1. If I’m going to bother making pie crust, I usually make up enough for 3 double crusts. Whatever I don’t bake up that day gets sent to the freezer in balls big enough for a single crust. I pulled one out on Easter Sunday to make this Lemon Meringue pie
Then last week, I was on my own for a few days, foraging the cupboards to see what I could make from leftovers, and realized there was enough ham (even after I’d made a big pot of split pea soup) to make up what my mom used to call Ham ‘n’ egg pie. . . . Unless she wanted to be a bit more haute, in which case we’d be eating quiche.
So simple, in case you’ve got an extra pie crust around. I sautéed some finely chopped onions in a bit of butter and scattered those and the chopped-up ham leftovers over the unbaked crust. Then I beat 4 eggs, added about 1/4 cup of cream and maybe 1/2, maybe more, of milk, beat that all together and poured it over the onions and ham. I didn’t need the extra fat or calories (or even flavour) so I skipped cheese, but I’d have added that if Paul was home to share. If I’d had broccoli, I might have added that in as well, or mushrooms, but as it was, I had a couple of dinners and a lunch for myself, augmented by salad. Very nice.
2. Have you seen Call the Midwife? What a delightful TV series, set in 1950s London, featuring a group of interesting, independent women, a range of ages and classes thrown together by their profession. Absolutely addictive. And I’ve finally realized where I’d seen Bryony Hannah, the actress who plays the quietest midwife, Cynthia. Paul and I were lucky enough to see her astonishing performance, at London’s Harold Pinter theatre, in Lilian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour — she as much as upstaged co-starsEllen Burstyn, Elizabeth Moss, and Keira Keighley, so good was she.
3. I’m currently juggling a couple of good books: one, in French, recommended to me by Madame Là-Bas, is Laurence Cossé’s Au Bon Roman. I’m trying to get my French vocabulary revved up for next month’s travels, after leaving it dormant almost a year.
The other book I’m juggling is Mavis Gallant’s The Paris Stories (and if I tell you that I just finished Janice MacLeod’s Paris Letters, you’ll know where my heart is leaning. . .
4. And speaking of heart, these two have mine. . . . Photo taken when Daughter, Son-in-Law, and Granddaughter visited over Easter weekend — Wee Redhead has just woken from her nap. Who loves her Granddad??! (and can you believe how red that hair is getting?)
5. Garden springtime joys. . .
I’m off to Vancouver this morning, so that I can pick up my Race Bib this afternoon, have a relaxed dinner with Pater this evening, and have Saturday to relax before the race on Sunday. I’m more than a bit nervous, but I’m also excited, impatient to see if I can do this marathon thing. . . .
Almost as ready for take-off as these hosta shoots. . .
And you, any plans for the weekend? I know that my antipodean readers are moving in the opposite direction, but for those who should be moving into spring, I wish you a convincing spring weekend, sunshine, pollen (ah-choo!), bared arms and legs, maybe even the first outing for those new sandals. . .
Good luck on your race, and yes, Call The Midwives! I love Games of Thrones, for example, but CTM is a very good counterpart to battles, showing us that there's drama and joy in the regular too.
Thanks! And I agree that it's good to balance the violent drama with the everyday sort (haven't watched GofT yet though)
Yes, I love Call the Midwives. I record it and then enjoy mini-marathon viewings. I'm away for work this week and brought Berkley Square – another British series, this one about nannies. Gentle viewing, gentle unwinding.
I watched Call the Midwives on Netflix — haven't got much patience for TV scheduling and never have been organized enough to record. I'll watch for Berkley Square — our library might have the DVDs.
Hattie's hair is serious red! So cute! And your mother's eggie pie is entirely quiche – without needing to be haute, no? I loved the Call the Midwife books and I loved the first season of the show. It's started to get very broad (I believe this is the third season now) and it's not anywhere near as good. Mind you, I still watch it cuz it's passable. But I may be tuning out if they don't get back on their game soon. It's become gratuitous, IMO.
