Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Episode Transcript

Transcript edited by Hannah “Asher” Sham

 

Show Intro and Disclaimer

Kylo: You’re listening to Let’s Talk!. Let’s Talk! Is a digital space for students at PCC experiencing disabilities to share their perspectives, ideas, and worldviews in an inclusive and accessible environment. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Portland Community College, PCC Foundation, or our community partners. We broadcast on our home website, pcc.edu/dca, on Spotify, on XRAY, 91.1 FM and 107.1 FM, and KBOO Community Radio, 90.7 FM.

Zoe: Hi, everyone. I’m your host Zoe, and welcome to our latest episode of A Slice of Life. As always, with me is our lovely guide dog, Tucker, and joining us later will be Kuma to help us prepare the meal and one of our guest hosts, Patricia. But, right here with me now I have our first guest host, Ray. 

Ray: Well, I’m Ray. What can I say? 

Zoe: Ray and I met when I used to work at Costco, as a sales associate, back in 2020… Ooh, was it ‘4, I think it was? Yeah, 2024, right? 

Ray: Well, it was two- three years ago?

Zoe: Yeah, it was like the end of 2023-ish. So, I would say between two and a half to three years now. So, that’s been a while. And, Ray’s been a role model and inspiration for me, and it’s been really great getting to know Ray all these years. So, yeah. I suppose for our first question; what are we making today?

Today’s Recipe

Ray: Well, we’re making a family pie called a “Lemon Dream Pie” with Meringue topping. 

Zoe: Oh my, that sounds fabulous! And, I’m gonna be totally honest here; I am awful at baking. I don’t know what it is. I always try to measure as perfectly as possible. Not too high, not too low, the right measuring cups, get the right temperatures. But for me, I don’t know what it is. I just can’t seem to make it work. But I imagine that this pie, even though it might sound daunting to those that aren’t too familiar with baking, is this a… would this be a simple pie to make? ‘Cause it sounds really fancy. 

Ray: Well, it’s simple. I don’t know how to say it without going into details, but we’ll go into that later- 

Zoe: Yeah, yeah, yeah… 

Ray: With Kuma? 

Zoe: With Kuma and Patricia as well. 

Ray: But, it’s sweet. It’s simple. Make it ahead of time for parties and if you make a mistake, you always have time to make another one. 

Zoe: That is true, yeah! Not to make you viewers jealous, but I sneaked a little bit of the pie when Ray made it last time. That topping was so light and fluffy, and it was like… What would you call it? A Meringue? 

Ray: Yeah, Meringue. 

Zoe: Oh, gosh! That sounds so fabulous! 

Ray: Now, meringue’s easy, but hard. Because, you have to start it and add sugars gradually, but we’ll get into that later. 

Zoe: Yeah, yeah. We’ll get into that later. That pie sounds absolutely amazing. So, let’s get to know you a little bit, Ray.

Ray: I was a 1 pound 12 ounce baby, three months early. 

Zoe: Oh my.

Ray: So that’s how I got my vision problems, because the incubator and the pressure. But I lived a good life so far. Except for diabetes. That kinda sucks, but… Been married for 29 years. 

Zoe: Oh, my. Coming on the 30th. 

Ray: Yeah. Just had it April. April was good. Me and my Patricia, as you’ll meet later, we’ve been a good pair. Each helping each other, ups and downs with life, but we’re still not gonna give it up. 

Zoe: Truly. It’s has truly been an inspiration to know you. Could you describe real quick; because you mentioned that you are a diabetic, and also what’s your level of vision loss?

Ray: Well, my vision loss was because of the incubator, glaucoma and cataract and stuff, I lost one eye, but it hasn’t stopped me from riding motorcycles, horses And jumping over in the jetty at Tillamook and stuff like that. I was less restricted when I was younger. Now that I’m older with diabetes, I’m more restricted to vision and stuff 

Zoe: Gotcha. 

Ray: And that sucks, but people get old too and then they die. 

Zoe: I mean, it is true. It’s a part of life but, at the same time, it’s about enjoying and maximizing the ride that you’re on, right?

Ray: Yeah. 

Zoe: And, knowing all the things that you… I didn’t know that you rode horses. 

Ray: Yeah, I had two horses. I had a Welsh when I was 18, 16, 15. 

Zoe: Oh, wow. 

Ray: “Welsh”, and then a painted pony. I rode bareback in the pasture. One time I rode bareback and the horse started running back towards the barn. And it wasn’t a barn, it was kind of a shed. So, I flipped underneath the horse while it was galloping or running. 

Zoe: Oh!

Ray: And then I thought, “Well, it’s running. I can’t get back up.”. I’m between two front of the front hoofs. So, I was around his neck.

Zoe: Oh, gosh. 

Ray: Underneath the hoofs while the horse was running. And I just said, “Well, do or die. Okay, I’m gonna land here since it’s soft.”. So, I let go, got up, and no damage.

Zoe: Oh, thank goodness… 

Ray: My other friend that was with me was, totally scared and, “Did you get hurt?” and stuff and… No, that’s my life story. I’m lucky. No hurt. No, no problem. Yeah, that was fun. 

Zoe: Fun, true. Scary for sure. Even just to listen makes my blood pump a little bit. But, that’s a really amazing story to hear that, like, you know, you went through- 

Ray: But, I’ve learned that because of my glaucoma and my retina partially detached, riding, I could ride. I can’t gallop. I couldn’t trot, but I could ride. Because of the jarring of the horse. 

Zoe: Oh. Oh, okay, okay. 

Ray: And that’s one thing with people with partial detached retina. Part of it was detached with one- “hair” kinda thing. 

Zoe: I know what you mean. Yeah. 

Ray: So, it was very loose and any jarring, or fighting… no trampolines. I found out when I was in elementary school. 

Zoe: Yeah, yeah. 

Ray: I couldn’t trampoline either. 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Ray: I still did it. I did a lot of things, but… 

Zoe: Hey, we’re kids! When you’re a kid, you gotta; “The world is so big. We gotta do what we can. We gotta live!”. 

Ray: Yeah, it’s definitely lived more than any other person with my situation. Drove motorcycles on 101. 

Zoe: Oh, wow 

Ray: At the beach, Rockaway. I drove pickup trucks in the mountains, behind the beach house, and logging roads.

Zoe: Oh, wow. 

Ray: 200 cliff one side, a three-foot ditch on the other side. Luckily there was no logging roads, and they weren’t used much. But, that’s how I learned how to drive and stuff. 

Zoe: That’s quite fabulous indeed. Yeah. 

Ray: More than most people, but I was younger and adventuresome. One thing my dad did, we had motorcycles we’d drive on them log road. There was a six-foot board. We’d go over– My dad would drive over the board on a little 90 CC and would drive over the little river; little stream. No problem! But, he couldn’t drive in the logging roads without falling over and hurting his hand and my motorcycle.

