I'm Benched

Too much going on and I'm down for the count.

It's been one of those months....

This is not the post I planned on writing at all...and I'm probably not going to sound like my usual self, as I am still all medicated up, and I am sure I will just be blunt, and to the point, and I must beat the blurs, as I will explain in a moment.

I will say that November began abruptly with me in the ER with a very painful kidney stone. And just a week later I had knee surgery (scheduled). All was well with the knee for two days, then back into the ER I went with a very painful blood clot and I was admitted into the hospital for a couple of days to adjust for blood thinners and shots I had to administer myself. Once out of the hospital, I was back in the ER again, this time for stroke symptoms. The whole bit...my left side feeling heavy, shortness of breath, dizzy, weakness, and never mind I have a blood clot in me...but it turned out (thank God) to be an anxiety attack.

So back home I go, feeling very grateful. Nothing changes you so quickly, as it does while you lie on the table getting a CT scan, and feeling very weak, and wondering if your life is about to change drastically, and why did is this happening? It is very scary having three ER techs running all around you sticking things on you, reading lab slips, taking blood, doing EKG, and mumbling a lot of stuff and all I know is that I can't hold my cell phone in my left hand without it shaking. I ended up feeling stupid  when I found out it was "only an anxiety attack." But then I realized, "stupid"? why in the world would I want it to be anything but that? The doctor reassured me that with me having a kidney stone, then knee surgery, then a blood clot, and so on, that anxiety attack wasn't surprising. 

Then the two days later I am back in the ER again, yes again, for the most painful event in my life. I was standing near my sofa, and I barely bent over, and many blood vessels, underneath my kneecap burst open and since I was now on blood thinners due to the blood clot, it was one very, very painful mess in the ER for about six hours before I got any medical relief. I would gladly take 20 kidney stones at one time, before I ever go through that again. 

I need a drink...

So I was admitted into the hospital again, this time for six friggin days, and knocked out with meds for three days to control the horrific pain. I finally got home the week of Thanksgiving, and I am currently bedridden. My living room looks like a hospital ward with my wheelchair, potty, crutches, brace, walker, blood thinner shots, tons of meds, bandages...actually, more like a MASH unit. 

I am currently exhausted, and recovering and will begin PT this coming week. I can walk on crutches, and can do it well, but I am supposed to keep my leg up until I get my PT going. It is very surprising to me how tired I get though. This is frustrating as I am a mover, doer, going, and this is a horrible time of the year to not be able to cook, decorate, or shop. I am ready to blast through PT...we'll see :)

I'm going to have to cut this short, as the meds have a side affect of having me see "the blurs" and then double after only a short time of reading or writing, but I am told this will wear off soon. (I hope so...I love to read...but seeing things twice, isn't much fun actually.)

It's funny how life will throw you a real curve ball at times, you know? Just sorta sucks when you aren't wearing a mitt to catch it because boy does it stings when it gets you. This time last year, my posts were so very different. 

But that's okay.

I think the time to really start worrying is when life quits throwing those curve balls at you. Because when that happens, that means you aren't in the game anymore. And being in the game is what life is all about. 

I am just benched for now. Just for now.  :-)

From my house to your house,

Inside and Out of a Little Fried Pie

Hello!

Hoping you all are doing well. Been super swamped, as I am sure you have too. Last post, I showed you a few sneak peeks of the fried pies I made for an upcoming book, Pieography, by Jo Packham, that I am honored to be a part of (just found out to be due out early March 2013, so I will talk about it again). You can read about the book in my last post.

I promised that I would show how I made these little bites of delights and how, last year for Christmas, I wrapped them and set them on  my table for my dinner guests. But these little fried pies are great year round and so easy to make....but I won't be giving out the exact recipe....that you will find in the book!

Well let's get started with the behind the scenes photos...the messy stuff...where the real work is and you can see for yourself just how easy they really are to make....

I used about a 6' little soup bowl...

I use a little frosting tip as a key to my fillings....

Keeping your fork in ice helps the fork to do its job better!

 

Another frosting tip design....another type of filling inside!

Running out of room....piemania...taking over...

 This is just one of my favorite fillings...this one and the coconut one. You can find these with the better jams in the grocery store. They are delicious!

A little key to the designs on the pies...to put in the box.

Little sleeves please!

The little box can be found at The Container store...

 Now, do you think I would show you all of this just before the holidays and then tell you....too bad...the book isn't out until March and no recipe? Well, to be fair to the publisher, I can't give out the recipe...but I CAN suggest that you just use ready-made pie crust and it is still very delicious! (But the book is filled with great recipes!) The little sweet curds are so very tasty and besides...it is the fact that you made them by hand and with love is what counts. 

Just be sure to make a lot. They go quickly and most likely, many will never make it out the door!

I hope you enjoy your fall and holiday preparation in a slow and happy manner and not rushed this year. Take time to enjoy it and know that every year brings new things to be experienced and once the year is gone...we can't go back and do it again.

