Little sisters - who knew theyd be cool

So, my friend Natalia had her little sister visiting this past month.  Now, this could be a combination of many things...but for the first time in EVER I enjoyed being around a teenager.  To the point of actually wanting to hang out with her.  She was fun, super fun to embarrass, creative, and intuitive.  Now, it could just be that Nebai in her own right is just a great human - or it could be that I am growing up more - or not caring as much.  I got a kick out of embarrassing her when I took her to the Lentil Festival.  This is apparently the 3rd largest festival for lentils in the US...or something silly like that.  It could have all fit on a high school football field.  None the less, Free Lentil Chili and free lemonaid is a perfect way to feed a 14 yr old when you (the adult) have no cash.  I felt kinda bad when she purchased shaved ice for us to share...but then I felt kinda cool.  Mooching off a 14yr old!  Im 2x her age and she was buying me things...ha ha ha haha

The best part was getting her a big rubber diaphragm from the Planned Parenthood booth.  Of course, I had to have a talk with her about these things and how this was meant to be a beer coozie and not use for sexual activities.  Then I realized she was 14 and she shouldn't be using it as a beer coozie either...so we talked about that too.  Gosh!  Id make a great big sister!!  Oh yes, my shame gets worse because not only did she buy shaved ice, but she also purchased Indian Flat bread because shed never had it before.  Again, I was without cash....so I got her a balloon and some stickers to make up for it.  Fare trade no??  Sex education, Alcohol education, stickers, balloons, and a beer coozie diaphragm!  I can't wait to meet my nephew!

Rite of passage

So, Ive been told that it is every woman's responsibility - no rite of passage that she must make her own fruit pie one day.  Also I just watched Julia & Julie or whatever the name of that movie is...and I was inspired....inspired to create.

 So, I thought Id try my hand at Cherry Pie.  Fresh cherries purchased from the local farmers market!  Alas, I did not make everything because I used a box mix for the pie crust - and I hated the pie crust in the end.  It didn't taste good at all.  Though Jiffy is convenient, it just doesn't have the flake that good pie needs!  However, I still used my trusty thermos instead of a rolling pin to roll out the dough.  Ive had that thing for 9 years now and about all I use it for is rolling out dough.  Maybe took it camping once and used it for hot coco...

 

Progression of a Pie....

Things I learned:
1. You do not need a pie pan to make a pie.  I used a cake pan cuz I didn't have a pie pan anymore
2. Fruit pie is Fruit, SUGAR, and thickening agent (tapioca is what i used)
3. The best oil/butter for pie crusts EVER is bear fat - YUP you heard me.  Bear lard makes the best pie crust in the world
4. Pies don't have to look pretty - mine didn't and it still tasted good
5. Make sure you pit ALL the cherries.  I didn't like the 2 I found still with the seed
6. Cherry pitters are SOooooo worth the $$ if you eat a lot of cherry pie
7. There are 2 "types" of cherries...sweet and sour.  Most people cook with the sour, though the sweet cherries do just as good in a pie!