What I've Been Up To

Bits and pieces, I mean:

Got a couple of boners fermenting in the cupboard. Really, hard cider. I unfortunately neglected to get a photo while both of the carboys were, um, erect, one with a yellow (formerly banana flavoured) buddy. Gross. Also free.

I had dinner with Lynn. Or, this is the closest I can get/I'll take what I can.

Been picklin' 'n'a preservin' a bunch! Beets, dilly beans, apple sauce, strawberry jam, tomatoes, and I've got some apple-tomato chutney on the stove boiling down right now. I'm trying to get "over" ketchup. Rather, I guess I am already kind of "over" ketchup, which I was seriously and whole heartedly "into", which leaves me searching for a sweet and acidic substitute for eggs and things. I think this will do the trick.

Left: piles waiting to become greens in the window. Middle-right: weird window into the storage-space hallway.

I WISH I HAD A DOG because then I would have a purpose on weekends.

Gettin' knitty.

on: fun

Once you decide, how do you become 'more fun', as a person? I mean, like, the person who is 'the fun person'. When someone says their name, the other someone will say one of two things, which are, "Which one?" or "Oh, they're so fun!" If the other someone said the first something, the first someone will respond, "Fun soandso," and other someone will light up and say, "Oh, yes, that person! I like to be around them." But they say that only if, by chance, they do not immediately recognize the person's name as the one who's 'fun', because, let's say, the fun person happens to have a common name.

And so someone and another someone call the fun one and they do good things, together.

How does one become the fun one?

YABBLE SIGH

I made a really good apple pie on Friday night, thank you. Gluten-free to boot and cripsy on the bottom.

I'm a real loosey-goosey kinda cooker, if you know what I mean, but I wrote out the recipe for the darling of darlings, Marybeth, and why not economize on the typing time?

I used whatever flours were around and so sometimes in little weird proportions. I'm sure you could substitute other flours/proportions in it if you liked. I made each part separate 'cause I only have one mixing bowl, and then just kept putting the stages of it in the fridge until it was ready to go in the oven (heated to 350, though I think partway through I turned it up to 375):

Bottom Crunchy Crust:
-1 1/4 C. oat flour (Just grind up oats in a blender or food processor until they become floury. They weren't totally uniform and it worked out just fine)
-1/4 C. buckwheat flour (the recipe called for all oat flour, but I didn't have enough, so i'm sure this isn't essential and you could just use 1 1/2 C. oat flour)
-1/2 tsp salt
-~2 tbsp oil
-~4-5 tbsp water

Mix all the dry, add the wet. I started with 2 tbsp oil and 4 tbsp water, but my mix was way too dry. Just add liquids until it sticks together, and then press it into the bottom of yr (buttered/oiled) pan. I used a big cast iron skillet, which was kind of awesome.

Filling:

-~7-8 apples (We had big paula reds [that we got to pick off the ground of a Pick-Your-Own farm for cheap]. You want enough so that they make a mound in yr pie crust)
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1/2 C. cugar (I used 1/4 C. sucanat and 1/4 C. reg'lar granulated sugar)
-2 tbsp flour (I used buckwheat)
-1/4 tsp nutmeg, ~1tsp cinnamon (I didn't measure, just dumped. Lots, though. Probably more than I said. I encourage a buttload), a tiny dash of cloves (maybe 1 ground up?), 1/4 tsp salt.

Mix it all together and put it in yr bottom crust!

Top Buttery Crust:

-1 1/2 C. rice flour (I used brown rice flour)
-1/2 C. butter (or shortening, if you wanted)
-4 tbsp cold water

Cut the butter into the flour 'til its crumby. Add the water and mix it up. Work it with your hands. Once you can get it into a ball (you might have to add a little more water), put it in the fridge for a few minutes to get the butter hardened again in there. Take it out, roll it out, put it on your pie filling, cut some vents in and make it look real pretty.

I can't remember how long I baked it for- maybe 45 minutes? Just keep checking until it's *golden brown* and you can put a knife in it and everything feels soft and gooey and delicious.

ALSO WE HAD THIS FOR DINNER:

Really-extra-ginger and carrot soup with an emergency buckwheat biscuit

and chikn and mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli/cauliflower.

It was very good.

hi again

Today was a great big sadness and then, later, two small victories: beer bottles and a woman named Janine.