September, in summary.

I've been taking photos for the past month, I promise! Here's a quick catch-up for you:

Banana cream pie from scratch - turned out deliciously!! The custard was delicious.

A whole big kettle full of apple sauce from the apples we picked up in our yard - mmm!


And an apple-blueberry pie for good measure. The cute little star cut-outs in the crust are from an antique cookie cutter that I picked up for 75 cents at an antique store.
I've been loving my Pyrex mixing bowls, and just got a medium-large light yellow one, courtesy of my mom. I now have one of each size - large yellow, medium-large light yellow, medium red, small blue. Yay!

Here is my first ever attempt at meringues - they look great, here...
...and here. They also tasted yummy. However, they were sooo sticky! They didn't get crispy enough. I'll try again, another day.


September has also included so much busyness at grad school, various conducting opportunities, weekend travel, football, poetry-writing, reading, not enough knitting, and time with the handsome husband. That's September, in summary!

Blubarb pie

As I drove home from church on Sunday, I made up my mind to stop at one of the local farm stands to buy blueberries. 'Tis the season, you know.

I pulled over at the first one I saw, and opened the cooler, which sat atop an old horse-drawn cart. Four soggy quarts of blueberries awaited, but I was not swayed! I bought one and brought it home, rounding corners very carefully so that I wouldn't spill. Success!

There were two rather ripe bananas on the counter, so banana blueberry bread ensued. Next, blueberry rhubarb pie! Delicious.

I love summer.

rhubarb pie, chocolate chip cookies, & deviled eggs

Not all together, of course!

It has been a productive couple of days here - I did some speed cleaning so that I could get to the fun stuff (pie and cookie making, of course).

The rhubarb in our backyard is so huge already, with some stalks almost two inches wide! I pulled a bunch of them for this pie, which turned out nicely.


I've been wanting a chocolate dessert (go figure), so my sister-in-law and I made these yummy cookies.


Hubby and I are going to a picnic tonight, so I made these deviled eggs to take along.

a culinary success day

It's pretty fabulous what a Crock Pot can do...

This morning's festivities began at 8:31am and included cutting up russet potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion. These were layered in the bottom of my trusty Crock Pot, followed by a quickly de-giblet-ed and rinsed whole chicken. (Thanks my dear husband who got groceries last night!) I sprinkled on salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence...mmm.... and added 3 cups of water and a can of cream of mushroom soup. The soup was probably unnecessary, but I wasn't really thinking about it at that point, since I had to be out the door at 8:50, firm. I set the cooker for eight hours on low, tossed some salad greens into a tupperware, grabbed salad dressing, and took off for school.

The day at school was rather stressful - we've added another destination to our choir tour, and I'm responsible for contacting people and helping to make all the necessary arrangements. There are a lot of details to figure out! I'm working on a very detailed itinerary, getting hotel quotes, and finding activities for our free day in Florida (celebrate! warm weather sounds amazing right now). I also realized that I had done the wrong reading assignment for my Theory class - it's nice to work ahead, but I certainly didn't mean to, and now I'm scrambling to finish for tomorrow's class. My final task of the day was to finish the entrance counseling for the school loan we're planning to take. The loan process is rather detailed and scary. It's frustrating to have to go into an experience where the "helpers" are only interested in making money off of me. I really hope we get to take the education tax credit again this year...

The hubby has been working extra long hours, too. It's a special challenge to be able to relate well when we're both stressed and tired. I hope tonight is a beautiful, relaxing ten minutes together before we fall asleep.

Anyway, I came home to a house that smelled absolutely delicious. Mmm! Good thing I had a granola bar at school, or I would have been ravenous. I love the way that slow-cooked chicken just falls right off the bone! I separated the chicken, veggies, and broth into separate containers so that I could make sure there were no bone pieces in anything. It sure is an oily job, but I'm glad I did it. I'm hoping to make soup with the broth sometime later this week, and there's enough chicken for all sorts of fabulous meals. Ideas, anyone?

I also took out some frozen pumpkin and made a pie (surprise!). I guess I thought the crust I had made would be big enough, but I ended up having to dump some of the filling into my smallest French White dish. Oh, well. No one minds a bit of pumpkin custard, right? It's a souffle! (a yummy souffle...I couldn't resist.)
Both turned out well...

And here's my cute Oscar-cat to finish the post. Have a good night!

the pleasures of home

DH and I went home for my grandfather's 80th birthday, and incidentally, my sister's 19th. It was a fabulous weekend - temps in the 70's, sunshine, lots of family, lots of pie.
We are a pie-eating family. Birthday pie is a tradition. Grandpa's brother, Unc, used to tell us of the days when his mother would make a pie each day for dessert after supper. All kinds of pie - from classic apple to elderberry to mincemeat. Unc insisted that, since pie slices are wedge-shaped, there's always room for dessert. He never passed up a slice of pie! And always had stories to tell as he lingered over the accompanying cup of strong coffee (with a bit of cream, no sugar).


This birthday party for Grandpa reminded me of Unc (who passed away in 2008) because of the many pie choices there were! Peach, key lime, cherry, pecan, concord grape...and then there was cake and ice cream besides. My mom decorated both cakes - a white, Swedish themed cake for Grandpa, and a chocolate one with vibrant orange and yellow flowers for my sister. These were completed with the exact number of candles for both my sister and my grandfather. Yes, there were eighty candles on that cake...

Earlier that afternoon, my siblings, husband, and I enjoyed the outdoors. Frisbee, feeding the cows and horses, petting the cats, taking pictures of flowers, hitting some golf balls, shooting a few hoops...


It was a beautiful weekend, completed by horseback riding, hiking, painting toenails with my mom, picking wildflowers, and taking pictures.
yellow violets (a study in opposites, no?)

a rare red trillium

trying

lately, i've had a lot more free time than usual. this could be a good thing, but the free time has been accompanied by mild depression, which, characteristically for me, follows times of too much stress. I have had zero motivation for anything - not even for things I enjoy doing. Today was the first day I felt like I actually accomplished anything I've been meaning to do...and my list only included making a return, buying apples, making a pie, doing laundry, calling for optometrist appointments, going to the gym, and filing papers.

Alas. But I have been taking pictures. It's a joyful thing for me - to capture something and to view it closer than I can in real life.

Another joyful thing for me is singing, but I can't seem to get myself to practice like I should! I have had enough time in every day to do this, but it just doesn't get done. Part of the deterrent is my digital piano - it doesn't have external speakers, so i have to practice with earbuds in my ears. It's hard to hear myself like that. Regardless, I should still be practicing. Right now.

But I'm not! And I'm frustrated about this, but still having a hard time getting myself to practice.