unintentional summer blogging hiatus

HELLO!

Wow, dang – apparently I unintentionally took the summer off from posting anything! I can’t believe it’s already Labor Day weekend (and my birth month! Yay!)

Doesn’t mean I haven’t been baking though – pretty much have had some variation of a stone fruit galette on endless repeat. Last one was a super yum version with peaches, blackberries, raspberries & a little bit of marionberry jam (courtesy of my pacific northwestie fam). I haven’t made anything really new – have been falling back on either my favorite cookies or some version of something fruity. I’ll include the recipe for the peach one down below; it was a winner for sure.

We had our company summer picnic last weekend, and it turns out galette is perfect picnic food – I was a little concerned it might be too messy, but it disappeared in a flash and was relatively easy to transport, etc. Definitely recommend.

For those of you who read this to keep tabs on me, I apologize for the delinquency!! (hi, other favorite pacific northwesties! I love you & miss you!) Let’s see, what happened over the summer…

Camp went very well! Minimal covid and wildfire smoke, maximally happy campers. Not much more I could ask for. Plus, I personally had a great session so obviously that’s a win too.

Not too long after that, C and I did our annual trip over to Connecticut to see his fam, eat lobster and do beach things (not mad) – had my once-yearly lobster roll, paddleboarded every day and swam a ton. It’s a bit warmer than the bay ;)

orange because the sunset was extreme
o yes
the sunsets absolutely do not disappoint

Speaking of which, still doing that of course, even though I live a bit further away now… less convenient, so I can’t swim on my in office days, but I’m still averaging about twice weekly. We’re in the season where the bay water feels soooo good; still obviously cold but not so much that it gives you an ice cream headache. The seals come out to play this time of year too – there are two who are always in the same spot and sometimes they come swim laps with me. So cute.

when in doubt: go swim.

Side note – I just looked up and there’s a ladybug on the inside of my turret window! That has to be good luck, right?

Plants still flourishing – latest acquisition is a bird of paradise I named Bertie; he seems to be adapting well to his new digs in the turret. Finally got everything hung up (or sorta, mostly) and am still loving the not-so-new apartment.

bertie! also known as bert the bird.
I don’t think i have enough greenery yet… also am in process of getting a larger rug.

Anyway… I’ve been so busy, I kinda expect I might not be on a super regular blogging schedule anymore, but I’ll be using it as motivation to make more interesting things and not just make endless galettes :)

Happy long weekend!

half assed lattice from last month… I got annoyed by it halfway through…

Peach, Blackberry and Marionberry Galette

Not too sweet, perfect for stone fruit season. Yield: 1 galette, serves several and keeps pretty well overnight for breakfast the next morning. A Wait are those Cookies original. Whole grain; refined sugar free (depending on the jam used).

for the crust:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sea salt. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add vanilla and ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together – I usually start with 3 tbsp and then add 1T at a time from there. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s pretty forgiving dough – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stuck it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be. If you are rolling immediately, roll it out into a circle or rectangle about 1/4″ thick.

or the fruit:

peaches, sliced (I used roughly 3 medium sized ones)
2 c blackberries + I added a few raspberries after baking; totally unnecessary (I just liked the color)
2 tbsp marionberry jam (any other dark jam will do if you can’t find it!)
1 tbsp half and half or cream, for brushing on the dough + turbinado sugar and slivered almonds for finishing

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Spread the jam in a thin layer over the middle of the dough. Pile the fruit in the center, leaving a border of about 3″. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit. Brush the dough with an half and half or cream, pat the slivered almonds onto the sides and sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar. Dot fruit with butter if you like, though it’s not strictly necessary. Pop in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)

Happy Birthday, Bloglet!

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Happy Birthday, little Bloglet!!

My little baby bloglet is TWO years old this week!! (I say this week as I’m really not sure what day I started, and wordpress isn’t telling and I’m far too lazy to look back at my posts, whoops).

I feel like a proud parent! It’s so cute. To celebrate, I made… pie!!! (of course). I love my bloglet. Pie equals love. Therefore (QED?!), because I love my bloglet, I have made it a pie! And then I get to eat said pie, so everybody wins. Mmm, warm pie. Happy birthday, little two year old bloglet! Thank you for giving me an excuse to make pie (right. As if I ever needed an excuse to do that), even if it was a thousand degrees the day I made it and my dough got all sticky. Note to self: hot weather = sticky things = use mo’ flour! Whatever, got the crust in the dish in one piece so sticky is clearly sooo not a big deal.

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There has been such a massive amount of change over the two years I’ve been writing this, I’m so thankful I’ve had this as a creative outlet. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since I started! 142 posts, lots of snark, and some epic fails later, I can look back with quite a bit of pride! Lots of growth to be had if you check out the early pictures (actually, do me a favor and let’s ignore those, shall we?) versus the later ones. Lots more invisible internet friends! You know I love you. Some things haven’t changed though: I’m still as irreverent and alternative awesome as I’ve ever been (wait. Probably even more than I was…you can be the judge of that ;) and the food is still delicious. I think. Most of the time!

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For now, here’s a list (because I love them) of things I’m loving right now:

1) Gottschalk’s Symphonie romantique, “La nuit des tropiques”! Love love love.

2) Monarch of the Glen. Ob.SESSED.

3) Whole wheat english muffins. Like that’s ever going to change…

4) ALLL the grains and seeds (bird food. whatever): barley, amaranth, millet.

5) LENTILS! Enough said. I eat them for breakfast (I heard that and saw that eyeroll. Let’s not be judgy, you wouldn’t love me unless I did weird things like that, riiiight?!)

6) Reading several books at once. I think my current total is 4. And yes, I will finish them all ;)

7) Raw honey and cinnamon on toast. How have I not discovered this before now?

8) Single crusted pies. That way, you get smacked in the tastebuds by summer’s gloriousness!

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Anyway. Random things that were on my mind, and now they’re on yours. Muahha! Next thing you know you’ll be eating lentils for breakfast…

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Marionberry-Peach Pie

Makes one 8″ pie. The crust is the same one I’ve used before, coconut oil-whole wheat. It’s delicious and easily the fastest and least irritating pie crust I’ve ever made. Even when it’s ridiculously hot in your kitchen, it still cooperates with only minimal fussing. Oh yeah, and it’s absolutely delicious as well!

Crust: 1 whole wheat coconut oil crust, 8″

For the filling*:

  • 1 bag frozen peaches (I cut up the slices a bit because they’re usually really chunky)
  • 2 bags of frozen marionberries
  • 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tbsp tapioca (I use quick-cooking)
  • 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp honey

*I used the amount of fruit that would fill my pie dish—the pie was 8″ single crusted, and I didn’t want the filling to sink too much so I threw in an added bag of berries. In my relatively shallow pie pan it was perfect!

Prepare pie crust of choice and preheat oven to 425.

In a large-ish bowl, toss together peaches, marionberries, flour, tapioca, cinnamon, and honey. I usually thaw my berries/fruit slightly, since honey tends to be difficult when it hits frozen things—it mixes a bit better when the fruit is slightly thawed. Once everything is combined, pour filling into the prepared pie crust, and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temp to 350, and bake for about another 45 minutes, until the juices are bubbling and the crust is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit (but serve warm!).

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