Sunday, December 07, 2008

Sunday Pie

I was thinking Sunday Pie would be kind of a good title to use for Sunday posts, in general, on a regular basis -- because my weekends are a bit of a jumble and the word "salon" just feels somehow wrong to describe my Sundays. But, actually, the reason I came up with it was because of a pie that landed on my doorstep on Friday, and I'm being literal, here. On Friday, this gorgeous strawberry rhubarb pie from Mom's Apple Pie Company arrived in the mail, thanks to Kookie. Remember Kookie, formerly of A Fraternity of Dreamers (now retired from blogging?) Well, we were discussing rhubarbs and how they're a northern thing that I never got around to tasting, even when we lived way the heck up there in the frozen north. So, she got online and ordered the pie, shown below:

How cool is that? I have meant to take a photo of an individual slice, but whenever I cut myself a piece I just can't be bothered to grab the camera because I end up rolling my eyes in ecstasy and then suddenly my slice is gone. This pie is really absolutely perfect -- just the right amount of sweetness, not enough so that it'll make you queasy, with a light, perfectly-flavored, flaky crust. Shoot, I could just sit and munch on the crust, alone, all day. I highly recommend ordering from Mom's Apple Pie Company if you're looking for a nice dessert to send someone for Christmas. Or, for any other reason.

Bookwise: I am all over the place. Yes, I'm a bit of an ADD reader, anyway, but usually I can focus enough to complete the reading of a book every 2 or 3 days. This month has just been Attention Deficit Goes Insane. I'm currently reading 7 books. I'm enjoying every single one of them, but I'm doing sort of a musical books thing . . . read a little of one book, put it down, read a little of another book, set it aside, read a little of another. On and on, round and round we go.

There's one book I managed to finish (apart from the dragonfly children's book), but it's one I found in a bin full of books in the garage -- no help whatsoever toward hacking down the recent TBRs, but I liked it and that's that. Here 'tis:

Stories from the Heart by various authors -- Much like a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, this book (published in 1996 by Multnomah Books) has short entries about faith, family, love, etc. Some are deeply touching and brought tears to my eyes. A few made me smile or laugh. A couple were familiar, but I haven't the foggiest idea where I may have read them. The book is no longer in print, as far as I can tell, so I was unable to locate an image. I kept it in the bedroom and just read 2 or 3 entries per day, pinches and bits till it was done.

Books I'm currently reading:

King George: What Was His Problem? by Steve Sheinkin, Illustrated by Tim Robinson - This is a Young Adult nonfiction book that I snatched up at the library and it's due quite soon. The author says he used to write textbooks; for years he set aside all the interesting stories that his bosses would have probably fired him for adding to those dry old school books. Whilst laboring away at organizing boring facts, dates, charts, and other things he knew would likely put students to sleep, he set aside the stories he liked --the stuff that makes history rock -- and now he's writing a series of fun books. All history should be this enjoyable to read.

Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion - The true tale of one couple's travels around the U.S. in a converted bus. And, by converted, I mean "ridiculously luxurious". The fact that the author is all about fancy brand names and that she and her spouse settled on kitchen counter material that cost $320 per square foot (it was, in fact, harvested underwater) combined with the author's breezy -- if a bit uppity -- style gives this book a bit of a chick lit tone. I'm enjoying it, but . . . let's just say I can imagine the head-to-toe scan the author would give me if I entered her territory, and that puts me off a bit.

My Sister Dilly by Maureen Lang - This one's a novel. Hannah loved her life in Los Angeles, but since her sister Dilly's conviction for a crime she probably wouldn't have committed if she'd just had a bit of help from friends and relatives, Hannah has planned to return to small-town Iowa to atone for her absence when Dilly desperately needed her. Things aren't turning out quite the way she planned, though. This book is so good. Brittanie sent it to me because she thought I would like it and so far it's wonderful. Thank you, Brittanie!

Hurricane of Independence, Fear in North Carolina, The Pages in Between and Enslaved by Ducks -- Wow, I had no idea I read so much nonfiction, truly I didn't. Each of these are interesting for completely different reasons, but Enslaved by Ducks is decidedly the most fun and the one I'm picking up most often because I like to laugh and I love animals. It's a light-hearted book about pet ownership.

This is weird: I love bath fizzies and keep a pretty decent supply. Walmart has some 6-packs of fizzies in their Christmas package section and my friend Judy likes smelly bath stuff, as well, so I bought several -- two for gift-giving and one for myself. I tried one out and its fizz fizzled. Meaning, it worked for a while and then just lay there, a cratered lump on the bottom of the tub. It left this odd-looking streak of purple bleeding across the enamel and there wasn't much scent. Bizarre. I'm taking the other two 6-packs back. I've never encountered fizzies that didn't work, before. Judy has read one book the entire time I've known her, whilst her husband reads approximately one book per day (sometimes more) or I'd buy her a book, of course. Poor Judy. I hate to think what she's missing.

