Bluestocking Catalogue #17
My favorite apple pie, the book I binged yesterday & internal transformation.
Yesterday my college roomies and I had a catch-up Zoom chat, and we started talking about holiday cards & letters. “What is there, really, to write about?” one mused. Another wondered how many “what we did this year” letters this year would slant satirical. “Maybe the letters could be character-driven, not plot-driven,” I said (because sometimes I can’t help myself.)
This conversation got me thinking, though, about how this year has shaped me. Often we associate Big Things with Big Change: crossing a life threshold, taking a memorable trip, accomplishing a large goal. Extra points if these Big Things were meticulously planned - preferably color-coded- months in advance. In the past, my tendency has been to mark my personal growth like a to-do list or habit tracker - checkmarks and gold stars: 10 Points to Ravenclaw!
In this year where making my bed feels like an accomplishment, how do I measure growth? Do I measure it in moments I was gentle, rather than judgmental, with myself? In times when I chose to mother myself, rather than staying stuck in old patterns? In days where I creatively reached out to others? In Zoom hours? In baked goods? In tears wept? In shows watched? In walks taken? In words written? (Now this song is stuck in my head.)
A radically different year calls into question not only what I prioritize, but also how I think my priorities and myself. There’s a necessary sloughing away of trivialities, like winnowing chaff from wheat. When my life seems tossed up in the air, the shit I don’t need blows away and the wheat stays, settles down on the ground floor of my life. Through the process I have a stronger sense of what matters. If I let it, the winnowing solitude of this year can become its own revelation.
As we enter the reflection the year’s end invites, remember: just because nothing has changed on the outside doesn’t mean nothing has changed on the inside. We are always becoming. Even in 2020.
Now … let us eat pie!
Thanksgiving … for Dessert
I love pie. I especially love a slice of cold apple pie for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving.
I often forget about pie when it’s not Thanksgiving or Christmas, though, and so I’m not as practiced as I’d like to be. That said, I’ve made this apple crumble pie for at least two years now and I’ve found it to be very forgiving - and very delicious. I’m a big fan of crisps & crumbles, so the crumble topping here provides the best of both worlds.
I always use Granny Smiths and follow the recipe pretty much verbatim. I wonder if the vinegar in the crust recipe makes the crust process a bit less fussy? If you make it, I’d love to hear how it goes.
Apple pie is my favorite, but pumpkin takes a close second (I’m hit-or-miss with pecan.) Last year I made Smitten Kitchen’s decadent Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake. I’d never made cheesecake before, and didn’t have any issues with the recipe. The only reason I might skip it this year is that it’s a large dessert that requires fridge space, and we won’t have people to share it with.
For another spin on traditional pumpkin pie, I offer pumpkin ice cream pie. It’s easy & tasty - and if you’re gluten free, can be easily modified by making the crust with gluten free graham crackers. It needs to be frozen, so it’s perfect to make the day before.
For inspiration: emcdowell is my favorite pie baker on IG right now. Just look at these beauties:
Happy pie baking!
Two Notable Novels
The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes
This is the first time I’ve picked up a JoJo Moyes novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The setting is the mountains of Kentucky, where a team of badass women start a traveling library, bringing books to their rural neighbors on horseback. This book is a love letter to female friendships, as well as to the power of books to create community, ease people’s lives, and expand imaginations.
Apparently this is based on a true story - Eleanor Roosevelt sponsored a traveling library during the Depression era. I didn’t know this particular piece of history, and it made me love the book even more. This is the kind of novel that I immediately begged one of my sisters to read so we could talk about it - and she loved it too. :)
The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
It’s been a while since I’ve lost myself in a YA dystopian series (I took a break from dystopian fiction after the election of 2016.) I wanted to something immersive and plot-driven to get me out of my reading rut, and yesterday I read this novel in one sitting. So I’d say it did the trick. It’s the first of a series of four, and I’m hoping the other three are just as good.
Fans say this book is Game of Thrones-adjacent; I can’t speak fully to this because I haven’t read or watch GoT (it’s too violent for me.) I understand the magical fantasy comparison - it is set in a feudal world where people with magic wield power and people without serve them - but this book didn’t have the violence or sex I’d expect given a GoT comparison. (I can’t speak to the rest of the series yet.)
Red Queen was compelling, well-written, and full of twists & turns. In retrospect, the foreshadowing was there but subtle enough that I didn’t figure out the final plot twist. The protagonist Mare is a plucky, smart, and refuses to settle for the status quo. If you like the Lunar Chronicles, I think you’d like this series too. Libby says the second book isn’t available for 7 more weeks, so I may end up buying the Kindle version. Sorry not sorry.
That’s all I’ve got for today, folks. I hope you have a lovely week & a safe Thanksgiving. I’m grateful for all of you.