An Excuse to Eat Pie

Happy Pi Day!  I am not a mathematician.  I am not really all that into pie.  But I am a homeschooler (I can still claim that title even though all my kids are grown, right?).  And when my son was 7 years old (15 years ago), he found out that March 14th is Pi Day.  He was so delighted that he took it upon himself to try to memorize the value of Pi to as many digits as he could.  He found a website that showed Pi to 50,000 digits.  Ummm, yeah, he had his work cut out for him!  And he decided that we just had to do all sorts of fun things with Pi for school that day.

I don't have any clue as to why Pi held such a fascination for him.  It didn't tickle my girls in the least.  The best thing about Pi Day for them was that they got to have pie that day.  But Ricky was enamored.  He looked up the history of Pi.  He did mathematical calculations using Pi.  And yes, he ate pie -- at 1:59pm.  You know, 3.14159 (3/14 at 1:59pm).  Yes, he loved him some Pi.

Was Ricky a budding mathematician?  No, but he did love computers.  Did he grow to become a statistician?  No, but he kept his love for computers (mostly programming), graduated high school at age 15, and became a Marine at age 19.  Am I a proud mama?  Yep.  Can you tell?  Ha ha!

Why his childhood infatuation with Pi?  I have no idea.  But it was fun watching him learn.  And it's one of my favorite "Ricky" memories.  I don't think he even noticed that today is Pi Day, except for my post on his Facebook wall.  But even if he doesn't keep celebrating Pi Day, I will continue to have a slice of pie on March 14th at 1:59pm each year in his honor.  And one day, I will tell his children the story of when their daddy loved Pi.  And it will be a beautiful page in our family history.  All because of a little boy and his delight with a mathematical concept.

Thanks, Ricky, for showing me just how much fun learning can be.  I enjoyed my German Chocolate Pie from Marie Callender's just for you.  Kat had a slice of apple pie with a dollop of creamy vanilla ice cream on top.  But I think that was probably for her own enjoyment and didn't have anything to do with her big brother.  And that's okay, too!

How about all of you?  Did you celebrate Pi Day today?

~ Pia

Grain Free Crackers

I must try these crackers!

I love sesame seeds.  Absolutely love them.  So nutty and flavorful and yummy!  When we get those Pub Mix snacks from Costco, I dive right in for the sesame seed snackers.  But of course, there are never enough for my liking.  So I was totally excited to find this recipe online!

They're crackers made with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, garlic, sea salt, and water.  That's it!  I can't wait to head to the store for my ingredients and then bake up a whole stash of these babies.

Mmmmm, I can almost taste the yumminess now.....

~ Pia

Let the Heart Win

Every once in a while, the heart needs to win.


~ Pia

I Want a Kitchen

Want to see kitchens to drool over?  Click the photo!

I never thought I would be pining away after a kitchen.  I don't cook, really.  Well, I bake.  Cake pops, mostly.  But I do that in a commercial kitchen. Cooking meals at home?  That's almost beyond my comprehension.  Almost, but not anymore!

Home cooking and I have never really been on a first name basis, even though my mom was a dietitian.  I must know how to cook maybe a dozen dishes.  And steamed rice.  But that's in a rice cooker, so does that count as cooking?

We have been eating fast food for almost five months, and are seriously craving real food.  You know, a sit down supper.... mashed potatoes, chicken, corn, salad, bread...... anything besides burgers or tacos or hot dogs.  I would even be willing to learn to cook some of this real food.  Really!  Just let me have a kitchen, ha ha.

We moved into a rental in October -- not a rental house, but a room in a house.  Kat's medical bills have been growing and surgery is a possibility in the near future, so we decided to downsize.  Not a bad idea, and it was for a good reason.  So we moved.  And mostly, it's been okay.  Except for the kitchen -- and the bathroom, but that's another story.  But back to the kitchen, which we have access to only during the day while the family is at work and/or school.  Since we are also at work and/or school most of that time, it is a little bit difficult.  Add to that the fact that one member of the owner's household is allergic to quite a few things (including latex, and I can't do dishes without rubber gloves), we haven't been given a tour of the cabinets so we're not sure that we're even allowed to use any of the pans, dishes, utensils, etc., and everything needs to be back in its place before they all get home, as though none of it had been used, and things get a lot more complicated.  Ha ha, we feel like kitchen fairies whenever we are even home to use the kitchen, which is kind of fun the first time or two.  And then the game gets old.

So it's time to get creative. Your tips on cooking without a kitchen are very welcome!  We have access to a toaster oven and a microwave, and we have a mini-fridge with our landlord's blessing.  Ideas?  Recipes?  Any help you can give will be gladly accepted!

~ Pia