"Give a Piece a Chance." — Books. Blog. Pie Classes. And a Pinch of Activism.
When I blogged about the Pietopia contest in 2008 I had no idea I would a) be returning to Portland to live, b) be returning to Portland as a widow, c) meet Pietopia’s founder, Tricia Martin, in person (she’s lovely!) and hire her to design my pie website (and talented!), and d) be a judge … Read more
It’s official. June 2010 now lays claim to the wettest June in Portland, Oregon’s history. And the month is only half over. I’m sick of the rain. Sick of the mud. And, in fact, I’m sick — with bronchitis. It’s no wonder! This time last year I was living in Terlingua, Texas where (sun-drenched) daytime … Read more
I’ve been raving about how rhubarb is my new favorite pie. But I don’t think it’s the bittersweet vegetable I love so much. It’s the love. Period. It’s the fact that my friends and neighbors have it growing wild in their gardens. They call me with such enthusiasm upon its arrival, excited about the red … Read more
Friends of Marcus and mine, Lyndsay (Canadian) and Andreas (German), had a baby two weeks ago. I went to the hospital the day before Easter and met Heidi when she was less than 24 hours old. Marcus died 8 months ago, which means Lyndsay was pregant when she came to the funeral. I swallowed the … Read more
At last! I returned from Mexico and got a lasting taste of tropical sun with the delivery of my ceramic bowl — filled with luscious lemons. The fruit was hand-picked in Palm Springs, California and smuggled across the Oregon border by my neighbor. Though, come to think of it, bringing fruit out of California is … Read more
My friend Matt once said to me, “Beth, you’re happiest when you’re baking pies.” If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you know I have been baking a lot of pie lately and it’s not eradicating my grief. How much more fucking pie can I make before I stop feeling suicidal over … Read more
Once upon a rare, sunny Oregon day, a girl called Pie packed up her Mini Cooper and drove to the coast. Forget that the rhubarb Sylvia picked from her garden was still sitting in her refrigerator longing to be baked into a pie. The sky was blue! The beach beckoned! So off she went — … Read more
It’s a funny feeling to walk by a newsstand and see a picture of your own hands prominently displayed on the front page of a newspaper. I knew Portland Tribune was coming out with a front-page article about pie, because I had been interviewed and photographed for the story, but you never know how it’s … Read more
I took a late afternoon walk with my dogs today, unsure of which direction we would go, and after some persistent tugging by Jack on his leash, ended up at the house of my neighbor Sylvia. She welcomed us into her huge garden and we sat in the sun while Team Terrier dug up her … Read more
I have a list taped to my refrigerator to keep track of all my dishes out on loan, all of them were used to deliver pie to neighbors — either a slice, a mini size, or a whole pie. The list includes: Syliva: Limoges dessert plateStacy: Pyrex pie dishSharon: Bennington Pottery pie dish Elizabeth: handmade … Read more