Carrie: Day 21 - Pie Day!!

My big project today was using all the strawberries and blueberries my mom left in my house - she and my dad drove up and stayed in my house for a few days while I was gone since their hardwood floors were being redone. So I came home to TONS of delicious fruit about 2 days from going bad… Easiest solution? PIE!! I honestly didn't have to make very many changes, since I make my pie crust with vegetable shortening rather than butter normally. The only tricky item to find was a substitute for gelatin - in the second grocery store, I found xanthan gum. Agar-agar would have been my first choice, but I went with it. Only difference is, you have to remember to use half as much xanthan gum as you would gelatin, otherwise the result will be too gummy.

I was a little off my game on pie crust today… I made the dough slightly too dry (grrrrr, rookie mistake!), so when I rolled it out it kept cracking and falling apart. I made it work after a few tries, but it was smaller than normal. I didn't even try going for aesthetic value… Once I made the dough stick together in a shape that reasonably resembled a crust, I went with it. After letting it cool I poured in the fruit filling I concocted, stuck it in the fridge to sit, and VOILA! Yummy fruit pie… Always a fav :)

I had previously volunteered to help out at a retreat for sexual assault survivors (I volunteer with a local center as an emergency response advocate) so I knew I was going to be tired coming home around dinnertime. The plan was tomato and avocado gorditas, but unfortunately I was correct in assuming I would be too tired - the last thing I wanted to do was get back in that kitchen and make the gordita dough… Luckily, I had made the filling before I left. Pretty basic with tomato, avocado, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeños. It was still very tasty in a toasted wheat pita with a little hummus on top. Followed by a piece of the fruit pie now that it was cooled enough to cut, it was a very tasty, relaxing meal!

I have another 3-4 servings of the filling left, so maybe I'll try the gorditas later in the week. With that, the pie, and the Wellington from last night, I probably won't be cooking again until Wednesday or Thursday… I'm very glad to have such yummy stuff to take to work this week!!

In other news, I have an out-of-town wedding next weekend. Dang, so much temptation!! The cake is always what I look forward to the most at weddings, but since I will have to skip it this time, I guess I'll just substitute with vegetables.

…Just kidding! I meant substitute with the open bar. Yay for free booze!

Until tomorrow...

xoxo

Carrie