Let’s not beat around the bush. There won’t be a recipe today. That just hasn’t happened in a bit, and we’ll have a heart to heart about that soon. I promise. There are a few things we’ll chat about, actually. But for now, I missed you all and this space and checking in. So let’s just start there. Let’s start with saying yes. Saying yes to spring (sun: finally!), new coffee tables you stumble upon and decide you must own, walking instead of driving, cherry blossoms, warm honey oatmeal muffins, and little leaps of faith. Or big ones.
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Do you ever have those spells where you just feel really alive? Where you’re ravishing good music and everything tastes better and you’re curious and engaged and people who cut you off in traffic just don’t seem to matter all that much? When you battle wanderlust as you sit paying mundane bills or replying to even more mundane emails? Glimpses of hiking around Big Sur, wandering aimlessly around Nashville, or paddling through Vietnam pop up when you least expect them to? Travel and travel companions and the grand itch of spring when change and possibility seem to linger in the air: that’s where we find ourselves today.
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I failed geometry in high school. Literally failed. Had to take it over the next year. And I was a really good student so this was shocking (well really, I wasn’t all that shocked at all when it came right down to it). I doodled on my Converse in class and wrote moody poetry. Numbers have never been my thing. Words, yes. But not their more logical cousins. So it’s been a bit of an uphill struggle these past few weeks getting the financial statements and tax stuff all squared away for Marge. I’m slowly learning Quickbooks and have some nice people helping me out (thanks Mariane and Carol!) but it’s still a lot of accounting jargon. I feel like I need flash cards. Instead, I make snacks.
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So Marge. A few of you have asked how things are going. I love that. Thank you. Things are plugging along. I’m adding another farmer’s market onto the weekend docket in a month or so and testing some new pie recipes. It’s good. It’s all good. But I have to say: when it’s 38 degrees, rainy, and “ski week” for the kids in school (don’t ask–it’s a California thing) the market is pretty darn slow. That was the case last weekend. And I don’t blame people. If I wasn’t working, you couldn’t have paid me to get off the couch in that weather. It was a pretty surreal experience though: baking a lot of pie and having very few customers come through the market. I gave some slices away to local businesses, telling them all about Marge. They were thrilled. Pie makes people very happy. I made some last minute pie deals at the end of the day. And then I got smart.
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It’s been a busy two weeks. I moved! Not far–right across the bridge into a sweet little 1920′s building in Oakland that’s close to bookstores, coffee shops, cafes, and running trails. I’m vowing not to move ever again for a very long time (please, please hold me accountable for this if you start to hear any restless musings in the coming months). So far, I’m settling in just fine. I’m happy to be close to friends who are doing amazing things. Like opening a restaurant.
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Last weekend my Dad turned 60. He decided to throw a party out in West Marin at Nick’s Cove right on the Bay. They have a great rustic restaurant with awesome barbecued oysters, an amazing view and little cabins right on the water. My sisters flew in, friends were invited, meals were planned, booze was purchased, gifts were procured, speeches written, and toothbrushes were packed.
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I’ve spent three weeks baking in my commercial kitchen for Marge. I’m still running around doing what feels like hundreds of errands each week, but things are starting to become a bit more streamlined. I’ve done two farmer’s markets and a few great local events. I’m meeting lots of new folks who live nearby, making friends with other vendors, and oftentimes selling out before the market even ends. For me Saturday mornings are like a big ol’ bake sale and I couldn’t imagine anything else I’d rather be doing. Friday nights, however, are a much different story.
The night before the farmer’s market always brings about many hours of baking, packaging, usually burning myself once or twice, occasionally getting aluminum foil caught in the convection oven (lesson learned: no aluminum foil in the convection oven!), witnessing occasional drug deals out back, listening to old classic rock on the radio, talking to myself, pacing. And more pacing. For the past few weeks, there’s been very little sleep, lots of anxiety, and questioning if this is really how I want to spend every Friday night into eternity.
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I’m not at all a New Years person. I was trying to think about a memorable New Years that I’ve had and I actually can’t recall a one. Oh wait, I take that back. I do remember one New Years in college that involved a bathtub and a really bad taxi ride. But that’s another story altogether. I’m also not the kind of person who has any desire to get all anxious about making plans, really good plans, better plans than any year before. It just seems like a lot of work.
I had a boss once who would ride her bike up this great peak in Boulder, CO and spend the day alone. Just hanging and thinking and setting intentions for the year ahead. This is much more my style than expensive prix fixe meals or hotel parties. So while I didn’t ride up any major peaks today, I did bake a pie. A simple lemon pie — so simple, in fact, that the Shakers used to make this very same recipe well over a hundred years ago. It’s bright in citrus flavor with a rich, buttery crust that will make you smile. You do want to use Meyer lemons if you can get your hands on them. They’re not at all bitter and make for a truly magical pie. You deserve no less on New Years Day.
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There’s nothing like New York during the holidays. As many of you know, I spent Thanksgiving in New York this year visiting family, staying with my little sister in Soho and eating many, many cookies. And slices of pie. And cupcakes. I wanted to share a quick photo tour of our time spent bakery-hopping so next time you find yourself in the city, you have a sense of where to go and what to try.
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I do believe this may be the first ever A Sweet Spoonful Gift Guide. And I’m excited to share with you a few things that are making me happy right here right now, and that may make a few of your loved ones smile as well. Gift guides are kind of a funny thing, aren’t they? They’re from a very particular point of view and perspective, so you’ll notice that mine are heavy on the treats and books. Shocking, I realize. Before we get started, have you ever stopped to think about what makes a really good gift? Something relatively unique that you don’t necessarily find in every big-box store. Something that will make people smile–that will indulge the senses or the imagination or the mind. I think you’ll find one or all of those things here. Happy gifting!
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