"Give a Piece a Chance." — Books. Blog. Pie Classes. And a Pinch of Activism.
Today is the first day of my second week in Los Angeles. I woke up with a premonition that something bad might happen to my dog, so I spent 15 extra minutes in bed snuggling with Jack before taking him to the dog park. We usually have the park all to ourselves in the mornings, … Read more
Remember how the pecan tree inside the house had to be stripped of its leaves due to a fungus? Turns out the problem was MUCH more pervasive. We discovered a serious mold problem, waking up each morning to new growth in places like our shoes in the closet and even under the bed! Adding to … Read more
Speaking of pie contests, I just received a letter and news clipping from a friend in Portland (where we lived before moving to Mexico). The article, from The Oregonian newspaper, was about a pie contest. Contestants wrote 300-word essays about what kind of pie would best describe the way they were feeling right now–with their … Read more
Calling all pie bakers! This Sunday, hang up your aprons and snuggle up on the couch for a night of delicious TV when the Food Network broadcasts its premiere of the 2008 APC Crisco National Pie Championships Sunday, September 21st 8 PM, Eastern, Pacific Times 7 PM, Central Time The show will have additional airings, … Read more
BEFOREThe harvest season is nearing. The pecans were ripening right on schedule (see “Pecans in Progress“) and I was still holding onto my fantasy of being able to pad down the hallway in my bare feet to pluck the nuts off the tree inside our house for my homemade pecan pie (I mean, how much … Read more
Ines, my Mexican artist friend, invited me over to her house to make (or, rather, watch her doña make) homemade flour tortillas this morning. But what she really wanted is for me to bring my espresso machine and make her one of my famous BIG cafe lattes.I drove over there with my little Krups machine, … Read more
This weekend we drove to the town of Real de Catorce–elevation 9,000 ft, population 1,200. It’s a silver mining town-turned ghost town-turned movie set for Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts in “The Mexican“-turned up and coming trendy spot for European expats in Mexico. To get there you drive very slowly along a 17-mile-long cobblestone road, … Read more
Yesterday I went over to my neighbor’s house to ask if she could recommend a new maid. Ours quit because our floors are too much work to clean. I would have quit too. When I mopped these Saltillo tile floors two weeks ago–3,000 square feet of big clay squares lined by rugged grout–I was so … Read more
I had a dream last night—about pie. I was at the counter of some travel agency or chamber of commerce and I picked up a brochure. The woman working there behind the counter told me she had just finished taking a graphic design course—a very expensive class, she added—and that she made the brochure herself. … Read more
On Saturday we crossed the U.S. border, taking a day trip from Saltillo, Mexico to McAllen, Texas. I hadn’t been in the U.S. in two and 1/2 months. My, how things have changed: Pie, it seems, has become the latest trend in fast food. First I spotted a Dairy Queen sign (in McAllen there’s a … Read more