Speaking of which . . . gotta go. And, I'm going to use something I know smells good and fizzes till it's gone, this time. Happy reading!

39 comments:

  1. oh, I loved My Sister Dilly! And Strawberry Rhubarb pie!

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  2. Talk about things that I love!

    The pie looks amazing but I gotta admit that I make one heck of a strawberry rhubarb pie myself.

    And I would so love to take a long, hot bath right now. It would help my achy knees and back but my bathroom is cold under normal conditions and at the moment it is 14F with a wind chill of 7... which translates into it's too darned cold to soak in a hot tub!

    I hope you enjoyed it for me!

    cjh

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  3. Bath fizzies...interesting..Very sad that it left a purple streak in your tub! But they sound quite relaxing in general!

    That pie look delicious! So good that I may just head over to their site and order something. Me and my dad have both been craving custard pie lately and we can't find them anywhere down here. McKenzie's used to have an amazing custard pie ages ago, but they're one of the sad things that New Orleans no longer has...I miss McKenzie's :( I've never had rhubarb before though! I may have to check that out!

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  4. I love "Sunday Pie" and think you should continue it. Very cool.

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  5. When we lived in Toronto my mom grew rhubarb in our backyard. Strawberry rhubarb is still one of my favorite desserts even though it is tough to find a good one down here in the south. Yummy!! I hope you enjoy!

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  6. Mmmm...mail pie. I love rhubarb. My grandmother had some in her garden. We'd eat it straight out of the ground. Tart!

    What a nice thing for Kookie to do!

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  7. Anonymous7:31 AM

    howdy! I LOVE PIE!! I planted rhubarb and hope to have a bounty next year for pie baking... I think Sunday Pie would be an awesome theme.

    I've read all your posts that I've missed but won't comment on them all... I'm still shy about re-entering this blog-mania. So hard to take a long break, I tell ya.

    SO WAHOO! for you and sorry abt the bath no-fizzles.

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  8. Amy,

    I've been reading more of My Sister Dilly, this morning. It's such a good story. I find the characters very real. Apparently, Kookie is not alone in her love for strawberry rhubarb! :)

    CJ,

    My friend from the UP is the one who told me about rhubarbs in pie. She grew her own, but not while we were both living in U of M family housing -- there wasn't much garden space. I'd drop in on you if you were cooking strawberry rhubarb pie and I just happened to be nearby. ;)

    During the winter, I crank the heat just before bath time. Must have bath, period. I did enjoy my bath! It smelled terrific and the water temp was just right.

    Chris,

    The purple streak was a temporary thing; usually the whole tub turns the color of the fizzie, so . . . you know, it was just bizarre. Who ever heard of a fizzie that lost its fizz?

    I don't think I've ever had a custard pie, either. You should definitely try a strawberry rhubarb pie. It is so delicious. Plus, 67% of Americans are cutting back for Christmas, so we have to keep Mom's Apple Pie Co. in business, don't we? LOL

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  9. Nikki,

    Thank you! I think I will. Sunday Pie it a much more fitting name, at least for me. I hope that doesn't mean I have to eat pie weekly, though. LOL

    Trish,

    I don't think we can get rhubarb at all in our area -- maybe in Jackson, but I sure don't remember seeing any. Now, I'll have to look! You lived in Toronto? I love Toronto! And, yep, it's kind of way north. You might have to order a pie, just for the memories. ;)

    Chris,

    I know . . . I would never have thought to sit down and order someone a pie. It was so cool; it came via FedEx and he even held the box right, so the pie arrived in perfect shape. You ate rhubarb straight out of the garden? I guess we all did something like that. I remember munching on clover and sucking the juice out of honeysuckle. My kids ate the wild blackberries in our yard. How cool!

    Kookie's a sweetheart. :)

    Care,

    I can't wait to hear about your rhubarb when it comes up, next year. You'll have to take photos. All I've seen, at this point, is the little picture of a rhubarb on the pie package. I still haven't seen a real-life rhubarb . . . although I know it's inside that pie, somewhere, and it tastes really good. LOL

    Oh, dear, don't ever feel obligated to comment on everything. It's hard when you've been gone. I periodically feel overwhelmed and just empty my Google Reader. There are only so many hours in a day, you know? I'm glad you made it back safely!

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  10. I remember sucking the juice out of honeysuckle too. I wonder what my kids will remember like that? Must put Steve Sheinkin books on my wish list. Teens and I all love learning real history, not our textbook version. His books would be a good addition to a classroom library. Hmmm, Queen of the Road - first time I've seen it described this way. Interesting. Its still on my wishlist and probably will be for a long time as I've vowed to read my TBR pile. I've been all over the place with my reading too. It depends on which room I'm in. Good luck with your reading.