Zoe: Oh, no. Really? 

Ray: He was showing off, but he was way down there. He lost control. But, I tried to do this three-foot board, and I got scared. I couldn’t do it. 

Zoe: Yeah, it, it is hard. Overcoming that first leap, it’s ” Oh, my gosh.” 

Ray: Well, no, it’s not a, it’s just a little creek, but still you have to have confidence, and I didn’t have the confidence.

Zoe: True. But, at the same time, it’s a three-foot board and you’re riding a full-on motorcycle over it. 

Ray: Yeah. But I did it kind of, but scared the crap out of me. 

Zoe: Still. 

Ray: Yeah, so I was lucky. I mean, things like that are… We had a good time when I was younger. 

Zoe: That does sound fabulous. 

Ray: And horseback riding on the beaches are one thing I remember. 

Zoe: Oh, gosh, that sounds amazing. Well, lucky, I suppose that’s how a lot of my creations go. I leave it all up to Lady Luck, and I’m like, “You know what? I’ll roll the dice.”. If I’m feeling really basic and I just pull two random cans of soup out, I’ll combine these.”. Sometimes it goes together really well a beef and vegetable soup and some sort of tomato-based or vegetable-based soup. Other times you get chicken sausage gumbo combined with New England clam chowder. 

Ray: Yeah. 

Zoe: Kuma has never let me hear the end of when I combined those two.

Ray: That’s a combination that I think… You needed rice to go with it or something. 

Zoe: Oh, it was horrible. I ate it anyways, ’cause I was hungry, but when you roll the dice and don’t identify what you’re pulling out of the cabinet and to try and mix together; it becomes a little bit more- 

Ray: Did you have Tucker then, too?

Zoe: Oh, I had Tucker! Trust me. I don’t think he would’ve eaten- 

Ray: Did he eat it? 

Zoe: No, I didn’t wanna give it to him. Didn’t know if there toxic ingredients were there. 

Ray: You know, if the dog don’t eat it; you know it’s bad. 

Zoe: I was pretty sure he wouldn’t eat it. It was bad. ‘Cause the gumbo was kinda watery and then the chowder was all thick. So, I combined it with a spoon. But, didn’t want to combine. That’s what the vibe was and it was horrible. 

Ray: Well, if it filled up your tummy.

Zoe: That is true and, at the end of the day, that’s how I think of some foods. I always tell Kuma, “You want some pizza?”, and they’ll be like, “Sure.”. And, I’ll be, “Okay, here’s some bread, tomato, cheese. Have fun!”. 

Ray: Now if you do that with a- What do you call it? “Baguette”? 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Ray: Do that with a baguette. Tomato sauce, cheese, and a baguette, and then some meat or something like that. That makes an easier pizza to make than just a slice bread. 

Zoe: You know what? And you all, podcast listeners, know as well, I’m gonna see if I can surprise Kuma and see what they think about it. ‘Cause, that actually sounds amazing to do.

Ray: And it’s really simple. But, it’s good for one to two people. Just take a French Baguette. Cut it lengthways. And, then put the tomato sauce on it. The Parmesan cheese, three cheeses, whatever you prefer. 

Zoe: Parmesan, feta, and mozzarella sounds good. 

Ray: Yeah. That’s really good. And then put pepperoni or salami… sausage is a good combination. If you like vegetables- 

Zoe: Yeah, vegetables, cheese- 

Ray: onions-

Zoe: Whatever you want, really. 

Ray: … grilled, grilled onions. 

Zoe: Ooh, mushrooms. 

Ray: Mushrooms, peppers, green peppers, and stuff like that would be a real simple “pizza thing” that you could just make up real quick.

Zoe: Yeah, that sounds like a homemade “Bagel Bite”, but with a baguette instead of one of those little bagels. I’m always telling Kuma; “it combines in the stomach at the end of the day”. It’s basically as if you ate a pizza.

Ray: Yeah. It is easier to eat and less messy. 

Zoe: They’re always very exasperated with me. So, I’ll let y’all listeners know what they think of it when I surprise them with it. But, hey! Little recipe for you all. What a treat. 

Ray: Salt and pepper. A little bit of… 

Zoe: garlic, Basil?

Ray: Garlic or Parmesan. Yeah. Flakes of Parmesan or it’s all shredded stuff, so slice stuff. 

Zoe: They’re all gonna melted down. That’s why the feta, mozzarella, and Parmesan sound really good. Even just that by itself, plus a little marinara, but not- it’s like tomato paste.

Ray: You could do… Marinara is really good. You could do marinara, for sure, too. Either one. But, you’ll want it thicker. A little thicker. 

Zoe: Gotcha. Oh, gosh, look at us! A podcast about food, learning to live life and enjoy it, and treat disabilities not as a hindrance.

Ray: Don’t hold back. Do what you can do. Do what you feel comfortable with and grow from there. If you can’t do it, you can’t do it. Do it a way that you can do it with help or with, assistance I know people that’s blind and they ride bikes, They do these bike rides Might be tandem bikes. And then they can ride that way. They might not steer it. Just have a person that can steer the bike, and they ride it behind, and it’s still freedom. That was a thing for me is, when I ride in motorcycles, the freedom of the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth and- 

Zoe: Oh, my! 

Ray: Just having that kind of freedom that you don’t get, because you’re so restricted of what you can do. So, go boating, or go canoeing, or kayaking, or something like that. Or, what’s that one that they do- team? 

Zoe: Rafting? 

Ray: No, what’s the one that they do? 

Zoe: “Dragon Boating”! 

Ray: Dragon Boating! 

Zoe: Yeah, Dragon Boats! 

Ray: Dragon boating. If you can’t see and can’t do anything, do dragon boats and do it with a team member. IRA group that did dragon boating and stuff on the Willamette; do that. That’s really fun with bunch of people, bunch of blind people, or whatever. Bunch of friends. They become friends. 

Zoe: Aren’t they still doing that? 

Ray: Yeah. 

Zoe: Isn’t that team- What was it? Lethally Blind? 

Ray: There’s a pink one for, cancer people that they all wear pink, and they’re cancer- 

Zoe: Oh

Ray: survivors. 

Zoe: How wonderful. 

Ray: There’s seven or eight, Dragon boats. They’re just different teams and different groups that do different things and have something in common. 

Zoe: Gosh. And last time I actually went to just to a few of the practices. But, it was so great to meet everyone. And you really meet people from all sorts of walks of life. 

Ray: Yeah. 

Zoe: And all sorts of different backgrounds. Back then I was- I think I was only 18. But, yeah. I could meet people as young as me, but there was also there was a lady who was I think 80 at the time, and she was still on the dragon boat team.

Ray: Really? Yeah. 

Zoe: Yeah, yeah. 

Ray: Age old, as long as you do exercise and don’t sit around and on the couch and watching TV and be ate, eat potatoes and- 

Zoe: Oh, granted. She was one of the most energetic and positive people I know, and she’s helped so many people. So, yeah. She’s just awesome. 

Ray: Stay young and healthy and do something with your brain. Or read. I hate reading. 

Zoe: Oh no, you hate reading? 

Ray: Yeah. 

Zoe: Oh, well. I guess if it’s difficult to read, yeah. But, I don’t know. I read just on my phone or on the computer now. But, there are some really great books. A lot of people around me and myself too have been getting into that Dungeon Crawler Carl series. You’ve been laying down some really great thoughts and philosophies on me. Can you give me just an idea of one big event that kind of describes how you feel about your culinary experience through life, learning how to cook, and, how it’s affected your life? For me, I might say that the way that I would describe my own journey is when I first started learning how to cook when I was doing those Rice-A-Ronis. 

Ray: Yeah. 

Zoe: And I was, “Oh, I can just do these in the rice cooker.”. In goes my ingredients, my water, and all my milk and butter. And so by doing that, the milk went everywhere. I destroyed that rice cooker. But, luckily, my roommates are super awesome. So, yeah. I destroyed the rice cooker. I proceeded to destroy the next rice cooker as well. But, our current rice cooker works very well. That’s kinda how I would describe my story is silly, crazy mistakes. But, I do my best. I always try. I learn from them, and I correct them to make the best possible Rice-A-Roni dish that you can make.

Ray: Yeah. One of my people says, “You made the best meatball, slow cooker recipe.” And I said, “What did you put in your recipe?” barbecue sauce and bought, all pre-made, meatballs, and they think it’s the best thing they ever tasted. 

Zoe: Sometimes it’s the simple things, and that’s what that’s one of the goals of this podcast as well, is focusing on the student experience, but also focusing on ama- making amazing, delicious meals from some of the simplest ingredients. 

Ray: Yeah… 

Zoe: ‘Cause you don’t have to break the bank. You don’t have to go and buy a gold-plated steak that you, butter-boiled, gold-plated steak, I think it is?

Ray: I would say, yeah. Chinese or Japanese steaks. Ra- ragu? 

Zoe: “Wagyu”, yeah. 

Ray: “Wagyu”. 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Ray: Oh, my God! Those things, steaks, are just to die for!

Zoe: You know what? Those cows… Now, sorry to all you, vegetarians or, non-meat eaters out there, but purely for factual reasons I’m telling this. But yeah, those, Wagyu cows are so- are treated so well. I won’t claim to be an expert on them by any means, but, I did some reading into them and watched a few TV shows about them and it is really fascinating, just the entire industry, how well they treat those cows. Those cows a lot of them have their own “masseuses”? Massage people? 

Ray: “Massage”, yeah, which is- 

Zoe: Yeah! And, they’re very controlled special diet that they feed them, and then the meat that you get from them… Marbled with white and whatnot? 

Ray: Yeah. 

Zoe: That’s your steaks. 

Ray: Okay. 

Zoe: The meat that you get from these cows is pink, because there’s no visible lines of fat. That fat is so perfectly marbled with the meat that it gives you the most flavorful, tender, juicy bite ever. Oh, it’s divine! 

Ray: I don’t have those very often.

Zoe: The really good stuff is like $2,000 for, a pound. So, I won’t be having that anytime often either. But, if you can get-

Ray: Well, there’s a store that might sell them-

Zoe: Yeah, there are some other cuts of wagyu that go much less. So, for a pretty special event; a couple hundred dollars for a wagyu steak sounds good. 

Ray: Well, there’s a new Oriental Store, that’s near me on Mall 205, “99 Ranch”. 

Zoe: Yeah.

Ray: They have fish there. Did you see it? 

Zoe: I saw them and I saw they have these things called “sashimi”, and those are really… It’s a Chinese sort of- It’s hard to describe. It’s a rice crispy, but with these “big noodle flower” thi- I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s really good. But, yeah. That sounds great. Culinary experience or culinary story, do you have one for us that could describe or give off the vibe of what you make? 

Ray: It’s wonderful when you get old that you forget all those things. You don’t remember them. 

Zoe: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. 

Ray: But, no. Then you go to the store, “Do you have any great stories?”. “No, I’m too senile.” 

Zoe: This was maybe around the fall of last year. And, this friend of ours, her partner at the time, was out with some sort of pain. And, he wasn’t able to run his food place. She’s super awesome, this friend of- 

Ray: She’ll give you the shirt off her back.

Zoe: Yeah, and she’s so generous so kind. I’m sure she has lots of contacts. 

Ray: He was out for a week. 

Zoe: Yeah?

Ray: Is that right? About a week or so? 

Zoe: It was about a week. But- 

Ray: So, it would really been a loss of money and loss of revenue if he was gone that long. 

Zoe: Yeah, yeah. And who does she call to help? She called you. 

Ray: And you. 

Zoe: Oh, no, no!

Ray: You helped in other ways in other times.

Zoe: I helped in other ways in other times, yeah. But, at that point in that week, I actually didn’t work, I don’t think… 

Ray: Yeah. No, not that week. It was- 

Zoe: But, running that restaurant and, of all the people that she knew, blind, sighted, she called you, which was just a demonstration from her of how much she respected you and your skills. So, it’s just really cool to see and it’s really inspiring. It’s something that I definitely aspire to as well. 

Ray: It does inspire. But, I would do anything for her. Because, she just seems like she bends over backwards for everybody, all her people that she works with. But I wouldn’t do anything for him. 

Zoe: I gotcha. Yeah… 

Ray: That’s life, and I’m glad to help. I would’ve done it for nothing. 

Zoe: Truly, but- 

Ray: Yeah. I would’ve did it just pure… 

Zoe: This podcast so far, our first few episodes, I focused on Bulgogi Beef. It’s not exactly, ’cause there’s no gochujang in the recipe. But, yeah, to be clear, that first episode’s recipe is not bulgogi beef, but it is inspired by the flavor. You can add gochujang, or other ingredients. Dress it up to your style. But, there’s been, a Mediterranean one pot dish, ham hock and bean stew with well soup with buttermilk biscuits, savory dishes.

Ray: These are like main dishes. 

Zoe: Yeah, yeah, like main dishes. A goal of this podcast is to not only focus on cooking, how the culinary experience inspires, but also to find these simple, amazing recipes that are delicious, that you can make at home, that are inspired really and that people can make their own. This pie, from what you’ve described to me and from what you said already here on this podcast, it does sound simple. But, so delicious, frozen or chilled, it would make an amazing pie in the summer is what I’m imagining. But, we’ll be focusing- We’ll be, getting into the baking segment later, but to round out this sort of segment, are there any other words of wisdom or any stories or just, anything about your culinary experience or background that you’d like to share?

Ray: Well, I had a lot of– five years of culinary, but I did– my culinary is dishwashing. But, then I always paid attention and that’s the one thing, try to pay attention what’s around you and learn from that. You can learn a lot if you just pay attention and ask a few questions.

Zoe: Yeah, I know one or two YouTube Chefs who have that pretty much exact same story about where they start; lowly beginnings with dishwasher. But, they pay attention. They learn where they can. They want to learn. It’s kind of like that “Ratatouille” story.

Ray: Oh, we can’t sell Ratatouille anymore.

Zoe: Oh, really? 

Ray: They outlawed it. 

Zoe: Wait, what?! 

Ray: The City of Portland outlawed Ratatouille. Now they can’t sell it at restaurants. 

Zoe: Since when? 

Ray: Just recently. 

Zoe: Wait, why though? 

Ray: I don’t know exactly. It’s just really weird. They don’t want restaurants selling that anymore. 

Zoe: That’s really unfortunate.

Ray: Well, you know what Ratatouille is?

Zoe: Oh, I know who Ratatouille is. Yeah, it’s that French, vegetable dish that has that tomato base and all those sorts of vegetables. I really enjoyed the way that they did it in Ratatouille ’cause I’m no culinary expert, but it seemed like he presented his dish in a way kinda differently than how you would expect with the slices. Sort of arranged, if you imagine, a deck of cards. But, you, kinda grip it with your middle finger and your thumb and then tap your finger on the side and then just roll your finger across the table. It was a really interesting slice arrangement and a really interesting arrangement with the sauce, with the garnish. It looked beautiful. It inspired me to try my own Ratatouille and it tasted good. But, I think I just need more practice. 

Ray: That helps too. They do a lot of practicing, a lot of things.

Zoe: Truly. So, would there be any other stories or any other experience or words of wisdom that you’d like to share before we get into our baking segment? 

Ray: Keep practicing. Some people take it 200 times before they get the recipe right, but they don’t give up and that’s the secret; learn from your mistakes and keep plugging away.

Zoe: That’s really profound. 

Ray: Because, if practice makes perfect, and that’s so true with a lot of things, don’t give up with anything you do. If it’s goal of kitchen, or activities, or friends. 

Zoe: Five years as a dishwasher and as a diabetic and with the vision impairment as well. That’s a lot of dedication and especially with the food restrictions being a diabetic. For me, I’m allergic to eggs, and you have observed me crack eggs. Please describe to the, our listeners how good I am at cracking eggs. 

Ray: Well, first we put gloves on you. So, you wouldn’t have that contamination of-

Zoe: Yeah, ’cause I’m allergic, yeah. 

Ray: You’re allergic. And then we put a nice little white apron, and it still came out clean. But, sometimes there was two ways to do it, one on the edge of the bowl or one on the table, and maybe you should switch to the tables and tap on it, and then flip it, and then crack it. 

Zoe: That is true.

Ray: But, then sometimes you just don’t know your own strength. 

Zoe: Yeah, I crushed my second egg. I crushed it while trying to break it. 

Ray: So, there’s a happy medium between crack it enough or the edge and not too much power. 

Zoe: Yeah. But, hey. Practice makes perfect. 

Ray: But, I’m not letting you go through two cartons of eggs though. You’re not learning from that point. 

Zoe: Yeah, no. I gotcha. But, it’s really interesting. ‘Cause, it’s really cool to look at all these restrictions and the way that people, attempt things, learn from them, and make their changes to the recipe as well. Part of this recipe is, instead of using regular sugar. This recipe, that you have, calls for six tablespoons of a monk fruit substitute sugar. 

Ray: Yeah, it’s good for diabetics and it came from a dietician from Providence, a seminar that I went to. 

Zoe: Yeah, so that would eliminate so much sugar.

Ray: Not so much sugar, but the artificial stuff, your body can’t break artificial sugars down. It can’t break it down. Then if you read in the ingredients, it’s artificial sugar.

Zoe: Yeah. 

Ray: So, they get rid of it, but it’s still not good for you. But, that’s another story to the… 

Zoe: True, yeah. But, it’s about making healthy decisions. 

Ray: But, this monk fruit is really good and it’s sugar, but it’s made… I don’t know how it’s made, actually. That’s a good question we should’ve of asked our listeners.

Zoe: Yeah. We’ll definitely get that information, but yeah. I just didn’t even know that was a thing, so it was really cool to hear about that, and it was a really cool edit. ‘Cause, for a lot of people that are like, “how do diabetics enjoy like sweets or pies or whatnot without using all that artificial stuff?”.

Ray: Well, that’s what seems like it’s going towards, the pops are going that way. I can drink more pop; as a “diet pop” than a “regular pop”. But, that’s not true. Because it still adds up. But, it just don’t add up in the same way. People think they can drink more pop or drink diabetic sugars, and diabetic stuff and not be affected. But, they still get affected in a different way.

Zoe: Yeah. I’m really, really excited for this recipe and I just can’t wait to get into this segment. Again, thanks so much for sharing these words of wisdom, these experiences, these stories. I’m sure listeners are going to find this recipe absolutely amazing, and I hope-

Ray: I had a friend doing it.

Zoe: Yeah, and I hope this episode gives comfort to you viewers. It’s something that you can listen to while sipping some hot cocoa by the fireplace. So, with that, I’ll see you in the next segment. Bye. 

Ray: Bye. Nice talking. 

Zoe: Hi, everyone. Welcome back to A Slice of Life. We’re here in the kitchen now, and I’m with Kuma. Unfortunately, our guest hosts Ray and Patricia, weren’t able to make it onto the show today. But instead, we’ll be making you the recipe ourselves with a little added twist from an idea that Kuma had. 

Kuma: Hi, everybody. Happy Sunday that we’re recording. 

Zoe: I think it’s Father’s Day, actually. 

Kuma: Yeah.

Zoe: Yeah. 

Kuma: Happy Sunday, everyone. 

Zoe: Happy Sunday.

Kuma: So, we are making something from Ray and Patricia. It’s called a Lemon Icebox Pie. So, it’s a Lemon Meringue Pie, everyone, with some really nice added supplemental options, I would say. Ray uses monk fruit sugar, which he says he’s diabetic, and it’s a very good sugar to use. It’s safe for diabetics. 

Zoe: That’s right, yeah. Monk fruit sugar is what he used. You at home, if you’re diabetic, you can always choose the best option for you. Monk fruit sugar was something I didn’t even know about. We don’t have that today, so we’re using regular sugar But, at home, definitely feel free to replace it with monk fruit sugar if you like. 

Kuma: So, the ingredients from Ray is one pre-made pie crust. It is suggested using a graham cracker or vanilla wafer pie crust. So, it’s gonna be crumbly. 

Zoe: Yeah. You can pick those up easy at WinCo, Fred Meyer- pretty much any grocery store for just a couple bucks. It’s not too bad. 

Kuma: Three eggs that are room temperature. 

Zoe: So, make sure to let them thaw for about an hour after you take them out of the fridge before you make the pie. 

Kuma: Yep. One can of sweetened condensed milk. So, that’s about 14 ounces.

Zoe: You know one of my favorite old desserts, Kuma? It was just literally cold strawberries with condensed milk on top. 14 ounces in this pie, huh? That sounds like it’s gonna be a nice creamy pie. 

Kuma: A third cup of lemon juice. That can be freshly squeezed, which is what Zoe and I are gonna try and go with today.

Zoe: Yeah. 

Kuma: Or that bulk lemon juice that you can buy at the grocery store. 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Kuma: Usually they have it with just the fresh produce, I believe. 

Zoe: Yeah, it’s fresh lemon juice that we’re using today. But, the lemon juice in the bottle, totally fine. That works out well. You can get those smaller bottles, but for this recipe, you probably wanna get one of those big Costco bottles that are a quart or something and it’s wonderful. ‘Cause, lemon juice goes in so many amazing recipes. 

Kuma: And then we’re gonna have that six tablespoons of sugar or sugar supplement. 

Zoe: Yep. 

Kuma: And what I’m doing today is I’m using a pre-made pie crust. I melted some butter so I can bake the pie dough itself for a few minutes beforehand. Because, when I add in the lemon pie filling, that pie mix should already be, or the pie dough should already be halfway cooked- 

Zoe: Yeah.

Kuma: So, it doesn’t just congeal together. 

Zoe: You know what? I never even thought about that. Now, for those at home, I am not good at baking. The only things I can really bake are Frozen pizza. Yeah, but I never even thought about how the bottom of a pie… ‘Cause I’ve tried making pot pies before, and whatnot. When you put that raw dough in the oven with the insides, the bottom can get crispy, but a lot of times all the insides congeal together. So, I didn’t realize that. You just brush the bottom with just a little bit of butter and then halfway cook it in the oven? 

Kuma: Mm-hmm. 

Zoe: Perfect. 

Kuma: So, I’ll read the full recipe with all the steps. That way everyone knows it. 

Zoe: Yeah. Starting from the top. 

Kuma: And then we’ll go into my deviations. What were you saying earlier about exploring while cooking, Zoe? 

Zoe: Oh, it’s good. It’s really good. That’s the spirit of what this podcast is. It’s great to explore, and it’s all about learning and walking through your own journey in life. This podcast we’re here to talk about it. We’re here to provide comfort, show the foibles of everyday mistakes. ‘Cause, there will be mistakes. But, that’s how you learn. And, ultimately, this is about trying new things, finding the things that work for you, and doing the things that really put a smile on your face when you know that it’s worked out. I made a curry the other night, and Kuma and I thought it was 75% of the way there. It was good but not amazing. And, really we came to the conclusion that it was only lacking, realistically, only one thing- two things; fresh chili peppers, and also a spoonful of peanut butter to bind it all together and to provide a little bit more of that nutty flavor in the background. So, it’s the things that you do when you experiment, when you test things out. You find the things that you enjoy the most. 

Kuma: Yeah. And you find fun combinations. 

Zoe: Absolutely. 

Kuma: So, from Ray, what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna take those three eggs, right? The room temperature eggs. And you need two bowls. You’re gonna crack each egg individually and separate out the yolk, so that yellow part from the egg white, so that clear part. If you crack an egg yolk, so it’s runny, just get a new egg. 

Zoe: Yeah, don’t feel bad about wasting eggs. I’ll be totally honest with you, I’m allergic to eggs, so I never really work with them. So, when I tried cracking eggs, I really tried to practice. But, after cracking like, what was it? Two cartons, I only got two eggs to actually separate. 

Kuma: It takes time. It’s okay. 

Zoe: It takes time and practice, but if you break an egg, don’t worry. Just take that egg save it, put it away. You can use it for something else, or you can make it into a scramble. Very easy.

Kuma: Okay. So, we’ve separated out those three eggs. We’re gonna take those three egg yolks, and with a mixer we’re gonna beat it so it’s all nice and mixed up. Then we’re gonna add the can of condensed milk, so that 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk- Ooh to the yolks, and we’re gonna mix again. During that process, we’re slowly gonna add a third cup of lemon juice to that yolk and sweetened condensed milk mixture. Once we’re done with that, we’re gonna turn to the actual pie dough itself. Okay? 

Zoe: Now, that’s a simple filling. Will it taste really lemony in the center? 

Kuma: That’s what we’re hoping. 

Zoe: Oh, okay. 

Kuma: So with the pie crust, what we’re gonna do is brush a little bit of butter on your pie pan Just hold on to that. So, just hold on to that 

Zoe: It’s fine. 

Kuma: Yeah, you can just leave it right here. You’re gonna melt some butter, and you’re gonna brush it onto the pie pan itself, like on the inside. And then you’re slowly gonna roll out the pie dough to cover the pie tin, okay? 

Zoe: Okay. And that’s to protect the bottom, right? Make sure it doesn’t burn or stick. 

Kuma: And if this is a raw, normal pie dough, take a fork and poke some holes into the bottom of it, okay? 

Zoe: Oh, okay. 

Kuma: And then bake it for five to 10 minutes. 

Zoe: That makes sense. Let anything underneath escape, otherwise it’ll make the bottom, like, bubble up and look weird. That makes sense. 

Kuma: So, once we’re done with that, and we’ve taken our pie dough out of the oven, and we’re letting it cool. We’re gonna pour the yolk mixture into the pie pan. 

Zoe: Ooh. 

Kuma: Yep. Then clean that bowl. Clean the mixing bowl. 

Zoe: Yeah, yeah. 

Kuma: Pour in the egg whites, and we’re gonna beat the egg whites until it turns very light and fluffy, and that can take a while.

Zoe: Yeah. They call them “stiff peaks”. 

Kuma: Yep. That can take up to 10 minutes, I believe. 

Zoe: You don’t wanna overbeat them, though. 

Kuma: Nope. 

Zoe: But, once they start to turn into those nice stiff and looking a bit white, and they keep their shape, then you know that you’re on the cusp of having them done.

Kuma: Then you’re gonna add the six tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites while it’s beating. 

Zoe: Mm. 

Kuma: Okay? And, then once that is ready, then you pour the egg whites– it’s called a meringue– on top of the pie itself. 

Zoe: Now, that sounds simple, but so delicious. 

Kuma: Mm-hmm. And, then you’ll bake for seven minutes at 350 degrees or until the topping, that meringue, is lightly browned.

Zoe: Okay. You don’t wanna burn that. 

Kuma: And, then once it’s complete, let it sit at room temperature and then chill it in the fridge or the freezer. 

Zoe: Yeah. And then, whenever you’re ready to serve it, you can just take it out of the freezer, thaw it in the fridge, you can take it out, slice into it. You don’t need any whipped cream. That meringue topping is already so light, and fluffy, and sweet. It’s gonna be perfect. Now, that sounds like a simple but really easy amazing pie that you can whip together in half an hour or so, and then just put that in the freezer. Have that ready for a little party. You were telling me that you made some deviations from the recipe; trying your own thing a little bit. What were you wanting to do? 

Kuma: I wanna add mint. So, I’m feeling more of a mint julep. 

Zoe: Ooh! 

Kuma: Like a lemon mint julep pie. 

Zoe: That sounds really good! Lemon and mint do actually go so well together. 

Kuma: Yeah. 

Zoe: And, you’re using fresh mint leaves, right? 

Kuma: Yep! 

Zoe: Yeah. I’m trying to think of something that I would do. I don’t know, probably use some sort of mint extract. But, fresh mint just seems like it would work a lot better.

Kuma: You just want fresh mint. Okay. So what I’ve done already is I’ve melted the butter. 

Zoe: Ooh, okay. 

Kuma: I’ve let the pie dough, itself, become room temperature. So, it’s easier to roll out. I have preheated the oven to 350 degrees. 

Zoe: Lovely!

Kuma: I have my pie tin. So, I’m gonna brush the bottom of the pie tin with butter. 

Zoe: Yeah, just a little brush. 

Kuma: A little melted butter and if you don’t have a silicon rubber brush, or even a painting- like an unused painting brush, right? 

Zoe: As long as you’re gentle. 

Kuma: You can actually also use paper towels and just pour the butter in and then use a paper towel and swipe it around the pie pan itself. 

Zoe: As long as you keep it clean.

Kuma: But, if you’re gonna use a painting brush that you just get from the arts and crafts store, it needs to be a new one that has never touched paint. 

Zoe: Yeah. You keep your food and your art separate. 

Kuma: I am saying this for you, Zoe. 

Zoe: What? Why would I do that? 

Kuma: You never know. 

Zoe: You know what? That’s fair…

Kuma: I am teaching a blind woman how to bake currently! 

Zoe: That is true. So, like- No, I would never do that! 

Kuma: Are you sure? 

Zoe: I think so. You know what? I’ve been wrong before. I’ll trust you! 

Kuma: And you don’t need a whole lot of melted butter either. 

Zoe: It’s just to protect that pie dough, and you’re not trying to “flavor” the pie dough heavily, or anything. Just get that nice crisp outside without burning it or having it stick to the pan. 

Kuma: Mm-hmm. 

Zoe: ‘Cause no one wants a slice of pie and all of a sudden you can’t lift the bottom out of the pan.

Kuma: So, I’ve pulled out my pie dough. I’m unfolding it, cause it’s in a-

Zoe: It’s in a roll, right? 

Kuma: Yeah. Yeah, 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Kuma: Thank you. And, I thought it was room temperature enough. It wasn’t, but that’s okay. 

Zoe: Yeah. We’ll work through it. 

Kuma: It’s just these little tiny pieces at the inside. 

Zoe: Mm-hmm. 

Kuma: And I’m slowly setting it down

Zoe: And if you’ve decided to use like a graham cracker crust from the store- 

Kuma: You don’t have to do any of this… 

Zoe: Yeah, you don’t have to do any of this. But, we figured for the lemon mint, sort of center, it would just hold better like, compliment it better. But, a graham cracker like crumbly crust you can skip this step and then move to the part we brush the bottom with butter and then add in the yolks, the yolk mixture. You don’t have to like pre-bake the graham cracker crust.

Kuma: So, I’ve added the pie dough to it- 

Zoe: Okay. 

Kuma: And, I’m just poking some holes in the bottom of the dough. So, try and give it an even cook. 

Zoe: Mm-hmm 

Kuma: Okay. So that’s done. I’m gonna put it in the oven for 10 minutes– 5 to 10 minutes… Okay! Now let’s go over to our eggs! 

Zoe: All right! Let’s get this party started! 

Kuma: Our “eggy-weggies”! 

Zoe: And you can always do this by hand with a good whisk too; if you don’t have a mixer at home. But, it’ll just take a little longer. 

Kuma: So, what I have in front of me is some fresh mint, maybe about a teaspoon or two of fresh mint, minced. 

Zoe: Ooh. Minced.

Kuma: I got three big lemons. What I do with lemons or any citrus, when I need to use them for juice, is I roll them against the counter to knead it to, kinda, be a little bit more pliable. 

Zoe: Yeah, you wanna break up those like little pieces in there and, getting them nice and ready to be juiced. 

Kuma: Mm-hmm. And I got my three eggs. So, what we’re gonna do first is we’re gonna crack those eggs in half, okay? 

Zoe: Any tips for newbies?

Kuma: Try and crack in the center of the egg itself, okay? 

Zoe: Okay. 

Kuma: It can be a little bit challenging. That’s okay. If you’re having trouble separating out the egg yolks itself; ’cause normally you would go in between each half shell- 

Zoe: Yeah … 

Kuma: to separate the egg whites from the yolk, is dump the entire egg into it, make sure the yolk is not cracked, so it’s leaking. Take an empty water bottle, like a convenience store with that twist top, and suck in that egg yolk into the bottle and put it in a different bowl. 

Zoe: You know what? I never even thought about that. I always thought that was a party trick, but that actually makes a lot of sense.

Kuma: Mm-hmm. All right, ready? 

Zoe: Yeah!

Kuma: And there’s also some accessibility devices, actually, to crack an egg. 

Zoe: That is true, yeah. And whatever you’re looking for, whether you’re just getting into it, like me, or whether or not it’s just a little too difficult and like me, you’re looking for an accessibility device, without vision. It’s a little more difficult, but there are egg cracking devices that you can actually buy very cheap. Tap a button, cracks the egg and then you can split the egg open. It’s still up to you to separate the egg white and the egg yolk. But, hey! Cracking an egg without destroying it is a real victory for me at this point! 

Kuma: Mm-hmm. So, I got one egg cracked. Now I’m onto the next one. 

Zoe: Delicious.

Kuma: And the more you- Ooh!

Zoe: What happened?

Kuma: I just fully dropped it! 

Zoe: Mistakes happen! We’ll just clean it up! 

Kuma: That was hilarious! The yolk is perfectly intact! 

Zoe: On the floor?! 

Kuma: In my hand. I somehow caught it at the perfect second!

Zoe: You caught the yolk in your hand?! 

Kuma: I caught the yolk at the perfect second! I have a whole egg yolk in my hand!

Zoe: How is – ?

Kuma: I don’t know, but the egg white’s on the floor. Whoops. Oh, can you get… Can I have those paper towels? Yeah, yeah. And can you get me another egg?

