Mid

I'm in my mid thirties!!! I will be here for exactly one year and then I'll be in my late thirties! NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I couldn't decide which one I wanted so this year I made THREE pies. Feeling silly, I asked Adam, "What am I thinking?!" He answered, "I'm not surprised you're making three…you like pie and you like to bake." Then I felt better about making such a large quantity of birthday treats.

All were gluten free so that our celiac friend could partake. The flavors were: English apple with a dumpling crust, coconut cream with a shortbread crust, and sweet potato pie with a molasses cookie crust (the cookies I had to made from scratch so they would be gluten free as well.) They all turned out delicious.

None of our friends could come over at the same time so we celebrated in shifts. One shift at 7:00 with the Taylors, one at 8:30 with the Rex's, and then a day or so later I took what was left to a girlfriend's house and it still wasn't gone!
P.S. If anyone offers a slice of sweet potato pie to you…don't even hesitate to eat it. It's similar to, but better than pumpkin. Really.

Adam gave me a Meyer Lemon tree! I've been wanting one for years. I love it and am having fun worrying about its health and watching the fruit get bigger everyday.

My parents sent a cake lifter and a cookbook from a bakery in San Francisco. (Now I don't have to use Adam and three very wobbly spatulas to move my cakes from the decorating turntable to the cake stand!)

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes and other gifts. What a surprise, and I am thankful!

Hog Hunt

There is a shiny new freezer living in our spare bedroom now. The amount of pork sausage, ribs, and shoulder Adam hauled back from his hunting trip in April justified the purchase. We've had two batches of pulled pork, friends over for sausages more than once and with the leftovers we have made a few pizzas and yet there is still more to be had, both raw and uncooked. A lot more.

Adam and his workmates drove "somewhere in Arkansas" and stayed two nights.

Adam said it was pretty country.

If you go on one of these hunts, you are guaranteed to kill yourself a hog. The property is stocked with them and the dogs do their job well—grappling with the hogs' legs and hindering its getaway.

Adam stabbed a hog to death…someone took video but it's a bit violent (plus one of the men was shouting expletives the whole time cheering Adam on.) He was as quick as he could be so the hog didn't suffer long.

Because it was his first kill—and men will be men—he was "required" to eat a piece of heart. Adam said it was "chewy".
Password: eat
Eat the Heart from Anna Zenk on Vimeo.

Toward the end, they decided to jump into the river…without testing its depth first. It's only about 4 feet deep, and all rock bottom.

Adam hit his bum on a rock which left a large gash in his cheek. His boss hurt his back. (I feel bad for them…but can I roll my eyes? Who jumps into a body of water without checking the depth first?)

That's enough pork to throw a party!
…supposing some of you would like to know if the meat is any different than farm raised pork; it is but only slightly—you probably wouldn't even notice if you didn't know where it came from.

Ninth Anniversary

For our ninth anniversary we went to dinner in Fort Worth (no where I would recommend—though, it was just fine.) And then headed over to the bright little place, MELT Ice Creams for some yummy small batch treats. They rotate their flavors every month. So we'll HAVE to go back again!

And there's not much else to say, except HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ADAM! (Two months ago!)