I remember my mother “putting up” quarts of peaches, pickles, tomatoes and jams every year, as did my Aunt Margie and Grandma Ferrell. While visiting my grandmother I remember going down to the cellar to bring up jam for breakfast with both excitement and anxiousness. For a little girl, the cellar was indeed a damp, dark and scary place. However, once the light was turned on, my heart was happy, as I remember shelves of colorful jars of fruits, vegetables and jams aligned perfectly, showcasing their bountiful, ordered beauty. For my elder homemakers, the full pantry was not only a sense of pride and order, but also a true sense of security. For during their time, canning was a necessity to get though the poor, long Depression winters.

After buying our farmette some 15 years ago, I found myself in a “canningpolooza” quite suddenly. For the tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, raspberries, peach and apple trees are not patient fruits and vegetables. For when they are ripe and ready, so must you be. It was an adjustment to find time for it all at first, but something I had looked forward doing since watching my mother can so long ago. As years passed, it became as part of my summer traditions as planting flowers and going up north. In fact, I often canned on our week family vacation on Lake Louise! My family loved my homemade jars of joy to eat and to give away as special gifts.

My pantry isn’t as bursting as it once was, as my time at the shop keeps me from “putting up” as much as I used to.  However, I am thrilled to say, that for the first time since my farm market days, I am selling my delicious herb-infused jams on-line and eventually at the store.  

As for the question, to can, or not to can, my sentimental message is clear, I urge all “to can”. For the contentment of carrying on an American tradition, along with the pride and joy that canning evokes is truly priceless.  

Xoxo Linda   – -Eat pie, can and keep traditions.

*The charming pantry picture enclosed is of  my webmaster Gail’s ” jars of joyfulness”!

My twin sister and I had a little friend around the corner that had the ultimate sprinkler. It was an old cement elephant sprinkler that stood about three feet off the ground. Its paint was mostly all chipped off except for a red decorative collar around its neck. He had a sweet grin and his trunk stuck up in the air where the water squirted out in a circular fashion. Unfortunately he didn’t work very well, but the idea of getting kind of wet with a special sprinkler always seemed more pleasing than getting really wet with an ordinary one!

I feel that way about food still, as I believe most “foodies” do. I would rather eat small amounts of delicious, one of a kind food rather than large amounts of ordinary, mundane food any day of the week!  Perhaps the little old sprinkler elephant around the corner had the secret to a happy food life filled in his chipped trunk; less, is indeed more!

eat pie, love life… xoxo linda

I love thinking of their former owners.  I believe them all to be expert pie bakers, generally because of the patina of the wood and the worn colors on the handles. Clearly, given the condition, they either tried for years making a good pie or simply made good pie for years. I am sure it is the later. I am also convinced that these pins were the magic wands of our “foremother” pie bakers, the ones that knew the truth in a flaky pie crust and the honesty in a velvet pie filling.  Much like a musician needs to be “as one” with their instrument, a pie baker needs to be “as one” with their pin.  

My favorite pin is a sentimental favorite, as it was my lovely mother’s. She received it for a wedding gift some 56 years ago. She used it for years and years pumping out hundreds of delicious and unforgettable pies. Her rolling pin certainly left more than a glance of an impression on me. While growing up, when I saw the pin on the kitchen counter, it was truly time to rejoice, for I knew a pie was to be enjoyed in my near future. When I married 25 years ago, my mother handed down her beloved rolling pin to me. I happily honed my pie baking skills with my dear rolling pin, as a new wife, as my children grew and then at my dreamy pie shop. 

 I loved rolling pie dough with my heirloom rolling pin. Unfortunately, after 56 years and thousands and thousands of pie crusts, its bearings have finally worn out.   My dear pin has clearly earned its time to rest and its special place of honor at home. It sits humbly on my kitchen shelf, admired and respected for its wondrous body of work and its tireless contribution of… changing the world one pie at a time!

