My Parents' Pumpkin Pie

It's October! Orange October, to be precise. The Giants won the World Series last night (for the second time in three years!), and as a Bay Arean I'm pretty ecstatic. Maybe not as ecstatic as the crazies currently lighting bonfires in the streets of San Francisco, but really, who knows if they even watched the game. Observe Sergio Romo and Buster Posey celebrating after orchestrating the winning pitch.

More importantly, October brings around my sweetie's birthday, my dad's birthday, my third grandmother's birthday (she's honorary), and Halloween. I'm going to be a pirate this year and my costume is delightfully slutty. What's Halloween for, anyway? (Note: I know what it's for. Let me have this one).

Anyway, in celebration of my dad, I asked him if he would teach me how to make his signature pumpkin pie. See, my mom is usually the primary chef, but there are two occasions when my dad takes over the kitchen: 1) to cut pineapples, and 2) to make pumpkin pie. He gladly set aside some time on Saturday afternoon to make one with me. We ended up making two, the only differences being that he pressed the crust on one and I did the other. It took A LOT longer than I anticipated--not that I minded--because we worked from scratch, meaning we took two whole pumpkins, sliced them up, scraped out the seeds and steamed them for an hour to make the puree.

I would readily give the recipe, as it turned out delicious, but in the process of making this pie I learned that it was not really mine to give. This recipe is not just my dad's; it belongs to both my parents. They have tweaked the traditional recipe (hint: the crust is very low cholesterol)and improved it and have used it for years, and it is always a hit. Only my parents make this pie. And now, so do I.

This just reaffirmed my belief that my family is the best family in the world, and that my parents' marriage is exemplary, for lack of a better word (perfect? enviable? unique? happy? functional?). Why? Because this is not just my mother's recipe, handed down from her mother in a traditionalist fashion. This is not a store-bought pie, lacking in love, time, and teamwork. This is not just any old pie out of any old cookbook. My parents created this together, lovingly, happily, through many years of steadfast commitment. They created a pie that they both loved (and apparently lowered their cholesterol intakes by doing it), regardless of what "grandma's recipe" called for(although don't tell my grandmas I said this!). They worked together to create a recipe that worked and produced delicious results, and have used it ever since. My parents are a perfect team.

What is this all a metaphor for? If it isn't already obvious: their marriage and our family. My parents are self-sufficient, open, caring, and though they come from drastically different backgrounds, their core values are the same. They built our family from the ground up through hard work and teamwork and an unconditional love for each other. They created an ideal recipe and constantly make improvements to it, which in my opinion is the perfect recipe--one that is delicious, but always open to betterment. Someday, hopefully, I'll follow in their footsteps and make my own.

And there is my delicious pie. Or rather, my parents' delicious pie. Or maybe--our family's delicious pie.

As we were laying down the crust, the trickiest part, my dad told me: you won't get it right the first time. I messed up plenty of times when I first made it, and had to start all over. But with practice, you'll get it. I like to think he was talking about something bigger than pie.

Happy October, everyone. I love my family. ♥

Am I Alone?

Carried away
On the wings of a whisper,
A whisper does not
Mean a thing
If so uttered;
A word written late
Is not but a stutter.
What can I believe?
My insides? They churn.
Yet my head doesn't burn.
Will I flow like the river,
Or lie like the sea?
Will I stumble like fire?
Who knows what I'll be
When the dust clears.
Who knows what I'll make him
What in him I'll change
His mind knows no silence
When out rings my name.
He will remember,
As surely will I.
The unknown is this:
Will we be side by side?



You are never alone.

Veggie Quinoa, Teriyaki Chicken & Kale Salad

As a college student, eating healthy and often takes some effort. I don't own a car (by choice really, so I can't complain), have a limited grocery budget and live at least a 30 minute bike ride from the closest health food store. I have had to make do with Safeway, which has made me a pro at deciphering food labels.

Anyway, I try and eat as well as I can, and I stay away ALWAYS from the processed, artificial, etc, but I still get really excited when I get to eat a wholesome, healthy, balanced meal. Enter my delicious Thursday night dinner.

Here we have enough fiber, protein, vitamins (largest concentrations: A, B, B2, and K) iron, etc etc etc to transform any old gal into a supergirl (and guys too, yeah yeah). It is very low in fat, almost all organic, and uber yummy. This is my go-to dinner: I've made it so many times and with such varied ingredients that I can whip it up in like 35 minutes (approximately 25 minutes cooking time, 10 minutes prep). I'd say that's pretty good. Oh, the recipe? Right here.

So if this was a baked good, I would give you very specific instructions. However, I believe that cooking should be done a little more by feel. I mean, how do I know if you want carrots in your stir-fry? So instead of a traditional recipe, I've written general guidelines. Enjoy!

For the quinoa:
1. Tri-color quinoa is the one I buy. You can get it almost anywhere. To cook it, the proportions are 1:2; 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water. For fluffier, moister quinoa, go by 1:3.
2. One thing you have to know about quinoa is that it absorbs EVERY flavor of what you cook it with. After bringing the water to a boil and adding the quinoa, I add lots of salt and pepper. Then, when it has just nearly absorbed all the water, I add 1 cup of diced tomatoes (with juice). This achieves the same moist, fluffy quinoa as 3 cups of water, but infuses it with tomato. Yum!
3. While it's absorbing the tomato-y goodness (in a medium saucepan), I add stir-fried veggies. These are often leftovers for me, and this is a great way to re-use them. To make stir-fried veggies, heat a few teaspoons of oil in a sautee pan. Always add onions, garlic, and mushrooms first. When the onions begin to soften, add any other veggies you'd like: carrots, bell peppers, etc. Keep on medium to medium-low heat and DO NOT LEAVE ALONE. Stir often.
4. After adding the veggies, I wait for the quinoa to fully absorb the tomato juice. Then I turn off the burner and remove the pan from heat.
5. You can add anything you like to this--herbs, veggies, leafy greens, etc. It all depends on what you like. It can be a bit tricky monitoring two pans at once, so if time is not an issue, keep both on medium-low heat to avoid burning.

For the chicken:
1. This recipe works well for boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs. These are also the leanest parts of the chicken (thigh slightly leaner than breast).
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and dump in about a half cup of diced onions and at least a clove of garlic. This will serve as a bed for the chicken. (how cute)
3. Choose your favorite Teriyaki sauce. Cut chicken into pieces about the size of your palm and smother with the sauce. Lay on top of slightly carmelized onions, and pour another 1/2 cup or so of teriyaki into the pan (enough to cover the bottom).
4. Cover and cook on medium for 20 minutes, turning the chicken every 5. After 20 minutes, leave the lid off and cook for another 5-10 minutes. To check if it's ready, cut into one of the pieces. White, fall-apart meat on the inside is what you want. It's done!

For the kale salad:
As this is a salad, you can put together the ingredients in any order you'd like. This one has:
-raw kale
-pumpkin seeds
-sesame seeds
-sunflower seeds
-sunflower greens
-red onion
-lemon juice
-olive oil
And it is delicious! I'll let you experiment.

Note: this IS a lot to make in one night, at least for me. Leftovers are your friend! Also, buy organic whenever possible (or harvest organic! Gardens are also your friend).