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  11. Anonymous9:30 AM

    I've heard such great things about Enslaved By Ducks. Please post a review when you're done.

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  12. Bree,

    I'll still suck a honeysuckle, if given the chance. Some of us never grow up.

    Amen on the history. In his introductory note, he asks readers to forgive him for formerly writing those boring textbooks. LOL

    I've read quite a few Queen of the Road reviews and I never got the impression she was such a pampered "princess", but maybe I skimmed them. It'll be fun to see where it goes. I'm enjoying the book; it's just not quite what I expected!

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  13. Kathy,

    Will do. I'm enjoying it immensely, but reading a wee bit slowly because I'm so scattered. It'll probably be a few days. :)

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  14. Mm, I love strawberry rhubarb pie. Although I don't think any could taste better than my mom's.

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  15. OMG! Strawberry rhubarb pie? You're killing me here!!! I love rhubarb and it's almost non-existant here. Most Japanese haven't even heard of it. I finally found some French rhubarb jam at a cool galette (buckwheat crepes) shop and had to get it even though it was about $14 for a little jar! And to think that when I was growing up in Manitoba we had loads of the stuff.

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  16. Jeane,

    I love it, now. :) My mother made great pies, too. Her cherry tarts were awesome.

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  17. Nat,

    Sorry. :) Yeah, strawberry-rhubarb. Yummm. It must be a cold-weather lover because we have none here, either. Not a sub-tropical plant. LOL It's funny the things we think will always be at hand till we move away, isn't it? I never dreamed I'd live somewhere that didn't have a wheat field, nearby, believe it or not. There's nothing I love more than driving past miles and miles and miles of waving wheat, now.

    Psst, that $14 jar of rhubarb jam was probably worth it! :)

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  18. I enjoyed your Sunday Pie (and the actual pie looks delicious).

    King George: What Was His Problem does sound like fun, and who can go wrong with illustrations from Tim Robinson?

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  19. I KNEW Nat would get excited about seeing the rhubarb pie. :)

    You make that pie sound so delicious, I think I might have to pick one up for Christmas. Fortunately, I just have to walk around the corner to get one for myself. :D

    Love that you loved it!

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  20. Lived up there for 7 years (age 2-9), so I was pretty little. We just went back for a visit in August, though: http://ts-travel.blogspot.com/2008/08/toronto-august-2008.html

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  21. haha, I am an ADD reader, myself. I am trying to stop, though, because when I cleaned my bookshelves the other day I found that I had a lot of books with bookmarks in them that I had started and probably meant to finish, but never did! It's my goal for the New Year...

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  22. Christina,

    Thank you! I love the sound of the name "Sunday Pie," so I think I'll stick with that one. Maybe I'll even attempt to make a button.

    King George, etc., is such fun. I feel like I'm learning a lot. And, yep, the illustrations are terrific. :)

    Kookie!!!

    It's so nice to "see" you in here! You made poor Nat drool, I think. I wonder if they ship overseas.

    You can walk around the corner to get a strawberry rhubarb pie? Oooh, baby. I am turning green, here. It is really, really good. I make hubby fix my slices because he gives me small servings and I know I'd be a total pig and eat 1/4 of a pie at once, if I sliced it myself.

    You're a gem, Kookie. Many, many thanks. :)

    Trish,

    I still remember Kansas City, and we moved away from Kansas when I was 2 years old, so I'll bet you have plenty of terrific memories. I'll check out your travel blog. Toronto is the coolest. I was going through some bins, the other day, and I found a receipt from The World's Largest Bookstore.

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  23. I am a bath fizzy fan too! I especially like the ones from LUSH. Maybe Santa will put some in my stocking.

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  24. Kailana,

    I have that problem. It's kind of horrifying, but I've gotten to where I do a "two strikes and you're out" thing with books, now. Since I know I'm a moody reader, I'll give all my books a second chance. If they don't take on the second attempt, though, away they go. There's just not enough space to keep all those books, anymore.

    Amy,

    Well, naturally, I had to rush right off to check out LUSH, which I'd never heard of. Oh, dear. those look kind of wonderful! I suggest dropping loud hints whenever Santa's around. ;)

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  25. I LOVE strawberry-rhubarb pie! What a treat for you!! And how sweet of Kookie. :)

    7 books? You are one crazy woman!! I can't even handle two at a time, what with all the book and photo blogs that eat up my time (not to mention the crazy retail business - recession?? What recession??!).

    So good to hear you're enjoying Enslaved by Ducks. I'm sure Bob will appreciate a positive review. ;)

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  26. Les,

    I do, too, now that I've tried it! Kookie's an angel. She says she's my Fairy Piemother. LOL

    Yes, 7. And, I thought about picking up an 8th book, today, because I'm that bad. Fortunately, I stopped myself. The recession thing . . . I don't know. I think it depends on where you live and what store's you're patronizing. Walmart is dying, here. That is soooo weird because Walmart is prety much it. But, the outlet stores were crowded, today. I went out and did my part to bolster the economy, see . . .

