Monthly Archives: May 2013

Strawberry Pies Forever

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Berry Pie, Mixed Fruit Pie

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It’s SPRRIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!

And here are some strawberries from our garden to prove it!
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IMG_0495While I was making this Strawberry-Raspberry Mint Pie I just couldn’t stop taking pictures of the colorful filling. I love all the different textures; the powdery spices, the bumpy raspberries, the dotted strawberries, the wrinkled leaves. There’s just enough mint in this pie to give it a super-interesting depth of flavor. You don’t really taste mint as a separate flavor; you just notice a coolness in your mouth after each bite.

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IMG_0497Here are a few quick facts about strawberries that you may or may not already know.

1. California grows 80% of the strawberries in the United States, and our strawberry season starts early, at about the end of March.

2. Strawberries rot when they touch the ground. That’s why they’re called strawberries, because bedding the area around the plants with straw keeps them from spoiling.

3. Strawberry pies bubble over like crazy. (I talked about this last summer.) It’s not quite as dramatic when the strawberries are mixed with other fruit, which is why you’ll rarely find an all-strawberry pie.

IMG_0501I baked this pie the morning of Easter Eve (?? You know what I mean.) I am going to take this opportunity to squeeze in a small brag and show you that I also made Chango Bars for my second grade class and bread at the same time. Boom.

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And then we went to the airport to pick up my Aunt Sarah, Uncle Joe, and cousin Matt from Minnesota! It was Matt’s spring break, and he very wisely had decided California was the destination of the year.

We fed him lots of In-n-Out burgers to ensure that he’ll come back soon.

IMG_0514Here’s the pie, all dressed up for Easter Sunday. The pastry here (Tender Cream Cheese Pastry) is my favorite from Ken Haedrich’s cookbook*, and it just gets even better with a little powdered sugar on top.

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A good pie makes for a happy aunt.

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*P.S. I know many of you have gotten so tired of looking at my pictures of pie that you have already purchased the Pie cookbook. Good on you. If any of the rest of you are on the verge, let me remind you that it’ll only set you back $21.95 if you purchase it through Ken’s website, The Pie Academy. And it’ll set you way ahead in quality of life.

Pie and Music

03 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Apple Pie

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It’s not every day that some of your favorite musical artists come to your house to give a concert. But when that day comes, it’s good form to bake a pie.

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I chose a Pennsylvania Dutch Sour Cream Apple Pie, mainly because it sounded wildly delicious. Other factors were: 1. It definitely gives a solid nod to the East Coast, where Jenny and Tyler and I are from. 2. I tend to choose apple pies when baking for people I’ve never entertained before. Because who doesn’t like apple pie? IMG_0367

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Five reasons why Jenny and Tyler are super cool:

1. They have a vinyl album.

2. They did a cover of “The Sound of Silence” that you can buy here; proceeds go to the International Justice Mission.

3. They ate my homemade bread without complaining.

4. Jenny has a glockenspiel. ‘Nuff said.

5. Tyler plays a suitcase kick drum and eats pie straight from the dish.

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One of my college professors once told me that I should be a music journalist for a living. It’s true that I find it easy to write about music that I feel somewhat detached to.  But sometimes you come across musicians who create music that you not only enjoy listening to, but feel that you could have written yourself in the sense that every word resonates so strongly in your heart. And so I won’t try to describe Jenny and Tyler’s music except in a few words: real, God-centered, passionate, fun, alive.  You can follow this link to download seven of their songs for free!

If you missed the concert, check out www.jennyandtyler.com for tour dates, music videos, and more.

If you were at the concert, leave a comment and share a favorite moment!

If you were at the concert and I brought the pie out after you left; please do forgive me. If I had had the time and ingredients to make pie for all who attended, I most surely would have.

**A couple of delayed thank-yous:

To Andrew for helping set up.

To Mimi and Danny for helping sell merchandise!

To Mimi and Robin for helping me make the welcome banner. You are such exquisite discerners of patterned paper…

To Russ, for the balloons.

To all of the audience members who contributed to the great vibe of the show.

To Jenny and Tyler for coming out to Simi Valley and performing. We had so many people ask us, “But HOW did you get them to come to your house??!” And we said, “Umm…well, we just asked.” We’re so glad you came. You both have beautiful spirits and we feel blessed to have shared some time together with you. Come back anytime.