Wonderful gumbo and pie. Y’all, this pie is so easy to make and just soooo good. I will pos

Wonderful gumbo and pie. Y’all, this pie is so easy to make and just soooo good. I will post the recipes on Em-i-lis Recipes tomorrow. You might think I’m a Martha for putting decorative leaves on my crust, but I’m only a halfsy Martha because….those leaves are to cover a sloppy lattice. :)

Make extras!

I just had a fantastic realization- we have homemade chicken and sausage gumbo in the freezer. Yay- this will be so much yummier than take-out! So, here’s my Friday afternoon tip- when you are making something that takes time but you know you like it, make lots and freeze. We do this with gumbo, the cherry-cardamom scones I’ve talked about, the coriander flatbreads (froze them unbaked), etc. I also do this when I’m canning fruits or jams. Do you know what’s good in the middle of winter? Brandied peaches that were made the day you bought the peaches from the farmers market!

Ant farm

I just built an ant farm for the kids. I wouldn’t have done this project on top of the nuttiness of today, but the last tube of ants I ordered happened to arrive over spring break and when we got home they were crispy and I felt badly. The new tube arrived today, and I figured I better get right on it.  Now, in addition to having phantom itching all over my legs, I’m not sure what the likelihood of the ant farm staying intact is. Guesses?