Day 299: Cynthia

30 Jan

Today we woke up in Barra de Navidad which is a lovely town in the state of Jalisco.  My husband did some research online and found a studio apartment for us to rent which would enable me to make pies while we are on vacation.  Until I find an oven that is available these pies will not be baked but rather “cooked.”

For my first pie in Mexico I chose to make a simple custard pie with shredded coconut.  To begin, we headed to a little store (tienda) and purchased butter, eggs, cream, flour, and vanilla (mantequilla, juevos, crema, harina, y vanilla).  I had brought with me crushed graham cracker crumbs for the crust and shredded coconut for the filling.

We were in a hurry to catch a bus so I asked my husband to assemble the crust.  He did this by using a small saute pan to melt the butter and then he added the graham cracker crumbs and toasted them lightly.  Once that was done, he pressed the crumbs into a pie tin and put it in the fridge to set.

Meanwhile I made coconut custard on the two burner stove that we are lucky to have available.  In mere moments it was thickened and smelled heavenly.  I poured the warm custard into the crust and covered it with plastic (to prevent a skin from forming) and then put it into the fridge.  But before I did that, we snapped a few photos.

Coconut Custard Pie and ingredients

Pie with a View

The View

The finished Pie topped with Toasted Coconut

After a day trip to La Manzanilla (where we saw crocodiles!) and a bus ride home that included a man serenading the passengers with songs like “Besa Me Mucho” we came back to our apartment to find the pie had set up nicely.  I toasted some coconut to decorate the top and brought the pie to Cynthia, the woman who oversees this apartment for the owner.  I tried to explain the pie project to her family in my best Spanish and I think they understood the message – it’s all about showing gratitude.

Jose, Cynthia, and Patty

Hasta manana….

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Day 298: Bruce and Jae

29 Jan


Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Pie

Yesterday I mentioned that I made two pies.  The reason for making the second pie yesterday was because we were leaving for Mexico at 5:00 this morning.  It was certain that I would have  no time to bake before I left, and once I arrived I would be too tired to move, no less bake.

Now that you know that, I want to tell you that I gave the pie (actually my daughter delivered it for me) to Bruce and Jae, a couple of  our neighbors.  They live on the block behind us, our careers are completely different, and their son is a bit younger than our kids. What all of this means is that our paths don’t cross very often and we have a different perspective from which to view the neighborhood and the world really.  But Jae and Bruce are friendly and funny and we enjoy the little time that we do spend with them and that is more than enough of a reason to gift them with a pie.

As I said, we are now in Mexico in a studio apartment without an oven, but with a two burner stove and a refrigerator.  I have brought a few ingredients with me and I have pie recipients in mind.  I just need to open my mind to new pie ideas and ask around to see if I might “rent” an oven when I need one.  A few friends have suggested I take a week off because this might “be too much work”.  But this is a gratitude project after all… and I am so very grateful to have the chance to be here that I will find a way to make pies happen.

Barra de Navidad, Mexico

Only she who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible. Claire Goldberg Moses

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