On Friday evening, our book group gathered here at our bit of earth. As hostess, I was responsible for the main course (because we have a pot luck supper after our discussion.) I decided to make very festive savory hand pies. The cookbook from Sister Pie has a fabulous recipe for delicata squash, caramelized onion, fresh sage and goat cheese hand pies. The recipe is not for the faint of heart, as things need to be made in several stages, over several days, but, dang, they are so GOOD.
Batman was kind enough to make the dough for the crust and he tucked it into the fridge while I was out and about in the world on Thursday morning. He texted me the picture, above, of his “helper” Corazón.
On Friday morning, Batman rolled out the dough and cut the 4” rounds…all 48 of them! (We doubled the recipe.) I put the filling together, using sage, delicata and onions from our bit of earth. I used goat cheese from Vermont Creamery. All of the parts and pieces were set out on the three season porch to chill for a few hours.
After some last minute consultation with our daughter Lindsey (she worked at Sister Pie for a bit, thus our undying love for the place) we made an assembly line to put them together and bake them. It was so fun to pull them out of the oven and marvel at their beauty! Golden crust and steaming veggies inside. Perfection.
There were enough to send some home with folks after book group. :-)
In keeping with December’s theme of light and hope and love…here are some links to stories that may warm your hearts, dearest readers.
Don’t even get me started about this country’s “penal system”. This story, via CNN, A portrait of America's prison arts programs, reports on how photographer Peter Mert has documented California’s Arts in Corrections program. A light in the darkness if ever there was one.
In another bit of serendipity, I found some information about Freedom Reads via Anna Brones 24 Days of Making, Doing, and Being. Their mission statement…
Our Mission
Freedom Reads is a first-of-its-kind organization that empowers people through literature to confront what prison does to the spirit. With the Freedom Library and with our literary programs, Freedom Reads supports the efforts of people in prison to imagine new possibilities for their lives. Freedom begins with a book.
As public libraries and access to books becomes more and more important to democracy, Freedom Reads is on my list of causes to support as we review our annual giving.
There have been two recent land acquisitions in Vermont that have my heart singing as well. My beloved Bread and Puppet Theater has just expanded their resources, ensuring a bright future. You can read about it here. I had blogged about Bread and Puppet several times on my old blog, you can see some pictures here.
We are cheering some good news that affects us right here in our neighborhood. Nearly 7,400 acres of working forest have been conserved by a group of public and private partners. You can read about it here. This news brings attention to all the important ways that keeping big tracts of land intact can impact headwaters, biodiversity and recreational space, along with sustainable timber management.
SO FRIENDS…make yummy food in this magical month of light. And keep your eyes open for GOOD NEWS. I am convinced that there is so much good news out in the world that needs to be lifted up. We are parched for it. Each time we learn about how compassion, cooperation and love can overcome the gloom and doom in the world, I say let’s celebrate it!
Sending you virtual hugs, dearest readers. xo