Zoe: I will get you another egg. Yeah. I’ll war- I’ll try to warm the other egg real quick! ‘Cause we don’t have a fridge. Oh, I don’t… 

Kuma: That’s so impressive!

Zoe: Those are some reflexes right there! 

Kuma: Oh, oh. I’m good. Oh, my God, that just, that just… Okay. 

Zoe: Those are some quick s- I can’t believe you caught the yolk- and it didn’t break. 

Kuma: I don’t know! It just happened! Okay. I’ll mop it up… and I’m sure we’ll just give Tucker the extra eggshells and yolk. 

Zoe: Well, yeah, the egg yolk.

Kuma: Oh. 

Zoe: He’s gonna enjoy that! 

Kuma: Oh, we’re good, folks! Okay. I’m gonna crack that third egg. 

Zoe: Yeah. I’m doing a quick warm on this egg with my own body. You don’t wanna microwave or anything. 

Kuma: No. 

Zoe: Yeah. No, I’m doing, I’m just using my own hands to just warm this egg real quick. 

Kuma: I- 

Zoe: I was, like, shocked.

Kuma: Oh, folks, if only you could have seen that! That was, that was- 

Zoe: We were just talking about experiments and mistakes. 

Kuma: Okay. 

Zoe: Just goes to show that nothing is impossible in the kitchen. 

Kuma: Oh, my God- 

Zoe: I’m just, astounded that you caught the egg yolk. It needs a minute more. I’m just trying to keep it getting nice and room temperature. But, you got that third egg ready, right? 

Kuma: Yeah, it’s already cracked. I just need one more set of egg whites. That’s all I need. 

Zoe: We can take the extra egg yolk and, I don’t know, feed that to Tucker or- 

Kuma: Yeah, with the eggshells. Oh, by the way, folks, if you have dogs and if they’re not allergic to chicken or eggs, eggshells and raw eggs, or even cooked eggs, plain cooked eggs, are very good for them. 

Zoe: Yes, they are. Just make sure to grind up those eggshells. 

Kuma: Mm-hmm. 

Zoe: Good calcium for them, but you don’t want them to get a spiky piece of eggshell. All right. Give that a go. What do you think? 

Kuma: Yeah, that’ll work. Now, I’m just going for the egg whites here. 

Zoe: Perfect! Don’t drop it. Ooh. 

Kuma: Okay. 

Zoe: And why do we want them room temperature before we crack them? 

Kuma: It’s easier to separate them- 

Zoe: That makes sense… 

Kuma: Usually. But, I think it’s also just has to do with how they cook, I guess. 

Zoe: Yeah, an even temperature. 

Kuma: Can I give you the eggs for Tucker?

Zoe: Yeah, sure.

Kuma: Okay. Put all that in his bowl. 

Zoe: Fabulous. 

Kuma: I’m gonna wash my hands really good. 

Zoe: That’s a good idea.

Kuma: Do you have more paper towels? 

Zoe: Yeah. Here, take this one that I’m using right now. 

Kuma: It’s more for the floor, ’cause it’s literally right where I’m standing. 

Zoe: Yeah. Again, want to keep a clean workstation. 

Kuma: Yeah. Oh, I’m gonna have to let them all out. 

Zoe: And egg whites do get sticky. It’s okay, we’ll clean that.

Kuma: Okay! Okay, folks! We’re good. That was a funny mistake that just happened. 

Zoe: You literally managed to catch yourself before the mistake really hit the floor, though. 

Kuma: Don’t ask me. Okay. So, I have the egg yolks. I have the egg whites. I’m gonna juice the lemons now. 

Zoe: Okay.

Kuma: And again, we only need a third of a cup. But, what I’m also gonna do is I’m gonna save the lemons- 

Zoe: Okay… 

Kuma: and zest them- 

Zoe: That’s a great idea… 

Kuma: for the rind itself. 

Zoe: Yeah. Get more of that authentic lemon flavor in there, not just that lemon juice. Now, I’m super inexperienced. What’s the best way to juice a lemon? 

Kuma: You can do it with your hands. 

Zoe: Well, I’m gonna cut it in half and then squeeze it over. But, that’s kind of what I thought, but just making sure there wasn’t some secret technique. 

Kuma: And you can buy these little mini juicer things- 

Zoe: Oh, I’ve seen those! 

Kuma: But, like, from the store… 

Zoe: seems like an extra step, really. I mean- 

Kuma: That’s what I have. 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Kuma: It helps catch, um, the- 

Zoe: Oh, the seeds and everything, right? 

Kuma: Yeah. And the pulp. 

Zoe: That is true. 

Kuma: So, I’m just doing that. 

Zoe: I don’t know. I think of the pulp as a- whatchama call it? “Happy little accident”? 

Kuma: Yeah. But, again, I also rolled the lemons to try and get the juice to come forward easier.

Zoe: True, true, true it’s fabulous and your house is gonna be smelling amazing with that lemon. 

Kuma: Oh, I love the smell of lemon! 

Zoe: Back when I was younger, I think one of the things that we used to do was; we would take an orange peel or, like, a lemon peel and stick it in the fridge for a day after we used it. We’d throw it away afterwards, ’cause you don’t want the whole lemon going bad or anything. But, it would get nice and fragrant. 

Kuma: Mm-hmm.

Zoe: Oh, those are some firm lemons. 

Kuma: Yeah, you gotta have a little bit of wrist strength. So, if it’s easier for you to use that pre-made lemon juice for cooking, go for it. 

Zoe: You gotta have a little bit of wrist strength? I’m out. 

Kuma: Oh, yes. You’re a little weak, Zoe. 

Zoe: It’s a chore to carry shopping bags home!

Kuma: I mean, it’s a chore for everyone. Not a chore. But, you have a slightly heavy bag, and it’s not even five pounds and you say it’s heavy. 

Zoe: Then my hand starts tingling. I’m like, “Oh, this is the heaviest bag ever.”. It’s my dream to one day run out of the car and back into the house without carrying any groceries home.

Kuma: It will never happen so long as you live with me.

Zoe: Hey, the message of this podcast is to bring it back to the student experience and to chase your dreams. So, someday I will achieve that dream of running back into the house with Tucker and not carrying any groceries. 

Kuma: We’re doing some very fresh lemon juice. Okay. So, we need a third of a cup.

Zoe: And how much did we get from those three lemons, do you think? 

Kuma: Almost three-quarters. 

Zoe: That’s a lot. We can save the excess- 

Kuma: Mm-hmm… 

Zoe: and use that for other cooking projects. Yes. See? Again, cooking is so perfect. ‘Cause even if you make mistakes, they turn into inspiration for your next meals. you can take that and on hot days like these you can make actual lemonade. Didn’t you get that one lemonade like a day or two ago and you were so happy, Kuma? 

Kuma: Oh, yeah, I got fresh lemonade from an orchard. It was in a 32 ounce container. 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Kuma: And, it was just a Tupperware of lemon juice and marionberries and ice.

Zoe: Oh, so good. 

Kuma: Okay. So, we’re adding the egg yolks and the lemon juice. 

Zoe: Okay. 

Kuma: Right? Yeah. Am I remembering that correctly? 

Zoe: Well, it’s the egg yolks first, I believe. You start to beat them and then, you first add in the condensed milk- 

Kuma: Yes. 

Zoe: Thank you, and then the lemon juice. 

Kuma: So, I’m gonna start beating the egg yolks, and then I’m gonna pull out the pie dough.

Zoe: Okay. 

Kuma: And then I’ll add in the- 

Zoe: Condensed milk?

Kuma: Condensed milk. So, the mixer will be loud. 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Kuma: So, we’ll pause. 

Zoe: We’ll pause as it’s mixing just so that we don’t hurt lovely viewers’ ears. 

Kuma: Yeah. Okay. 

Zoe: And, we’re back. The egg yolks were just mixed up in the mixer. We slowly added in our condensed milk. We slowly added in that lovely lemon juice and lemon zest. What does the mixture look like now? 

Kuma: So, it’s a pale yellow in color. 

Zoe: Ooh. 

Kuma: And, kinda, “Jell-O” consistency. 

Zoe: Okay, yeah. ‘Cause, we don’t wanna overbeat it either, and just wanna make sure that you, the viewer, know how it should look like.

Kuma: So, I have that. I’m scraping down the sides, and I’m pouring it into the pie tin, okay? 

Zoe: Oh, delicious. Yeah.

Kuma: ‘Cause I took the pie tin out of the oven. 

Zoe: And it’s a wonderful crust. Came out perfect. Half cooked and not going to stick or congeal together with that inside

Kuma: And I’m just scraping down the bowl so we get everything out. 

Zoe: You know what, Kuma? Aside from Shepherd’s Pie, this is actually the first pie that I’ve ever made with someone. 

Kuma: Really? 

Zoe: In general, yeah! I’ve never made, a fruit pie. Well, I’ve tried, but last time I tried making a fruit pie it- what’s the word? The top collapsed and covered the center. 

Kuma: Oh, yeah. 

Zoe: Yeah, and it was bad! The bottom did congeal together with the fruit. 

Kuma: Okay. So, because the pan is still hot, I’m using my spatula. 

Zoe: Yeah. 

Kuma: My silicone spatula, and trying to even it out. 

Zoe: Mm-hmm. Safety first, everyone.

Kuma: The pie dough? 

Zoe: Regarding the heat and everything. Oh, yeah. We don’t wanna burn ourselves. 

Kuma: So, that’s done. So, now what I’m gonna do with the bowl is I’m gonna wash it and then add those three egg whites, start beating it. Then slowly add in those six tablespoons of sugar. 

Zoe: That’s wonderful. Yeah. We’ll come back. ‘Cause again, the mixer’s loud. But, we’ll come back right at the end to describe what it looks like, and to add the egg white and that, that lovely, that’ll be a meringue at that point- 

Kuma: Mm-hmm… 

Zoe: On top of that pie filling. So, yeah. We’ll be back in just a second.

Kuma: Mm-hmm. 

Zoe: All right! So, we’re back. We just whipped together that meringue. We took a look at it, thought it could use a little bit more time, so we whipped it until it was nice and airy. Nice and stiff, nice and airy. Didn’t look like it would fold over really easily. And so I think it’s got the perfect amount of whipping. 

Kuma: So, if you’ve seen Marshmallow Fluff and what it looks like, or marshmallow cream, we’re kinda going for a consistency like that. 

Zoe: Ooh, okay! 

Kuma: So, what I did was I added the egg whites, those three room temperature egg whites, as I was beating. And you have to, if you’re mixing it by hand, you have to beat it by hand very, very, very fast- 

Zoe: Yeah… 

Kuma: for a long while. So, be prepared for that. Slowly add in the sugar. And then I added some of that fresh mint to it. So, kinda like a sugared mint. 

Zoe: Yeah, it’s really good. 

Kuma: And what I did to the pie was then I added the rest of that minced mint. ‘Cause, I chopped it up very, very finely, and then the lemon zest just straight on top. Now I’m adding the meringue on top of it. 

Zoe: Delicious. It’s gonna be that nice fluffy cloud layer. And yeah, again, if you don’t have a mixer, just don’t be afraid. It’ll take a little bit longer, but it’ll be fun. You just gotta beat it by hand and then you’ll get a nice creamy finish. So, you’ll be good to go. 

Kuma: Gonna be a weirdo and take a photo. 

Zoe: I think it would be weird not to take a photo of such a delicious pie!

Kuma: Well, I don’t make pies very often. 

Zoe: This is the first actual dessert pie that I’ve did with someone. 

Kuma: I’m just scooping all of that meringue on top, okay? So, I have added the meringue. Kinda looks like a little mound. 

Zoe: Ooh, delicious! 

Kuma: And I’m just patting it, ’cause I want some peaks.

Zoe: Get it looking nice and artistic for the fun look and the fun textures. And, again, those are really fluffy egg whites, so no matter what thickness you use, it’s gonna cook fast. How long do we have it in the oven for? 

Kuma: Only seven minutes.

Zoe: Wow, okay. 

Kuma: Yeah.

Zoe: Well, then once we slide it in, it only takes seven minutes to bake. After that we can take it out and it’ll be tempting to just cut right into that, but don’t do it. Just let it get to about room temp, cool down a little bit. If you put it immediately in the fridge, that’s really bad. It’s really easy for it to develop salmonella, and whatnot. Getting it really hot to really cold really fast. So, just let it cool a bit and then chill it in the fridge for a few hours. Then once that’s ready to go, and once you’re ready to serve it, you can pull it out, grab a slice, and serve. There we go. We’re sliding it right into the oven. We will pull it out, chill it, and taste it. We will tell you how it turned out on our next episode, but until then, please leave comments or your own little stories or feedback about what you think about this pie and this recipe. Until next time! Thanks for joining us on “A Slice of Life”. Thanks to our special guest hosts Ray and Patricia. I’ve been Zoe. This has been Tucker and- 

Kuma: This is Kuma! Have fun baking everyone!

Outro

Asher: Thank you for listening to Let’s Talk!, Portland Community College’s broadcast about disability culture. Find more information and resources concerning this episode and others at pcc.edu/dca. This episode was produced by the Let’s Talk! Podcast Collective as a collaborative effort between students, the Accessible Education and Disability Resource Department, and the PCC Multimedia Department. We air new episodes on our home website, our Spotify channel, XRAY 91.1 FM and 107.1 FM, and KBOO Radio, 90.7 FM.