planetdanika

In Utero (19 weeks)
A picture from today’s ultrasound.

This past weekend, G and I once again ventured off in the Subaru with our camping and hiking gear in search of a scenic destination. We realized we havent been to the Olympic Peninsula in ages (2 years?) and decided to head that way. We didnt leave until Saturday after lunch and had a rather tedious wait for the Kingston ferry. Once we made it across the water, all went well and we found a camp site at our first stop- Fort Flagler State Park. Its across the water from Port Townsend and sits at the tip of a smaller peninsula with water on 3 sides. From our tent, we had a direct view of the mountains.

There happened to be a celebration going on in the park and after setting up camp, we wandered around the few stalls, listened to some live Dixieland music and watched a few kites flying. We went for a couple walks around the park, which is home to a lot of old military buildings, as well as a large deer population. Dinner was low key but we did actually cook for once! It was a very blustery evening and after the requisite smore making (in which G had to use a Butchers knife to toast marshmallows as there were no sticks in sight), we bundled close to the fire and tried to stay warm. It didnt last long, and we called it an early night.

The following morning, we drove down towards Quilcene and did a hike called Little Quilcene/Mount Townsend. It was VERY off the beaten path and there were few cars at the trailhead. A nice change after the Snow Lake hike. It was about 3.5 miles each way and pretty darn steep. Im not sure if it was elevation or what, but I had an awful hard time catching my breath. We were treated to an absolutely stunning 360 degree view at the top and it was pretty close to a perfect day for it. We ate lunch, snapped some pics in various directions (Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and the Olympics were all out in force), and quickly made our way back down. My brand new hiking boots performed well to the task and there was nary a blister on my feet.

We endured another excruciating wait for a ferry on the way home this one made worse by the fact of my incredibly full bladder. I was not a very pleasant person to be around for a while there! Perhaps thats why we havent been over to the Peninsula in so long. In any case, we made it home safely in time to have some Thai food for dinner and get our laundry done. By all accounts, a lovely getaway.

Ive always loved pie. Who doesnt? I spent a lot of time in my late teens and early twenties even MAKING the darn things. My dad was my greatest teacher in this regard and we rolled out many a crust together. In recent years, I rarely bake them at all. One of the reasons is that I seem to have lost my knack for crust. I think theres some difference in the climate here (whether thats humidity, temperature, or some other factor) but I just have no luck at all. Another reason is, well, there are not really many people to eat it with. I hate to make a whole pie for just the 2 of us. So that relegates pie-making to special occasions.

I recently read (and loved) the book, American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America’s Back Roads by Pascale LaDraoulec. Amazon.com describes it:

Seeking to determine its unique place in our cultural and culinary life, journalist Pascale Le Draoulec chronicles the author’s cross-country pie hunt. Her search by car—from San Francisco to New York—uncovers every native pie variety, from Montana huckleberry to Pennsylvania shoofly; it also reveals, perhaps predictably, an America of towns with 60 churches for 2,500 inhabitants and ‘white-haired women with calloused rolling pin palms,’ a breed sadly in decline, as is pie making, which takes time we don’t seem to have. Still, pie makers like Oklahoma’s Leoda Mueller (coconut cream) and Minnesota’s Lola Nebel (raspberry pear) are out there, and for many of them fixing pies remains a link to the past, present, and self.

It was a very pleasant read, and made me want to get into the kitchen and roll out some dough! OK, maybe it made me want to EAT pie more than make it, but both activities sounded pretty good. This past weekend, I finally did break out the old pie tools- my rolling pin (inherited from my Grandmother), pastry fork, measuring cups and spoons, and a pie plate. I decided to tackle lemon meringue first, because thats what I was in the mood for. I tried a new recipe for crust which included a mixture of butter and shortening, as well as an egg yolk and white vinegar. It came out pretty well, minus the shrinkage issue. The filling was not bad either. Im extremely critical of my own cooking, so I wont elaborate on its minor imperfections. Perhaps the biggest problem was that my meringue wept, although this one doesnt really bother me.

In any case, Im considering a pie quest of my own. This one isnt about eating other peoples pie, but making my own. Im hoping to experiment with a few different recipes for crust. I came across this great blog entry by a pastry chef which has quite a few tricks of the trade. And I most certainly plan to make many different types. My next pies will include rhubarb (Gs favorite) and a berry pie of some description (too hard to pass up with all the great summer berries). If you have any tips, recipes, or other suggestions, feel free to pass them on. In the mean time, let the pies begin!