She’s been plagued with Alzheimer’s for the last 10 years or so, so while it’s always sad to lose a family member, I’m also grateful that she’s no longer a prisoner to her darkened mind.

I didn’t know Mama Maude very well–she lived in Pennsylvania and I grew up far away down South–but we exchanged letters for a period of time when I was in grade school and I remember visiting her for her 80th birthday party. She made us sticky buns for breakfast one morning and we loved taking evening baths in her claw-footed tub upstairs. That was the first time I remember playing in the snow and I can still see the sea-foamy green paint on the walls in her living room.

Thinking about Mama Maude got me to thinking about my Grandma Sally, Maude’s daughter, my dad’s mom (or “mum” as she says it). She and Granddad lived only minutes away when I was a child. We ate Sunday dinner at their house every week growing up. All birthday parties were held in their living room and each Thanksgiving, my sister and I would arrive early to help make the pies. Karly did the pumpkin and I was all over the pecan. The recipe we used belonged to Mama Vic, my other great-grandmother (Granddad’s “mum”). It was also the “official” pecan pie recipe on board the “Lazybones”, my grandparents first boat. This was the dessert they fed the tourists who came for a ride up and down the Orange River in Florida.

I’d love to share it with you.

Mama Vic’s Pecan Pie

(my sisters and I say it pee-can, although Maude and Vic probably pronounced it pe-cahn seeing as they were Yankees from PA [grin])

1 9″ pie crust (this is a great one)
1 cup dark Karo syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
3 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1. Combine syrup, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix with mixer till smooth.
2. Stir in pecans and pour into crust.
3. Line edge with foil strip to avoid burning the crust.
4. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
5. Remove foil strip and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until center doesn’t jiggle.
6. Let cool completely.

*Variation for High Altitude: Reduce heat to 325

Sept. 9, 2010

Dearest Cookie (a.k.a. Frit),
Did you realize that the last day of Summer is this month? Well, it is. The 21st of September to be exact. And so I propose … a dress up dinner party hostessed by toi et moi (that’s “you and me” in French. I learned that the other day when I was watching my French subtitled movie from Netflix On Demand). A “Farewell to Summer” dinner party if you will.
What do you think? Invite 4 ladies, dresses required, and fancy to boot?
Fondly,
Kristafer

The reply to which, was:

Dear Cookie. Stop.

Though I am saddened to hear that summer will be departing, I think a dinner party in honor of the warm days is a splendid idea.

Sincerely. Cordially. And affectionately.

Frit

(Sidenote: I illustrated the banner on our invitations which you are free to download here if you would like use it in the future. Simply paste into a Word document or other editing program, type in your party info, and print. *Remember–it’s for personal use only. Please do not sell my illustration or anything made from my illustration. Stealing makes me sad.)

As for place settings, I used large white dinner plates, chartreuse linen napkins with silverware to the sides (knife and spoon on the right, fork on the left … in case you wondered), beveled glass bowls for the dinner rolls, stemmed glasses for iced water and mason jars for lemonade. It was summer casual meets simple elegance.

On the menu we had:

This month we were paired with two semi-retired couples with lots of grandkids. It was such a fun night with story after story and plenty of laughter. Brother Rigby even gave us the inside scoop on some of his favorite fishing holes. “It’s a dandy,” he said, referring to a particular spot near Deer Creek.

Dandy. Now that is a word I’m going to be using more frequently. I’d say we all ought to try and get its use back in regular rotation.

So for the dinner, we were assigned a side dish and dessert. I’d seen a picture of a this salad on my old writing group leader’s site and knew I’d love it. I added a couple ingredients to her recipe, and it was so fast, easy, light and fresh. I thought you might like to try it too. It’s a dandy.

Tomato-Corn Salad

(serves 8)

10 minutes prep, 60 minutes chill (optional)

• 5 ears of corn
• 5 Roma tomatoes
• 4 bunches green onions
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• feta cheese to taste
• avocado to taste

1. Boil corn for about 5 minutes and cut from ears.

2. While corn is boiling dice tomatoes (not too small) and slice onions (I just cut mine with kitchen shears).

3. Combine corn, tomatoes, and onions in serving bowl.

4. Drizzle ingredients in bowl with olive oil.

5. Add feta cheese and toss.

6. Chill for at least one hour. (This is ideal but it’s no biggie if you don’t have time.)

7. Slice avocado just before serving and arrange on top.

Notes:

You can easily change the proportion of ingredients. It’s all really just to taste. I was also thinking next time, I’d like to try adding a bit of fresh basil. And of course you could add some black beans and either still serve it as a side salad or with chips as a salsa option.

Enjoy!

Tell me: Do you have a go-to easy summer recipe? If so, please email it to me or put the link to it in the comments below. I’m always looking for good recipes!

+++

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Well that’s where I’ve been. And when I feel that way, I retreat until I am able to come up for air (hence the blogging hiatus). I think maybe it was the 6-month mark of being unemployed that hit me. Well that, and this other thing in my life that has forced me to look at my worries and fears and scars and insecurities left over from past experiences. And that combined with the reality that this business has to work (it has to), I found myself digging deep inside myself, sifting through the rubble created by the whirlwind I’ve lived in for the last few months.

I’ve felt consumed by the “business side” of this professional venture and when I’m in that mode, I find it hard to be creative. Which is a tricky thing when you “do” creative for a living. And yet, I’ve also found myself extraordinarily happy (also due in part, I’m pretty certain, to this other thing in my life), which makes me feel creative. So basically I’ve just been a mish-mash of right brain and left brain, cautious and hopeful, scared to death and ready to jump, blank with no ideas and overflowing with so many ideas I don’t know where to start.

Are you still with me? (I’m not sure I’m even still with me so don’t feel bad if you’re lost.)

So anyways, I’ve been cleaning out the clutter, or trying at least. Letting go of things that don’t matter anymore and framing in front of me the things I want most. I’ve been pre-occupied with a gallon of happy possibility that I can’t drink fast enough. And I’ve been diving into what I really want from this life I’ve chosen and committing to making its success a reality rather than treating it like a hobby.

But I’ve lacked words, which is weird for me. And I’ve not known where to start when it comes to creating again. So in an effort to just take a baby step forward, I made a tart. Yes. I made a tart. It was #29 on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days and I knew it was doable. And it was delicious.

So here’s to baby steps. Here’s to recommitting to the lives we want and are totally possible. And while you’re at it, go make a tart.

Preparation

Stir together first 4 ingredients. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; set aside.

Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, and egg yolks until blended.

Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; fold into condensed milk mixture. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 325° for 20 to 25 minutes or just until filling is set. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Remove tart from pan, and place on a serving dish.

Beat whipping cream and granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Dollop around edges of tart; garnish, if desired.