There are some people you just don’t have to explain yourself to at all. Some people who you’ve seen once or twice or maybe never before but after approximately 30 seconds in each others’ presence you feel remarkably at home. Especially once you notice you have the same asymmetrical haircut.

Our friends Ben and Naomi arrived in California from Australia in mid-February, bicycles in tow. They went on to fly to New York and begin to bike across the country (last I checked they were at Yellowstone. Amazing.) Luckily for us they had planned to take a couple weeks just to explore our beautiful state and so we were able to share a few adventures, incredible meals, songs, and poetry readings. Ben is an old friend…it had been eight years since either Levi or I had seen him and it was truly a happy occasion to be reunited. And we’d never actually met Naomi, but like I said, there’s a type of person who is an old friend within moments.

Ready for a plot twist? I didn’t end up making a pie for these friends while they were visiting. Naomi made a pie for us!

And she said you guys can all have the recipe. It’s simple, crustless, gluten-free, and pairs well with a multitude of other flavors if you’re inclined towards an ice cream, sorbet, or topping (N suggests chocolate, cherry, lime, or mango).

Naomi’s Coconut Impossible Pie

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup flour or tapioca starch

1 can of coconut milk

1/4 cup coconut (or any vegetable) oil

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

4 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

Mix all the ingredients well. Butter a pie dish and pour mixture in. Bake at 375 until pie appears set and is slightly golden. 

There was something about this turning-of-the-tables that was very special to me. While I love baking for, cooking for, and otherwise trying my best to look after my guests, I can get overwhelmed. I can get tired from late nights of visiting followed by early mornings at work, though I wouldn’t trade those late nights for the world. But sometimes there are people who make themselves at home so much that the roles of guest and host become blurred and you’re all just sharing in whatever needs to be done so that you can continue sharing in each others’ company as much as possible. It’s a beautiful thing when your friends serve you in your home.

Thanks so much, you two. God keep you safe on the rest of your ride, until we meet again. And to everyone reading: it’s summer! Have a beautiful first day.

“On the World”                                                                                                                  by Francis Quarles                                                                                               The world’s an inn, and I her guest.                                                                          I eat; I drink; I take my rest.                                                                                My hostess, nature, does deny me                                                                    Nothing, wherewith she can supply me;                                                                Where, having stayed a while, I pay                                                                         Her lavish bills, and go my way.