Breakfast Tacos

Hello Beautiful, 

I have been up since 8 am. Which is the earliest I have been awake in about two weeks. Because, I've been preparing for future school-induced-sleep-deprivation by sleeping till noon and staying up too late in an effort to make the most of my classless time. 

Today is the first day of school. 

And I am just

not sure how I feel about this. 

I mean. 

School is school is school. 

Nobody ever tells you that. 


I am wearing my first day of school outfit. 
Which is to say, I am wearing a bow tie: 

First impressions are very important. 

Unfortunately, I have no idea what kind of first impression I want to make. 

Actually, that's a total lie. 

I'd be happy if I were forever remembered as That Girl Who Wore A Bow Tie To Class The First Day of School. 



Talk about high aspirations. 

Anyways. 

We are not here to talk about how I've been drinking coffee at inappropriate times, the four cookies I ate yesterday, how excited/scared I am about the coming months, or The Tallest Man on Earth: 



I am here to tell you about the only thing I actually eat. 

Breakfast Tacos. 

Scrambled eggs. Refried beans. Cheese. Salsa. Tortilla. 

This is what I live on. 

I am not going to tell you how to scramble eggs. Because I can only hope that you know how to do that. If not, youtube it baby. 

All you do is put all of those beautiful ingredients in a tortilla. And then you eat and are fat and happy for a very long time. 
I love breakfast tacos. And I mean, really truly LOVE them. They are the epitome of what it means for a meal to be simple and delicious with the least effort. 

I promise to share a more exciting recipe with you soon. 

Wishing you luck today. 

XOXO 

Strawberry Custard Pie

Let me tell you about something that is really spectacular. 

Friends. 



I mean. Friends are the people who hold your hand when you are crying because LIFE is just too much to handle, and friends are the people you jump on beds with, and friends are the people who you are so comfortable with you don't even have to talk, and friends are the people who get your thought machine and your laughter machine and your happiness machine going. Friends are the ones who serve as your wingmen, who text you inspirational quotes informing you to FUCKING LIGHTEN UP, who show you how to refold a paper crane six times until you finally know how to do it, who assure you that you didn't do anything TOO embarrassing last night, who dance with you in awkward public places, who call you at midnight, the ones who tell you that you better get it together, the ones who walk you back to your apartment late at night, who come to your shows, who write you letters telling you all the things you needed them to say without you even knowing that you needed them to say it, they're the people you spill to, they are the ones who somehow got your trust and wormed their way into your life without you even knowing it. And sometimes they are new/old strangers and sometimes you have known them since playgrounds and baby swimming pools. But somehow, they are THERE. 

Some come and go. Some never go away. Some keep your trust. Some lose it. 

And this is all painful and all good at the same time. 

Who can know why? 



All I want to say is that I am so impossibly grateful for the friends in my life. The new ones. The old ones. The best ones. Even the distant ones. 



They mean the world. 

I baked out all of this friend love into a Strawberry Custard Pie. Strawberry Custard Pie is dedicated to my frambly. For the good times and bad times we are about to have, and for all the talking and laughing we are going to do about it. 

I'm already so grateful. 

xoxo



Strawberry Custard Pie

Pie Crust from BAKED by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3 cups flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

In a food processor whirl together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the VERY COLD BUTTER into small pieces and blend until the mixture forms into pea-sized chunks. Dribble in water and whirl until dough just comes together. Or, you can just do all of this with your fingers! 

Take dough out of processor and knead until dough comes together. Divide into two, wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for one hour before using. 

Filling:
5 eggs
1 scant c. sugar
4 T. melted butter
½ t. vanilla

1/4 t. cinnamon

about 2 pints strawberries

1/2 recipe Pie Crust

Position an oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate. On a well-floured surface, roll pie dough into a circle large enough to cover the pie plate and hang 1 inch over the sides. Fit the dough into the pie plate, crimp the crust and place it in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the filling.

Beat the eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and cinnamon in a mixer, or with a whisk, until completely combined and pale yellow. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator, strawberries into shell, making an even layer. Pour filling over the fruit.

Place pie on baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour or until the filling has set and the crust is light brown. Allow the pie to cool. Eat.

LIFE GETS BETTER

Hey Darling. 

I write to you sitting at an old desk, in a new room, in front of a new window, with a new view. 

Do you ever have moments where you're just like, THIS IS MY LIFE.

And then you smile. 

I am smiling right now. 

I am living in a new apartment, with new/old friends whom I adore, and I am listening to Regina Spektor and Stevie Wonder. Whom I also adore. 


It feels like things are finally falling into place. 
Like things are maybe starting to be right.

I have a new skillet:



Let me tell you about this skillet. 

