Girl Scout Silver Award and Oh So Much More

[caption id="attachment_663" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Before and After[/caption]



Ella rocks. I knew this about 20 seconds into our first phone conversation. Or perhaps I had a glimmering even before we spoke, when I learned why she and her parents had come into our store seeing if we could donate some supplies to her project.

Ella, and two other Girl Scouts in her troop, were working on their Silver Award. I thought, “That sounds like a fairly important award - Gold, Silver, Bronze, and all that.” What I soon learned is that a Silver Award entails 50 hours of community service.  Let’s let that one sink in a bit – 50 hours. From someone who’s only 13.

We were more than happy to support her efforts, and Katie, Ella’s mom, was so pleased with our employees, she sent me an email with photos and a great big thank you to everyone at our store.

Katie had previously volunteered with InnVision Shelter Network and Ella was moved by the drab playground at one of the locations. That’s when she decided where she would spend her time earning her Silver Award - bringing light and fun, energy and color, to a children’s space that was otherwise brown and overgrown with weeds.

The weekend neared to install the projects the girls had created over several months – a sandbox to be placed where once there was only tanbark; a sensory garden - child-height - where sage, rosemary, geranium and lavender were planted to waft their gorgeous scents at the brush of a small person passing through;  a long, plain, concrete corridor floor painted bright with hopscotch and footprints.

I was so impressed by what Ella was doing and by her poise and grace, I offered to come help out. She and I talked on the phone a bit about her project and I got to spend some time working with her and the other volunteers that weekend. I saw the playground transform as they worked, and I experienced  something wonderous – people helping out other people, just for the sake of adding some beauty and joy to the world.

So, to Katie and Ella and all the other volunteers on that warm, late-summer Sunday afternoon, building beauty and kindness: Here is my great big thank you right back. For  for including our store in such a wonderful experience and contribution; for showing others that serving is also a blessing; for spreading color and joy in the world; and for helping just to help.

Organic Pumpkin Pie Recipe (From A Pumpkin!)

[caption id="attachment_543" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Image © Brownies For Dinner[/caption]

Organic Pumpkin Pie (from a pumpkin no less!)
2 cups of pumpkin pulp purée from a sugar or other pumpkin*
1 1/2 cup organic heavy cream or same amount of hemp milk (my choice by far and I drink milk)
1/2 cup packed organic dark brown or raw cane sugar
1/3 cup organic white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 organic, free range, cageless eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1 good crust (see recipe below)

* To make pumpkin purée from a sugar pumpkin: start with a small-medium (about 2 pounds) sugar or other pumpkin, cut out the stem and scrape out the insides, discard (save the seed and see our roasted pumpkin seed recipe). Cut into sections and steam in a saucepan, with a couple inches of water at the bottom, until soft. Scoop out the pulp from the skin. Or you can bake whole or halved in a 350°F oven until fork-tender. Optional – put pulp through a food mill or chinois to make extra smooth. NOTE: I am a lazy cook and I don’t bother with making extra smooth pulp. But, I do bother with real pumpkin. Start it first and it will be done by the time you assemble the rest of the ingredients and it is worth it!

Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix sugars, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Stir in cream/hemp milk. Whisk all together until well incorporated. Pour into pie shell and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.

[caption id="attachment_544" align="alignleft" width="300"] Image © Cook Book Man 17[/caption]

Isophene’s Short Pie Crust

This recipe is from my grandmother who’s middle name was Isophene. I am NOT a pastry baker and I was scared of pie crusts until I was 34 and my mother assured me I could make this crust. I was also living in Costa Rica, pre-made crusts were nowhere to be found and I had 30 coming for Thanksgiving dinner. It turned out to be really easy, fun and is the only pie crust recipe I use!

2 C Flour
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking Powder
½ C Salad Oil (this is how my grandma wrote it – I use soy, corn or safflower oil, but not olive – it’s flavor is too strong)
¼ C Water

You’ll need a 9” pie tin and you’ll use this as your mixing bowl. Put your dry ingredients in the pie tin and mix well with your hands. Add wet ingredients and mix with your hands – remember back to your mud-pie days. This crust will not look super even, white-ish spots are fine. You want it blended, that’s all. As my mother wrote in giving me the recipe, “This falls apart easily. Don’t worry. It also smuches back together easily.” Once it’s mixed, start smuching it out towards the edges of the pie tin. Leave a little extra at the lip of the tin and using a pinching method make the little scalloped edges. Viola!

- Jocelyn Broyles

Dog Photo Contest Winners!

Thank you to everyone who sent in a photo of their beloved dog! Each and every one of them is a fabulous gift to the humans in their lives!

The votes have been counted and we have our contest winners:

[caption id="attachment_649" align="alignnone" width="300"] Best Costume: Contestant #18[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_651" align="alignnone" width="300"] Cutest Dog: Contestant #21[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_652" align="alignnone" width="300"] Funniest Dog Photo: Contestant #14[/caption]