Kick out the Jam(s)*

I had a pie crust in my fridge that was at real risk of needing to be thrown out. I couldn’t have that. I also had spent most of the weekend riding motorbikes & looking at motorbikes and was exhausted and making an entire pie wasn’t in the cards.  I was feeling something small and quick, so fancy pop-tarts it was.

Thanksgiving Pie

I think know my favorite part of Thanksgiving is that it provides me with an excuse to make pies. This year pecan and pumpkin were requested, and I was happy to deliver.

Gruyere Bread

Today is the first real cold day we’ve had in Portland this fall – my plants have all died (whoops), days are depressingly dark, the heavy coat has come out…what better time to bake bread.

Marion Jean Lee Stimac

Space

 

Someday I’d like to write about the many and varied parallels of meditation and motorcycling, but for now I’ll just touch on the importance of allowing space between activities. Space to breathe, reset, reflect, pause and transition to the next activity.

Creamsicle Tart

This was a great tart – a bit of a pain in the ass – but a great tart. It’s from Baked Explorations .  It tastes just like the Creamsicle from our youth, but with better ingredients & more sophisticated presentation (though who am I kidding? Anyone who gives me a creamsicle for dessert is a winner in my book).

Berried

I’ve been on a berry kick while at my parents house the last few weeks.  This is due to two main factors: 1. the near 20lbs of berries hanging out in the freezer direct from my Great-Uncle’s farm; and 2. the prevalence of fresh berries in season and available at the local farmer’s markets (which we can’t seem to resist despite the freezer-full at home).  The fridge and freezer are overrun with berries, and I am happy to find ways to use them up.

I’m saving the recipes for these two for a future project, but if you are near me (hey, Portand) I may call on you to taste test them in the not-distant future.

Chocolate, Caramel & Coconut Cake

Let’s talk bundt cake.

Before I left Portland some friends invited me over for dinner and I offered to bring brownies. Only, I didn’t have all the ingredients for brownies and because I was packing up again in a few days, I didn’t want to buy whatever it was I was missing. So, back to the drawing board.  I thought a bundt cake would be a suitable alternative, and I did have all the ingredients on-hand for that, so I was in business.

Cherry Cherie

We’ve had a great cherry crop in the PNW this year, every time I go to the store I’m tempted by the bags filled with dark red bing cherries, I can rarely resist the temptation and thus have had cherries in my fridge nearly constantly for the last month.  I woke up this morning to chilly temps, overcast skies, and this recipe in my inbox. I also had the better part of a bag of cherries that were a day or two away from the compost bin – so I heeded the signs of the universe and made cherry compote.

Independence

 

What a great start to summer. My weekend was packed full of activities: motorbiking, BBQing, hiking, and floating with friends new and old.  I knew I wouldn’t have time to bake between those activities, and I knew I wanted to bring something for  the BBQ and the float, so I spent a the night prior to the weekend baking away.  First up, Whirlygigs for a 4th of July BBQ.