Eat pie, love life,  xoxolinda

 I love food. Obviously, this is no new news to most. I love trying new foods, but love my comfort classics. I love breakfast food. Love pancakies.  Love all kinds of eggs.  Love the smell of bacon.  Love hot cereal…oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Ralston and grits.  Yet, for me, there is nothing better than a hot bowl of Cocoa Wheats on a cold, frosty Michigan morning. 

However, there was always something missing in my hot cereal love-fest, as I had never been able to love porridge as I did the others, only because I had never had it!  All of my life I have always been intrigued to try porridge as it sounded so comforting and delicious in all the storybooks. Oddly enough, I never researched making a pot, for I certainly could have made quite a sound pot of porridge I suspect.

Fortunately, last week  on  spring break,  my porridge dream came true for I was able to try three different kinds of porridge in Jamaica; cornmeal, plantain and hominy. I was so excited to try each of them, I could hardly stand it. Actually, they ended up tasting very similar to me, but the cornmeal one was my favorite. I felt my own “goldie-locks” getting more gold with every yummy bite. It was very smooth and creamy and sweetened perfectly.  I loved that it tasted so familiar, yet new. I love that quality in delicious and amazing food – familiar, yet new.

As it is, I am not sure that I love porridge any more than the other hot cereal classics, but I certainly don’t like it less either.  I do know that I am smitten enough that surely my family will be enjoying a lovely pot of porridge one of these chilly, spring Sunday mornings very soon.  

Eat pie and love porridge!      xoxoLinda

Truly, what is not to like in a leprechaun?  Yes, they are rather short and stubborn and their wardrobe is limited in color and style, and some most likely have serious drinking issues.  Yes, leprechauns indeed have some strong personality traits, but many of their traits are true tenets to live by.  I find the following “leprechaunesque” qualities quite worthy to emulate.

Magical – Let’s be magical and make each day as enchanting as possible.

Mischievious – Let’s be silly and ready for mischief and fun.

Happy – Let’s be giddy about even the littlest things.

Life of the Party – Let’s be the one everyone gravitates to to make life delightful.

Loyal – Let’s be the one everyone can count on.

Eat pie and let’s love the leprechaun in us all!   Linda xoxoxx

I am sure everyone knows that bakers work early hours.  I always think of us as little pixies in the dark, getting up in the middle of the night while the rest of the world slumbers, as we travel to our little bakeries and make magic in the kitchen.  It really does feel like that to me. 

As obvious as it is, I truly love the whole cooking and baking for a living thing so much.  I love my customers and all the people I work with loads and loads.  I never feel that it is work really, it is so much fun and so natural for me to do, it is like smiling. However, there is the one issue.  As much as I never tire of my job; baking pies, loving my customers etc…I do physically get tired.

I have always loved naps, I remember in kindergarten when most children hated naptime, I thoroughly enjoyed it.   I guess I have always used my naptime as my dreamtime as well as my sleepytime. 

Some of my best recipes have come to me during naptime. 
Some of best dreams have as well. 
Some of my best prayers and closeness to God have happened during naptime.
Some of my best deepest sleeps have come during my afternoon naps. 
For me, naps rejuvenate and allow my brain to rest and meditate. 
Naps complete me.

I feel lovely after my naps and am truly ready to change the world one pie at a time…

Eat Pie, Love Life – Linda Hundt xoxo

2. It is a time for sweet treat indulgence!

3. It reminds us the beauty of a handwritten love note –  a valentine on real paper with real heart-felt thoughts penned and signed with love.

4. That the day’s sole purpose is to celebrate love.

5. That everyone deserves to be loved on this special day.

My Top Five Favorite Romantic Movies

1. Pillow Talk

2. Gone With the Wind

3. Something’s Got To Give

4. When Harry Met Sally

5. Overboard

My Top Five Favorite Love Songs

1. Nature Boy – Nat King Cole

2. When You Say Nothing At All – Allison Krauss

3. You Don’t Know Me – Ray Charles

4. I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton

5. Nobody Loves Me Like You Do – Keith Urban

However, I do know two intrinsic truths that stand out in my mind when I think of great men and women, especially these men.  I believe that people who do great things have two virtues above all others; the capacity to dream and the aptitude of living a selfless life – selfless dreamers.

