gotten rid of all.the.bloody.links. on this blog. feck.

About the way I eat, and about how I perceive food. I also recognize how incredibly fortunate I am to have access to (and be able to afford) nutritious food. This hasn't always been the case.

Gradually, this thinking has morphed into deep appreciation. I began to ask myself why I don't take a bit more time to enjoy what I eat. Granted, time is very scarce, but wouldn't it be worth even just a little time to explore the foods around me? I don't eat much processed food, and D and I rarely eat out, so why am I not expanding my repritoire?

No good reason. I will do it.

First thing to come to mind:



Beets. Ugh. I've never liked the taste or texture, but they sure are pretty. I've always had them cold, wriggly and defiant on the side of my dinner plate.

I tried them today in a small veggie salad. Still cold and wriggly, but I stuck with it. Later, I trolled around looking for beet recipes, and I found this very promising Spicy Pickled Beets recipe. And, I checked out the nutritional value here. Pretty nutritious.

Here's hoping a small culinary gamble will have a happy ending.

I've been combing specialty pie and pastry cookbooks in search of some recipes to experiment with. One of my favorites (so far) is on it's way to me:


Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie
by Ken Haedrich.

This is a really comprehensive and informative book. In addition to having tons of great recipes (and of great variety), the writing is really engaging, and he covers lots of fundamentals.

After some consideration, I've set myself some criteria for the beginning stages of this project.

- I want to choose recipes that will enable me to learn basic techniques.
- I am determined, whenever possible, to use fresh, local ingredients.
- No matter the time constraints, I won't start a pie unless I can devote enough time to it. Once I've decided on a recipe, no shortcuts.

I've tentatively decided on Strawberry Rhubarb with a lattice crust as my first project. I think we'll have locally grown fruit available soon, and it's a classic. I should probably consider a second option in case the growing season doesn't cooperate.

I was musing over the long daylight of summer, and thinking about all of the things that I never seem to have the opportunity to do. And I was thinking about pie.

My grandmother's blueberry pie, to be specific. It was a beautiful, honest pie, and I think she usually made a lattice crust for the top. Real, fresh fruit, and a crust she made with her own hands.

I've never come close to making a pie that good. I decided it was time to make that journey - to work toward making excellent pie.