Today marks the passing of seasons.Â
While it’s officially spring back in Argentina, here in the US we’ve now transitioned from summer to fall.
I woke up this morning to cooler weather and cloudy skies, and almost reached out for a sweater to pull over me, but eventually decided against it. I’m just not ready for the cold yet.
The passing of time and seasons highlights the cold, hard truth that time and tide wait for no man, and I’m feeling sentimental.
We’d moved from the Argentine winter straight into DC’s summer, which lasted no more than a couple of weeks for us, and now we’re already in fall. The trees have just about begun shedding their leaves, and while the roads are still lined with green canopies and bright, vibrant flowers, I am aware that the cold is inevitably coming.
It’s also been slightly more than a month since Aunty Catherine passed away, and while time makes our loss easier to deal with, it is still difficult to accept, and the emptiness her passing left still feels like a dull ache that isn’t about to go away anytime soon.
Time is transient and fleeting, and life is fragile and vulnerable as it is beautiful.Â
And while mourning the loss of someone so dearly loved is a process that may take long, life is too precious for us not to live it, fully and thoroughly.
If anything, Aunty Catherine taught me this – that each second and minute is too important for us not to treasure and make full use of it.Â
In Annie Dillard’s wise words: “How we spend our days, is how we spend our lives”, and I want to spend my days in a way that makes my life worth living.
I’ve been thinking much about this desire to use my writing in impacting others, and reaching people through words where physical distances obstruct. I want to leave a mark in those whose lives come in contact with mine; I want to do more than just the superficial.
How? That’s what I’m still trying to figure that out.
For now, on to something lighter.Â
Let’s take advantage of the fact that summer berries are still around.
I’m not sure how much longer berries will be available, but I wanted to share this simple strawberry hand pie recipe with you, made even easier with the use of store-bought gluten-free mini pie crusts.
You can use strawberries or any other type of berries, cut them into small pieces, then mix them with sugar to let their juices flow. Take a mini pie crust, and place one tablespoon of the berry-sugar mixture on one half of the crust, then dab the edges of the crust with egg wash before folding the crust in half and pressing the back of a fork along the edges to seal them. Do this until all berries and pie crusts are used up. Brush the top of the hand pies with the remaining egg wash, sprinkle with a hint of sugar, and then bake until pies are golden brown.
Let’s hang onto summer just that little bit longer.
Gluten-free Strawberry Hand Pies
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 15 hand pies 1x
Description
Sweet, ripe strawberries in their juices, nestled within mini gluten-free pie crust that’s baked until a beautiful golden brown.
Ingredients
- 1 large bowl of fresh strawberries, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons of sugar + more for sprinkling
- 1 egg, beaten
- 15 gluten-free mini pie crusts
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Fahrenheit (175 deg Celsius)
- Line a baking tray with a silpat
- Mix the two tablespoons of sugar with the fresh cut strawberries, let stand for 10 minutes
- Place 1 tablespoon of strawberry-sugar mixture on one side of a pie crust, and dab the edges of the pie crust with a bit of egg wash
- Fold pie crust into half and use the back of a fork to press down on the edges to seal them
- Repeat until all pie crusts and strawberries are used up
- Place prepared hand pies on the silpat-lined baking tray
- Use a small knife to cut a slit on the top of the hand pies to release vapor
- Brush top of hand pies with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle each pie with a bit of sugar
- Bake pies for around 20 to 25 minutes or until hand pies have turned a golden brown
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: Gluten-free