    I love Enslaved by Ducks! I love Bob! I want to be Bob's friend. Not that I'd want him to live next door, but if he lived up the street a ways, I'd visit him and ask him to teach me all about his animals and I'm just certain we'd have a rollicking good time. And, Linda wouldn't mind a bit because I'd tell her how cool it is that she and the animals reformed him.

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  27. Ooops, Les, sorry about all those typos. STORES, not store's and PRETTY, rather than prety. Sheesh.

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  28. Anonymous9:18 PM

    ohhh! PIE! Yummy! Darn, I want one now :D
    I wish I knew how to bake them! My crusts always becomes so hard, it is ridiculous! :(

    You are reading too many books :P

    I have no clue what fizzies are :)

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  29. I think I've had rhubarb just once in my life, and I loved it. The looks yummy, bet it tasted 10 times that. But I totally understand the urge to consume and forget the camera. Happens to me all the time too. haha!

    I love pies too. Have you seen "Waitress"? It's a movie pie heaven.

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  30. haha, yeah, but when they strike out I take them to the second hand store and come home with more books... I never have enough shelf space. lol

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  31. Veens,

    I'm not a very good cook so I'm clueless about your crust problems.

    I finished one book, last night, but I immediately started reading another. Still reading 7. I know, ridiculous.

    Fizzies are scented things that you stick in bathwater and . . . it's literal . . . they fizz until they're gone, scenting and coloring the bathwater in the process. They're also sometimes called bath bombs, but I like the name fizzy better.

    Indigo,

    It is one awesome pie. I think I'll have some for breakfast.

    No, I haven't seen Waitress. I need to watch that one. Thanks for the reminder!

    Kailana,

    I wish we had a 2nd-hand bookstore. We used to have two of them and both closed around the same time. I do use Paperback Swap, though, and it gets me in plenty of trouble. Since I also donate to the library and give away a lot of books, I don't always come home with more, but . . . well, there are other ways they sneak into the house. :)

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  32. I've never had rhubarb either actually. I never understood why textbooks are made to put you asleep. My little brother has ADD and I'd have to take him online and show him videos and try to make learning fun because he wasn't retaining anything from his book. I'll have to mention Sheinkin's books to me cousin-in-law (she's a teacher).

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  33. Tink,

    You definitely need to ask Santa for a rhubarb pie. We have enough for just one more slice. Oh, I'm going to be sorry to see that pie go!

    As to the textbooks . . . you and me both. I'm a little on the ADD side (not diagnosed as such, since it wasn't really a recognized condition when we were kids; I was "hyper", though) and had to do a lot of pinching myself, walking around, taking copious notes to get through textbooks. I'd love to hear what your cousin-in-law thinks of the book!

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  34. Anonymous6:00 PM

    Bookfool... Thanks so much for your nice comment about my book "Enslaved by Ducks." I appreciate the kind words. You might also like the sequel, "Fowl Weather."

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  35. You are reading SEVEN books right now??!! Wow! That takes talent! :)

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  36. Bob,

    You're very welcome! I'm still reading, but I already know I'm going to want to eventually follow up with Fowl Weather. I love your writing. :)

    Laura,

    I think it mostly takes a really scattered person, but thank you. I just finished another one and I've got about 4 that I keep tossing longing glances. It's possible I'm insane. LOL

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  37. mmm, pie. I think all Sundays should have some of that :)

    I had heard of the Queen of the Road book but just knew it'd probably not be my kind of reading. Will look forward to your review to see if it confirms some of my thoughts.

    I'm juggling four books now but am getting very tempted to throw in another. I think you've challenged me to do so :)

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  38. Anonymous1:54 PM

    LOL! Yes, I am an ADD read too. Right now I am switching all my feeds from GR to FeedDemon. And at the same time, I am getting caught up with my blog reading.

    Sooooo....got any more of that pie. I am feeling a break coming on pretty soon. I can make coffee...lol!

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  39. Iliana,

    I'm pretty sure you're right about that. Sunday and pie go well together. :)

    I usually love road trip memoirs, but I'm not so sure about this one. We'll see -- still have a long way to go and this is a shopping day. I'm only home briefly.

    4 books! That's plenty! Except, you know, I'll probably add a couple, today, now that I finished one and am on the verge of wrapping up another. :)

    J. Kaye,

    I'm not familiar with FeedDemon. I'll bet you've posted about it, though, and I'll find out. Right now, I think my GR has a backlog of something on the order of 600 posts. Between that storm and Christmas shopping, I haven't had much catch-up time.

    One slice left! If you hurry, I'll split it with you. :)

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