Do you ever get a dessert that is "too pretty to eat" and you are afraid to stab a fork at this work of art? And when you finally take a stab and then a bite, it isn't nearly as great as it looks? Not the case with the little fried pie. They don't look perfect, but they almost invite you to take a bite. That is what I like about them. They are better on the inside than on the out, which means they never let you down...like a true friend.

from my house to your house,
Elizabeth

If My Life was a Pie...

Hello!

I hope you are all well, happy, and getting ready for the fall! First, I want to thank my precious guest blogger, my little Lulu, the faux Brit pug, who wrote my last post, as I have been here, there, and everywhere and still have to download photos! Thank you Lulu for doing a wonderful job. Lulu asks me to tell you she loved all your comments, but she didn't know how to reply, but she loved them!  :-)

I have lots to share, but it may be a bit before I can get to my adventure photos as I am on a deadline for a fun project, so in the meantime, I wanted to share with you a wonderful project that is about to come out very soon!

A new book is about to come out that Jo Packham, editor-in-chief of Where Women Cook, called Pieography. Where Pie Meets Biography. 

Pieography

This book can be pre-ordered now on Amazon, just click on the title above for the link. This is a fabulous book that I am honored to be a small part of. Jo asked many creative women (not sure how many, over 30) what kind of pie captures the essence of their life? We were to write a short essay on what kind of pie would capture us best, and then give out our recipe and in some cases, we could photograph our pie. And yes, I photographed my pie.  Jo Packham is a creative author, publisher, editor, artist, writer and much more and you may also know her as the originator of Where Women Create.

I can't tell you what an honor it was to be asked to participate in such a beautiful book. I have no idea of who else in it and I have only seen a couple of photos, but by the cover and the little I have seen, I am very humbled. 

I am going to share with you what kind of pie I felt best captured the essence of my life, but not my recipe! Not for a while....yes, of course...I want you to support Jo's efforts and these women in the book, so hopefully by sharing some photos that weren't used in the book, that will inspire you to pre-order, or at least think about giving it as a gift to that special baker in your life. Honestly, I am not just saying this, but this would be a book that I would love to get as a gift...and think about it...you could bookmark the recipe that you "would just love to try" and the baker in your life would just have to make it for you! 

It would be the gift that keeps on giving....hahaha.

The assignment isn't as easy as it sounds...we got only 300 words, if I remember correctly. What kind of pie? What kind of pie, I wondered. A fruit pie? I am a little fruity? A pecan pie? That is pretty Texan, if you ask me. Or how about at cream pie? I don't think so...I'm not that diplomatic lately...hmmmm. 

After much thought, I realized my life couldn't be expressed in just one pie....nope. I have had way too many adventures, walked (ran actually) on way too many paths, and plan to do so many more things, that my life just couldn't be contained in one big ole pie dish. In fact, I realized, my life couldn't be contained at all...phooey on the baking dish....

So, I decided, that Little Fried Pies...those best captured the essence of my life. They are from the South, as I am. You get a whole pie to yourself, as I throw my whole self into work, fun, friendships and adventures. They are handy...no plate, or fork needed...perfect for on the go, just like my adventures...on the go, go, go. And mostly? The fillings are all different...you just never know what you are going to get...sorta like an adventure with every pie...

Well, after the book comes out, I will share with you my essay. And those of you who know me, or have been reading for me years, you can decide from what you know about me, if Little Fried Pies seem to capture what you know about me or not.

But what about you? What kind of pie do you think would capture the essence of your life? It is kind of fun to think about. What kind of pie would capture a moment, circumstance or situation your experienced in your life? 

I grew up with these little fried pies. My father favored the pecan pies and my mother loved the coconut cream filled. We always had a freezer full of the day-old 10 cent Mrs. Baird's fried pies. Actually, I love frozen fried pies. I love to eat a lot of stuff frozen, actually. I know, weird. But my gal pal, Gretchen, is my frozen buddy...she loves to eat frozen food too!

Something fun to do? Get with a gal pal and decide on what kind of pie you think you would be and why and decide what kind of pie you think your buddy would be and why and then guess what each other's type of pie you chose for yourselves and for each other and why. It is fun!

In the book I give a fab recipe on how to make the dough and give all sorts of ideas for the fillings.

On my next post, I will show you how I boxed them up last Christmas as gifts and show you how I made them as well! Just in time for you to make them maybe this year for your holidays, if you like giving aways treats as gifts.

By then, I should be off my deadline for my current project and have my photos downloaded to share with you my wonderful adventures. Hopefully this post will inspire you to start thinking about some homemade ways to give gifts this year, as money always seems tight, but for some reason, giving homemade goodies is always appreciated. 

I adore homemade gifts, and while you, my readers, are the Queens (and Kings!) of crafting, cooking, and creating...think of all those shoppers in the malls next month or so, rushing around, buying whatever their credit limit will allow...fighting the weather, the crowds, and noise. 

And if you choose to make goodies, you can be warm in your own kitchen, listening to your own music, around your own family, saving money, and creating memories without racking up the credit cards. Just something to consider.

Until then, enjoy the fall weather and know that no matter the gift and no matter its cost; it's the created memories that never wear out.

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth