St. Louis Working Mom

Blanching Peaches or, How to Peel a Peach (with video)

Posted on July 31, 2010 by marijean

Early this morning I shot this weird and disturbing little film. It’s meant to be instructional but somehow looks a little wrong. It’s dark and out of focus and a little creepy.

I like it!

How to Blanch and Peel a Peach

If you’re baking peach cobbler, peach pie or just want some lovely skinned, sliced peaches this summer, follow these simple steps for gorgeous results.

1. Make sure your peaches are ripe by letting them sit in brown paper bags for a couple of days after you buy them.

2. Boil a pot of water.

3. Dip peaches into the water and let them roll around in there for no more than 15 seconds. This is the process known as blanching.

4. Rinse the peach in cool water so it’s comfortable to touch.

5. Peel away the skin, using just your fingers like so . . .

It’s super easy and fast.

Just FYI, the peaches above are slightly more than needed for the infamous Peaches ‘n Cream Pie.

Posted in Life of Pie | Tagged blanching peaches, how to blanch a peach, how to peel a peach, peach pie, peaches | 1 Comment

Four Lessons I’ve Learned about Giving Myself the Gift of a Year

Posted on July 29, 2010 by marijean

I am turning 40 in November. I have dubbed this year the Year of 40 and have been concentrating on taking really good care of myself every day. It’s been a year of learning and I’m happy to share the lessons along the way. Here are four of them:

1. If you give yourself the gift of a year, you will inspire others to do the same. Think of it! A gift that keeps on giving! I’m so thrilled to know that the idea given to me by a friend has passed along to several other friends who have adopted it for themselves. How thrilling to have shared the concept with many other women who are taking back a piece of their lives. A client-turned-friend of mine told me recently that she’s decided to give herself the gift of a year and my heart just swelled with joy.

2. Saving your own life is harder than it looks! While my intentions have always been good, keeping the commitment every day has not always been easy. It’s a constant renewal to keep at it, and to honor the gift I’ve given myself. For those of you who like a challenge, this will be the best part for you.

3. Some people just don’t get it — pay no attention and stay on track. A few people have kind of looked at me like I’d lost it when I explained the Gift. Pffft to them, I say.

4. Once you start, you won’t want to stop. I keep thinking about what I’d like to focus on NEXT year, and how I can continue to feel as awesome as I do right now. I’d also like to figure out how we can improve health care in this country to the point where manicures, pedicures and massages are covered by health insurance. Who’s with me?

To the left: Marijean Jaggers, September 1975. I’m four.

Posted in Year of 40 | Leave a comment

Kayak Stolen in Charlottesville; Twitter Network Locates

Posted on July 28, 2010 by marijean

Sometime late last week, someone (or more likely two someones), came into our gated back yard uninvited, and left with our kayak. My husband called me to ask if I’d lent the kayak to a friend, an unlikely but possible scenario. Sadly, I hadn’t and it was obvious that someone had stolen it.

For the first time since I’ve moved to Charlottesville my faith was shaken. I love where we live and have always felt safe, but this incident left me angry and feeling violated.

It took some effort for the thieves to remove the kayak — a tandem — it is long and heavy and would take two people to move and load it onto a vehicle to cart it away. You’d have to know us pretty well or have been hanging around our property to even know it was there. The forethought that went into the job unnerved me further.

Never one to keep information to myself, I tweeted to my network to let them know what was happening.

And then, because I know what you like, I said this:

And within a couple of hours, one of the people who follow me on Twitter spotted it at Play it Again Sports, a used sporting goods store only three miles from my house. Unbelievably, it was definitely our kayak, complete with aftermarket updates we’d added.

In short, the story isn’t over — the police are involved, we don’t have our kayak back yet, but the store — and the police – knows exactly who brought it to them and who was paid for the stolen merchandise.

I’m still plenty angry but grateful to my Twitter network for seeking justice on my behalf.

I hope to have another update for you in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I owe somebody a pie.

*Update

I have, indeed, baked a pie for Brenden Grace and his beautiful wife. It was an award-winning Peaches and Cream Pie. They ate it last night. Also? The perp has been apprehended. The kayak is in police custody. Paperwork is being filed and shuffled and . . . we’re planning a “Our Kayak’s Back” party upon its return.

We may just call it Kayak Pie from now on.

Posted in Charlottesville | Tagged c'ville twitter, charlottesville crime, kayak, kayakgate, play it again sports, stolen kayak in charlottesville, theft in charlottesville, twitter success story | 13 Comments

Happy Birthday to my Mom

Posted on July 20, 2010 by marijean

Posted in Family | Leave a comment

Five Lessons I’ve Learned from Pie

Posted on July 18, 2010 by marijean

1. Patience. At the Madison County Fair last weekend, a man named Maurice Weaver won the peach pie competition. (I didn’t enter). From the article . . .

The secret to a prize-winning pie? Patience.

“I really took my time,” he said.

I am not a patient person but have learned during this Life of Pie, that if I don’t take my time, the pie will not be as good. Pie has taught me to slow down; to carefully consider, prepare and plan. I take it step by step, cut no corners and the more I do so, the better the results.

2. Making something with your hands is good for your soul. If you’re angry or stressed about something, it’s almost impossible to hang on to that feeling when you’re working shortening into flour for a crust. It’s impossible to have skyrocketing blood pressure as you inhale the scent of a bubbling hot pie, fresh from the oven. Peeling apples, blanching peaches or pitting cherries offers time for reflection and provides satisfaction as prepared fruit emerges.

3. Giving bears riches. I give away a lot of pie. I’ve given pie to friends, clients, strangers, neighbors, client prospects and nonprofit organizations. Every time I give away a pie, and I swear this is true, I’m repaid tenfold. I never expect it but I either gain a loyal friend, a new client, a trusted partner, a fan . . . and I am wealthy with relationships.

4. If you’re going to do something, do it up right. I started out on a mission to teach myself to make good pie. That grew into an obsession to be the best . . . and to have everyone associate me with good pie. I grew passionate about this hobby of mine and when you’re passionate about something, I think you should go for it with everything you’ve got. (Go ahead and Google “Marijean Jaggers Pie” and see what’s happened.)

5. Be not afraid. A friend of mine always tells me I’m brave when I show up for a party with a pie from a recipe I’ve never tried before. I like to try new recipes and as I put a recipe together, I can tell if it’s going to be good. If it’s not, we might get a laugh out of it. I am not afraid to flop; I just try again.

Have you had a hobby teach you something about life?