It is cast iron. And for the rest of my life, wherever I go, this skillet will go with me. It is one of the most beautiful things I own. 

Moving into this apartment, it was weird to realize how much of my personality I define by my possessions. I brought the things that represent me, that remind me of who I want to become, and things that remind me of who I was. 

For me, this skillet is about hope for the future. 

I have so much hope. 



I am going to cook you some beautiful meals in this skillet. I am going to cook a meal for someone I love, a meal for someone I hate.  I am going to cook in this skillet when I am angry, sad, blue, hurt, happy, hopeful, joyful, in love, in loathe, in sickness and in health. This skillet is for good times and for bad times. This skillet is the future. But it is also the present.

And the beauty of cast iron skillets, is that you can cook everything in them.

I am so excited for all of this everything. For all these new beginnings, filled with new and old recipes. 

It's the blossoming of hope. Of newness. Of life happening. Again. 

LIFE IS HAPPENING AGAIN!

P.S. There is one last thing that I must tell you. That excites me so much. 
I love to sing and write. And this year I started writing songs for the first time. Which has been so impossibly thrilling. I recorded this EP with love in my living room. Here is what it looks like: 


Please please please give it a listen here: http://mbryce.bandcamp.com/ 
I would so appreciate it. 

                                                                                         XOXO 

Cherry Slab Pie

Meeting new people is hard. 

What do you talk about?



I usually start off with fashion related preliminaries: "I love your scarf." Or "sweet shoes." 
Then I don't know what to say. Sometimes we talk weather: "Gosh it's hot." 
Sometimes we figure out who our mutual friends are: "Wow we know the same people." 

And then I panic. What to say? What to say?

Depending on how poorly things are going, I inevitably ask: "Soooooo, what's your spirit animal?" 

This is may be the only thing I learned freshman year of college. 

For the clueless, your spirit or power animal is, according to Wikipedia representative of: "a person's connection to all life, their qualities of character and their power." It's tied up in Shamanism and totems and spirituality and all kinds of other stuff. The animal represents you and can be a symbol of your personal strength or guidance. 

Or something like that. 

People were into it. I've met cats, rabbits, lambs, mountain goats, wolves, butterflies, rabbits, birds of all kinds, dolphins, deer, pandas, monkeys... you get it. 

For a while I was a hummingbird: 
 
I think now I'm just a wren: 

But the thing is, only about 4% of the population REALLY likes talking about their spirit animal.

I think I'm going to start asking people about their spirit dessert. Because darling, I've found mine: 

I can envision this conversation at future parties: 
Me: (At a loss for what to say next) So. Umm. What's your spirit dessert?"
Other Person: (Begins backing away slowly) What?
Me: Oh, y'know! That dessert you have this really deep connection with, one that sort of describes your personality, that's a source of power and strength for you! Mine is Cherry Slab Pie! It's like a regular pie, except that it's flat and has like, DOUBLE THE CRUST, and there's this sweet/tart cherry filling and a drizzle of icing on top! And it's just, like, HEAVEN!
I'm telling you, I AM HEAVENLY! 

I'm going to make so many new friends. 

But really beauties, this pie. It is something else. Please make it. Enjoy it. Think of me. Because when I say it's my spirit dessert, I am so not kidding. 

xoxo

Cherry Slab Pie

via SmittenKitchen.com who adapted it from Martha Stewart

1 recipe Best Pie Crust (recipe below) 

6 cups cherries, pitted (I used regular cherries, however, if using sour cherries, adjust sugar accordingly)
3/4 sugar*
1/4 cup cornstarch
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch or two of salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream or one egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water or 1 tablespoon water plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I did this to make the glaze more interesting)

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger piece of dough into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. Do your best to work quickly, keeping the dough as cold as possible (and tossing it in the freezer for a couple minutes if it softens too quickly; it is summer afterall) and using enough flour that it doesn’t stick to the counter. 

Transfer to a 15-by-10-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet, (pastry will hang over sides of pan).  Pour cherry mixture into lined baking sheet; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining piece of dough into a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Drape over filling. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Pinch edges to seal. Using a fork, prick top crust all over. Brush with heavy cream or egg wash.

Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk, water or lemon juice (or combination thereof) until desired glaze consistency is achieved. Use a spoon to drizzle over top. Serve warm or room temperature. Or cold. It's really good cold. 

Best Pie Crust 

from BAKED by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3 cups flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

In a food processor whirl together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the VERY COLD BUTTER into small pieces and blend until the mixture forms into pea-sized chunks. Dribble in water and whirl until dough just comes together.

Take dough out of processor and knead until dough comes together. Divide into two, wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for one hour before using.

xoxo