Happy Birthday, Bilbo and Frodo!

"In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark,

but in the west,

a pale light lingered."

-Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring

[Pix: Sunset at Marianna's house]

While the birthday of two such estimable hobbits is, in and of itself, more than sufficient cause for a celebration, this is a day to celebrate so much more: Middle Earth, the Nobility of Aragorn, the Wisdom of Gandalf, the Courage of Sam, the Shire itself - in short, all that is at the heart of what we call normal and decent.

The stories of Bilbo and Frodo provide a lifeline for us to a dimension where morality still exists, where Truth is honored, where virtue - its own reward - is nevertheless rewarded. While we’re at it, we may drink a toast to Tolkien himself, and to Lewis and Williams and Barfield and all the other sparkling intellects who gathered at the Eagle and Child. We may drink a toast to Narnia, and hope for the day when we can enter Aslan’s Country, for which we are all, at heart, truly homesick. We can drink a toast to George McDonald, and the Brothers Grimm, and all those who, in the exquisite code of a besieged but determined underground, have encouraged and reminded us of Our King and His Reward, which may only be obtained on careful condition and after much danger in the enchanted forest.

For this most merry feast, let us enjoy:

Buckland Pie

1 unbaked 12-inch pie shell
10 strips bacon, diced
2 medium onions, chopped
3 large eggs
¾ cup cream
8 oz. baby portobellos, roughly chopped
8 oz. white mushrooms, chopped
(you may substitute a pound of whatever mushrooms you can get)
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese


1. Saute the bacon until nearly done, then add the onions.

2. When onions are transparent, add mushrooms and saute just a little.

3. Put about half the cheese in the bottom of the pie shell. Pile on the sauted ingredients with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon grease behind. [Put the grease on the dog’s food
because ­it has onions in it and shouldn’t go into the bacon grease jar, but the dog will benefit greatly.]

4. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

5. Beat the eggs lightly and add the cream and white pepper.

6. Carefully pour over the other ingredients---if it won’t quite fit, give the leftovers to the dog.

7. Put the pie on a baking sheet and transfer to a 350 degree oven.

8. Bake until set, about 25 minutes or so.

9. Serve with baby spinach salad with a light dressing and wash down with a good ale (beer). One pie will not feed more than four---it is just too good!


With special thanks to Syler Womack for this submission, which is entirely hers!
"By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"
~~~King Aragorn