I've only watched the two seasons available on Netflix, but I can see how it might go in the direction you sketch. It's perfect, so far, for knitting background. . . and yep, isn't that red hair really red? Her Mom's was more a deep auburn, so this is a novelty in the family. . .
I really enjoyed the Call the Midwife series. I watched it on the computer while I was away last year. One of my cousins whipped up a fisherman pie when I was visiting:leeks, fish, cheese, egg, cream and potato. I'm going to try to find a leaner version when I get home. Harriet's hair is so thick and red now. We travel to Cornwall tomorrow to meet with the walking group. You must be so excited about the Marathon now!
Good Luck!
Yum, that pie sounds great I remember Duchesse (Passage des Perles) talking about a similar pie, perhaps made in Quebec?
Thanks for the luck — I'll think of you walking as I'm running . . .
Oh the race! You must be excited!
I love Call the Midwife series….it is a Sunday evening tradition.
That is a beautiful shade of red hair. My husbands family are planning a family reunion this summer and the clan all have red hair! The older sibs are getting grey but the wee ones are various shades of red….
Enjoy your weekend mater.
I know you have a little redheaded granddaughter as well — it would be fun to see a collection of many such little ones!
Hadn't even realized CtheM was a Sunday thing. We have limited cable offerings, so I watch it on Netflix, behind the rest of you 😉
Good luck on for the race on Sunday!
Thanks!
Have a wonderful run on Sunday!! You are so inspiring to me.
Kind of you to say, Thanks!
Best wishes for Sunday's race. The variety of topics here is like having a little chat. I've written down the book titles you've mentioned and will be looking for them in the library.
I think I'd like Call the Midwife – I saw a half a program a couple of months ago. Television viewing has been rather infrequent here lately with all the good weather we've enjoyed.
It's fun, the Friday Five, isn't it? I'm loving the way you've taken it on.
And it's good, isn't it, when the weather shifts so that we're not sitting and watching quite so much, although I still need some knitting time . . .
Love Call the Midwife and currently taping (can't bring myself to use PVR as a verb yet!) and watching The Bletchley Circle…it's very good. Everything must be recorded these days when one lives with a hockey player…so as to NOT interfere with the Stanley Cup fever. That little one looks like a soon-to-be Maggie Muggins! Please report details of your Paris trip. We have a trip in the making. First one for me.
I loved The Bletchley Circle — have seen two seasons and am hoping for more.
As for Paris, we're doing a very short visit this year. Couldn't bring myself to bypass (this will be our 11th year in a row, I think), but we'll only do two days, enroute from Bordeaux to Italy. Exciting for you to plan a first visit — so many possibilities!
Call the Midwife is such a good show, but I've missed the most recent episodes and so will have to look them up. Love he ham and egg pie. I usually make pie crusts in multiples and either freeze as disk, or preformed pie shells if I have he space, which I don't at the moment. Good luck with the race!
It just seems to make sense to do the pie crusts in multiples, doesn't it? And so far, although it's not quite as easy as rolling fresh, I've had no problem rolling the thawed balls into shells. Thanks for the good luck wishes — every bit of luck will help!
Love Call the Midwife!! But more importantly, good luck with the marathon! Can't wait to hear all about it.
As you said, we Antipodeans are heading in to winter – first cool day today at a max of 16. We don't do very convincing cold weather, but it's a relief from the heat at least.
Thanks, Tiffany — I know you've done your sharing of cheering on a marathon runner, so I appreciate the power of your luck sent my way!
We were in the very low 20s earlier this week, but tomorrow will be a high of 12, at least that's the forecast. And that's late spring, so I'm a wee bit envious of your "cool day" and would take some of that heat! 😉
Yum and yum!
One of my best friends works in the art department of Call the Midwife. So proud 🙂
I guess your marathon will be run by now. Wishing you well for your recovery! (Drink lots of water)
Just have to come here to say – CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Well done! So inspiring to me… trying to decide whether to just do it. I turn 42 next year – seems appropriate to run 42.2 km!