Bake The Pain Away

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." —  G.K. Chesterton Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."  —  Gautama Buddha Happy Thanksgiving! Around here we love turkey day! My favorite is all the freaking pie!! We've had a nice turkey day with our Slice of Pie and now we are fat and happy with a million dishes to do tomorrow!!! 

    "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." -  Albert Camus Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Soup  Prep time - 10 mins (Yea, loving that!) Cook time - 2 hours Total time - 2 hours 10 mins (Set It and Forget It, honey!) Serves - 10 INGREDIENTS 1 Tbsp EVOO 2 Onions, chopped (Grab the Ninja or food processor) 4 Stalks of Celery, medium dice 2 Carrots, minced 4 Cups diced Butternut Squash 29-oz. can Pumpkin Puree (Watch out for pie filling, it is NOT the same) 1 Medium sweet apple (your choice), small dice 2 Tblsp Brown Sugar (we use a little more) 4 Cups Chicken Stock or Broth 8 Cups Water 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter INSTRUCTIONS Heat EVOO in pan or soup pot over medium. Sauté the chopped butternut squash, onion, celery carrot and apples (we like caramelize these with a pat of butter added) Whisk Stock and Puree together and Pour in water to deglaze, and add brown sugar Sa...

"The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." — Robert Frost  Well, we have certainly had our ups and downs in the world lately.  But, By The Power of Pie, Nothing is going to stop us from achieving our DREA...

"She seems so cool, so focused, so quiet, yet her eyes remain fixed upon the horizon. You think you know all there is to know about her immediately upon meeting her, but everything you think you know is wrong. Passion flows through her like a river of blood. She only looked away for a moment, and the mask slipped, and you fell. All your tomorrows start here." — Neil Gaiman Something To Look Forward To    Most of my life.... especially waking up.. was an absolutely disaster for me. You could literally tell me... "Hey, Alyce... You're getting married in twenty minutes...It's 7:45am..." - And I would straight tell you to get the F__K out.... and then start throwing things...and screaming.... Since we have had a Slice of Pie - mornings became a necessity... one I still hated, but it came with its own rewards. Her sleeping on my chest, knowing I loved her more than anything else in the whole world, earl...

 Settling In. It has been such a journey, but we are grateful for every second, every day, every moment, and are embracing all of the beautiful things coming our way.  Challenging is not even what I would normally call a move like this... Normally.... Well, I won't lie to you, My faithful readers.... It was a glorious.... Imperfect... Pain In The Ass! However, with each box we unpack, we are gaining a little more time and space to work on our ultimate goals here. Living Happy, Living Better, Having More Fun, and Doing What We Want To Do! Because to quote, Shawn Mullins, "Isn't it a blessing... to do what you want to do..." And What we want to do is make Slice of Pie's life amazing.. And how we are doing just that is leaving the rat race (the made up money race, the money actually means something race, the having to choose loved ones over survival race, that you have to live your whole life acquiring instead of enjoying race to th...

Well.. we did it! It was a pretty rough journey, and one I am not looking forward to ever doing again, lol. However, we kept WORKING the entire time. We are finally in a position to devote our time to what we want, and what is good for us.  We had so many obstacles in the road.. both figuratively and literally! At times I'm not sure who was more of a basket case... Me or the duck, Quackerz!  Slice of Pie did alright.. considering all of the obstacles. And if I was her... I think I would have handled things even worse. At times I was begging to go back...but with perseverance and good planning we reached out destination. That was the biggest miracle. Just knowing we had made it, kept working even on the road, and handled everything that life threw at us.  We practice The Secret, and finally by letting some things go we have landed where we are supposed to be. Things that were stressful before have faded away into nothingness. I'm very proud of Ki...