People who live their lives selflessly understand their purpose.  They understand that standing up for all that is good and just, loving all living beings equally, and living your life doing good for others is the secret to life. They believe that loving all people above themselves is the answer.

People who live their lives dreaming understand that there is hope in all of life.  They understand that through their selfless contributions to make a difference in our world and believing in their hearts that the dream can and will come true, it will.  They never stop believing in the dream. No matter what, they believe.  No matter what the costs, no matter how it affects them personally, they never think of themselves and religiously believe in the dream.

Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln started off no different then you and me.  They were merely ordinary folks that did extraordinary things because they were selfless dreamers. They made a difference in our world because they realized their cause was bigger than themselves and dreamed that they could make it better.

Oh my, let us all decide today to be selfless dreamers and make our world lovely.

Eat Pie, Love Life – Linda Hundt xoxo

I am not sure how many people out there have watched one of my favorite Christmas love-comedies, Christmas in Connecticut, but I suggest all of you to rent it this lovely season. I watched for the first time several years ago and fell in love. 

I love the plot and the characters and especially the settings.  This is the only movie that I can take Barbara Stanwyck in because she is actually charming and likable as a “Martha Stewart” kind of character.  In fact, her job in the movie is something I had always wanted to do, writing articles and recipes for a magazine from her country home.  In fact, while watching the movie this year (I watch Christmas movies all year around) I realized that I do indeed have that dream job through my blogging, Sweetie-licious newsletters, cookbook, and occasional magazine articles.  And I write it all from my country home’s living room, just like Barbara’s character, Elizabeth Lane was supposed to be doing.  

My home is hardly the Connecticut farmhouse depicted in the movie as there is no huge fireplace or vast living room and I have no cow in my barn nor do I have a hired cook in my kitchen.  I do however, have a lovely gas fireplace in my small living room that I can see while I write and I do frequently see my chickens roaming about our barn, and I am certainly the only cook in our kitchen.  Nevertheless, my country home is perfect to write my thoughts and recipes and I am so grateful that there are some of you out there that care to read them. 

If you are a Christmas lover, a Foodie or love a screwball comedy, this movie is for you.  The characters are quirky and charming and the plot is completely fun.  Of course, there is some dated material, but it is still adorable. The movie’s message of food and its inspirational power, friendship and kismet love all under the guise of Christmas and laughter is perfect for this time of year. 

I am not sure how this blog ended up being a movie review, but somehow it kind of did.  J

Merry Christmas, I love those two words put together, and Happy Holidays!

Eat pie, love old movies, Linda xoxo

After writing that title, I realized that that those five little words probably aren’t put together in that fashion very often.  But, gosh, do I love writing them in exactly that order.  Our cute, little pie shop, Sweetie-licious, has always needed a new floor, yet not just any floor would do.  I decided long ago that a shiny pink one would be practically perfect for our happy shop. 

However, many factors prevented us from getting one.  First of all, we didn’t own the building.  Secondly, we had no money.  Thirdly, I couldn’t find the perfect pink floor. 

It is a lovely wonder what patience, hard work, love and simple blessings can do to make dreams come true.   You see, another dream came true in late April when I won the Crisco National Pie Championships and the Grand prize of $5000.00! And as it turned out, we were able to buy our building last summer enabling us to truly own our cute, little pie shop!  Then, I happened upon a local floor shop that had just gotten in some new bright, bright pink flooring.

So, in just a few short months, I owned our darling shop, I had money to buy a new floor and I had the perfect pink floor to buy!   There was obviously only one thing to do.  Hence, my beautiful dream floor was installed and waxed to perfection last Sunday. 

I know I talk much about dreams, but I love dreaming.  I love big dreams and little dreams. I love to see my little dream of having a pink floor at my cute, little pie shop (another dream) come true. 

So, for those who can, come in and be marveled at our new, shiny, pink floor.   Then eat a yummy piece of our $5000.00, Tom’s Cherry Cherry Berry pie.  My only request is that you don’t get any pie on the floor!

Keep dreaming.

Eat Pie, Love Life,

Xoxo Linda