House of Horrors

It was the Saturday before Halloween and Sia held her annual party, usually attended by famous guests. She was still reeling from her hit "Chandelier"and her  reputation was such that anyone who was anyone attended her party.

First to arrive from the TV hit "Game of Thrones" was  Daenerys Targaryen, looking her beautiful self. Following her was David Spade from "Joe Dirt" fame, mop in hand

Next through the door was Rey from the movie "Star Wars". Sia was pleased to see Rey, and thought "This might be the best party I have ever given".

Little did she know what was going to happen next. Unbeknownst to her, a bear had been wandering from Asheville and walked right through the door! Of course she was horrified until she saw Davy Crockett rush in with his rifle, ready to take care of the bear. "Davy" was actually an odd Asheville man, who routinely dressed up like Davy Crockett, and had followed the bear to the party.

Relieved, Sia heard a knock at the front door, and there stood a road construction worker, who said she had smelled bacon and wondered if she could have some! She was willing to do take on odd jobs if she could just have some of that bacon.

Sia's caterers had outdone themselves this year, preparing the biggest piece of bacon anyone had ever seen. She could understand why the worker wanted some, and agreed to let her stay, thinking that she could bribe the worker into voting for her for the "Most Impressive Person" award.

When Sia thought things couldn't get any worse, she turned around and saw two hasbeens from a second rate 70's movie, These fools had the mistaken impression that they were still "famous", and had invited themselves to the party! Additionally, the old man had also smelled the bacon. Sia took pity on the poor couple, and let them stay, thinking that she would bribe them for their votes and then put them in a nursing home.

At last came the time to vote for the annual "Most Impressive Person" award. Sensing that the voting might be rigged, Rey and Daenerys had talked Davy Crockett into "monitoring" the voting, to ensure that no irregularities would take place. 

When all the votes were counted, Daenerys  was the winner. narrowly defeating David Spade.. Actually, no one should have been surprised, as "Game of Thrones" is certainly one of the most popular television shows on the air.

Sia breathed a sigh of relief that the party was coming to an end. If things couldn't get any stranger, in a bizarre twist, "Davy" decided not to shoot the bear, but to move in with her! Sia decided that this would be her last party! However, she thought this night of horror might make a good song!

The Great Plant Race

One of the most highly anticipated events for gardeners in North Carolina is Raulston Arboretum's Annual Plant Distribution. This yearly occurrence at the state arboretum in Raleigh is referred to by most of us gardeners as the "plant giveaway"  The only requirement for being a part of this great occasion is to have a membership at the Arboretum. If there is one thing gardeners appreciate more than being outside in their gardens, it is getting free plants! We just can't help ourselves. It doesn't matter that we may have no idea where we are going to put them. We will dig up new areas in our landscapes if we need to! I was unable to attend last year, but reportedly hundreds of gardeners stood in rain and ran in mud to obtain their precious freebies.

Having a sister and brother-in-law who live in Raleigh, and are plant enthusiasts like myself is fortunate for me. (they were among last year's rain-soaked participants, by the way)! My sister, her husband, my husband, myself, and a college friend, arrived at the Arboretum when the gates opened at 7:30 am in order to have a better chance at getting the plants that we wanted.  I must say that standing in line can be a fun experience as long as the weather is cooperative. It is always interesting to converse with other serious gardeners, especially those who have been coming to the giveaway for years. There are good stories to hear, and getting a chance to see the Arboretum gardens surrounding us is a treat! If you have to wait in a line for 1 1/2 hours, this setting is hard to beat!

A plant list is made available online the week of the giveaway, so participants can go ahead and decide what to go for. The list contains the names of available plants and the stake numbers where they will be. Some participants make a list of those plants they want and take it with them; others, like myself, write the names and stake numbers on their hands or wrists for easy viewing. The plants are arranged in quadrants with stake numbers, and there is an additional area which contains unlisted plants. Prior to the 9:00 start of the giveaway, an Arboretum staff member announces the rules of the giveaway. The main ones are:  There are four rounds. A horn is blown before each round, at which time participants can grab three different plants on their want list for the first three rounds. Participants re-position themselves after each round, then wait for the horn to blow again. After three rounds, each person should have 9 plants. In the fourth and final round everyone is allowed to grab as many plants as they can! People bring boxes and wheelbarrows to hold their plants. Interestingly, the written rules say that fellow gardeners should respect each other at all times. However  there is nothing that explicitly says that they cannot push or knock each other down in pursuit of plants!

Truth be told, I have never seen anyone knocked down, although I have witnessed scheming, lying, and Olympic worthy running by gardeners at this happening. Sometimes, fellow gardeners will actually cooperate with one another to get the plants they want. The great plant race, from start to finish, takes about 15 minutes! Thousands of plants are grabbed and the display space is emptied in this short time! Perhaps the most difficult ordeal of the day is carrying one's plants back to the car! At day's end, my husband and I managed to obtain over 20 plants. Next to our stash, the best part of the day was the post-giveaway brunch made by my sister! What could be better than plants and brunch? I am already eagerly anticipating next year's event. Now if I can just figure out where I am going to put my new plants!

A Tasty Surprise: Maple Orange Walnut Pie

Making different and unique pies is one of my favorite activities. Recently, my sister was visiting me, and was flipping through one of my pie recipe books, precisely A Year of Pies, by local author Ashley English. I have prepared several pies from this book, and my taste buds have been very pleased! The pie that caught her attention was "Maple Orange Walnut Pie". She thought the combination of orange, maple syrup, and walnuts sounded intriguing. I will admit that this was not a pie that I had marked as "need to try", but since my sister is an excellent cook, I thought I would trust her instincts.

The pie crust was the first step of the pie, and needs to be made ahead of time and then chilled. This is a typical butter crust. The ingredients for the filling were simple: eggs, maple syrup, flour, butter, salt, orange zest, orange extract, and chopped walnuts. All of these except the nuts are simply beaten together ( I used a an electric mixer) until well blended. The walnuts are stirred in and then the mixture is poured into the chilled pie crust.

This was all so easy! Then I ran into a problem: The mixture was supposed to bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, mine took close to an hour! The problem, however, was not with the recipe but with my oven! I feared that the pie would be ruined because of this.

The good news is that this pie still tasted delicious! It is apparently forgiving if cooking conditions aren't perfect. The flavor of the orange, maple and walnuts was yummy and different. The texture was very similar to a pecan pie, but the orange and maple provided a sweet, tangy flavor. I made this pie for my sister, whom we were visiting, although I sneaked a small slice before bringing it to her to make sure that it was okay! We all enjoyed more pie, and my sister didn't object when I left the rest for her and her husband. I would definitely make the "Maple Orange Walnut Pie" again. In the meantime, I need to look for a new stove to ensure my continued success with pie making!