Above all else, Louisa Barber loves being home with family, but because she was the new kid on the block at the Sidney Herald and the news never stops, she couldn’t go home for Christmas! While spending some time with the new reporter, you quickly find out she enjoys cooking and baking, spending time in the kitchen, and whipping up quick and tasteful recipes.

Since she couldn’t return home to Washington, Barber turned up the oven and made the memories of Christmas come to her. “I baked this deep-dish apple pie in a very special dish,” Barber said. “I remember ever since I was little, Mom would bake pies in it, and I just knew that when she brought it out, Christmas would be great. It means a lot.”

Even though Barber was intimidated to make the crusts, she believes her mother would be impressed, as she says, “Mom is my main mentor. She’s really good, and she knows the flavors that mix well. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s smart.” Both mom and dad are encouraging, and Barber’s father, Geary, simply admits he likes everything his daughter prepares. “Even if I make a mistake Dad likes it, and Mom always knows the cure. She tells me I can always improve the next time.  So with that combo, the pressure’s off.”  Barber started cooking in her early teens, but it wasn’t until the summer of 2007 when she was looking after her mom during radiation treatments that Barber decided to try her hand at baking pies. She realized that patience was a virtue, and the more she made, the more she liked it. “I’ve made rhubarb (dad’s favorite), strawberry-rhubarb, apple, dutch apple, french apple, peach, cherry and of course, pumpkin,” she says. Barber uses Betty Crocker’s pie crust recipe, as “she’s (Betty Crocker) got a nice flaky crust.” 

A simple apple pie is what she made last week, but it was the memory of home that made it a special time baking. “Not a lot of people my age make pies from scratch, so I find it really rewarding to make them. But what I enjoy even more than baking is feeding people my pie – my piece of artwork.”

When she makes them, Barber says it’s like all her stress just melts away, and she becomes re-energized. Now, pies aren’t the only food Barber enjoys creating. Her aunt is Chinese, and Barber has learned from the best.  “She had her own restaurant, and she cooks authentic, so she’s taught me some simple dishes,” Barber said. You can ask this young reporter to make just about anything in the kitchen – and she’ll probably do it; casseroles, meatloaf, teriyaki chicken, salads, etc.

She speaks of a Filipino dish, called Bibingka, as one of her favorites to prepare. She made it for Christmas and brought it with to her boss Libby Berndt’s parents’ house. Libby says it “melts in your mouth.”

She may be young now as she bakes pies in her kitchen, but Barber says, “I can picture myself doing this for years to come. I’ll be 80 and still making pies. By then, I’ll be so good. Martha Stewart won’t have nothin’ on me.”

homespun@sidneyherald.com

Bibingka

by Louisa Barber

(I tried it in college and a friend from Hawaii gave me the recipe. I kind of Americanized it. It’s really easy to make.)

1 pound Mochiko flour (it’s Japanese) or regular white flour for the American version  (1 pound = 3 1/2 cups)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

5 eggs, beaten

1-12 ounce can of coconut milk

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 block butter, melted

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in bowl, adding butter last. Mix well using electric mixer. Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan, and let stand 5 to 10 minutes to let air bubbles out.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour.