Well Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to 2010! Also, I'm 1/3 of the way through this pie project! How crazy is that?! Pretty freakin' nuts, I'd say!
So it's been awhile... again. I don't mean to neglect, really, I don't, but between the pre-Christmas chaos, the Christmas chaos, and the post-Christmas chaos, life has been pretty, well, chaotic, to say the least. But I'm back at work, back in my apartment, and I've packed away all of my Christmas decorations and set everything up for January (yes, January decorations exist!), so now that I can take a deep breath, I can focus back on life as I know it! Wahoo! And that means more focus on pie! Always a win.
I have quite a bit to update on... four pies since my last post! Well, actually, six pies (I had 2 extra pie-ventures thrown in), so yeah, a LOT to update on!
Are you sitting down? Good! (I would hope so... otherwise you're just that weirdo who checks the computer while standing up.)
Do you have something to drink? A snack, perhaps? Don't worry, I can wait...
Okay, is your brain set on pie mode (or pie a la mode? Ha.)? Good!
Here we go!
So four weeks ago (wow!), my friend Kaitlin popped on over with the idea of making a holiday-esque pie that, since we would be inventing, would automatically be super delicious, because we would only put in delicious things. This theory makes perfect sense to me. So we started throwing around ideas (chocolate! candy canes! chocolate!) and wound up with a scrumptious-sounding pie worthy of the Christmas season... Peppermint Patty Pie! We decided this would have a mint Oreo crust, chocolate ganache (mostly just because I like the word "ganache"), mint chocolate mousse, and a whipped cream topping (with crushed candy canes for garnish). Awesome, no?
So off to the store we went! Walmart was out of mint Oreos, but they had a limited edition holiday version that fit out pie even better -- candy cane oreos (with a red and white center! Win!). We found our remaining ingredients, cursed the high price of peppermint extract, and went back home to bake. Everything went rather smoothly, although our ganache layer was a bit thin (but the mint mousse made up for that), and minus its short time in the fridge (meaning the mousse didn't set quite like it should have), we served it up at our holiday gift exchange where it was an absolute WIN! Success!! Seriously, it was phenomenal... super rich, but the flavors meshed perfectly and it was like a little Christmas party in your mouth. Yum, yum, yum.
It was even better the next day, after it had refrigerated overnight, and the shape of the pie held up on the plate (which is always cool). It was even richer, if that's possible, but while my coworkers could barely eat a slice, I had one for breakfast (Wheaties? Psh... this is the breakfast of champions) and another at work an hour later. Apparently decadent chocolate has zero affect on the stomach of a chocoholic. Good to know.
So a few days later I made mini versions of this pie for a holiday party along with adorable pecan tartlets... I don't have the pictures, but they were super cute! I made too many of the mini peppermint patty pies, so I wound up throwing some out (boo), but they sure looked delightful on a platter! And the pecan tartlets had a bit too much crust for their small size, which overwhelmed the filling, but otherwise they turned out pretty great. So now I know I can make mini-versions of the big pies! Hello dinner parties!
So those are pies 1, 2, and 3... and on we go!
Wall*E and I ventured home to Michigan just before Christmas (I had a week off from work) so I could spend the holidays with my fabulous family. We made it just fine, though the trip took a little longer after I stopped off at Albanese Confectionary in Indiana... the BEST chocolates on the face of the earth. Honest to blog, they're truly outstanding, like close-your-eyes-and-let-the-chocolate-do-the-talking kind of good. I picked up a bunch to surprise my family with, and I think my mom was more excited to see the pounds of chocolate on the table than me (I kid!), so that was a worthwhile pit stop :)
So the next pie was my first venture away from dessert and into the savory-type pies, which was cool to experiment with. My mom and I made her outstanding (to overuse the phrase) broccoli and cheese quiche for our breakfast on Christmas morning. It's a pretty easy recipe, and for my first-ever quiche, I'd say it turned out rather well! It was a warm and yummy way to kick off another great Christmas! I don't have tons to say about it... it looked great, tasted great, and what more is there to say about eggs and cheese that could possibly make it sound any better? Not much, they're pretty freakin' perfect without any fancy descriptions.
It was also great baking with my mom (and stealing her recipe!)... my mom is an avid Christmas baker, so I'm glad I got to partake in some of the fun this year! Gracias, mamacita!
On to... CHRISTMAS!!! So I won't add tons here (6 pies takes up a lot of blog space), but I had a spectacular Christmas, and it was a joy and a blessing to spend it with my family. We ate good food, laughed heartily, opened lovely gifts, and did all the merry things one does with family on such a beautiful holiday.
I got a great new pie pan for Christmas, and it's actually 9 inches, so now I don't need to double recipes! Yippee skippy! Keeping with the baking theme, I also got some awesome mixing bowls and Julie and Julia!!! Win win WIN! I got some other great gifts, but they're mostly unrelated to this pie blog (other than the fact that they equate to a happier version of me, which in turn makes this blog a happier thing, but still...), so I won't bore you with that.
Onward!
So my week off was great... I saw great movies (hello Sherlock Holmes and Up in the Air), hung out with some old friends, and spent a lot of time just relaxing with the fam-bam. It was awesome. The next pie also occurred over my vacation, and for New Year's Eve I made Shepherd's Pie! A bit of a stretch on the "pie" thing, but it totally counts. My brother-in-law Jerry gave me the recipe, and it was super easy and super delicious.
Basically, I browned some meat, then mixed in a bag of frozen mixed veggies and a can of cream of mushroom soup. This mixture (with some salt and pepper) went into a casserole dish, and I topped it off with a hearty layer of homemade mashed potatoes. Quick sidenote... I love mashed potatoes. Seriously, LOVE them. I can eat mountains of them in a sitting. And I still make a mashed potato volcano with the gravy/lava every time. But until just this past week, I never actually knew how to make them! My mom always did, and while I watched her a few times, I never saw the process all the way through... how ridiculous is that? So I just learned how to make her fantabulous spuds! Woot woot. Anywho, those went on top, then a pretty sprinkling of paprika was added and the whole thing went in the oven to bake.
Overall, it was quite scrum-diddly-umptious! I've only had shepherd's pie once before, and I think a gravy was added to the meat mixture, rather than the soup, but I think both are equally tasty. I can't wait to try this one again, and mix it up a bit... test out some seasonings!
So that's five down and ONE to go!
So I had a great New Year's, and came back to J'ville on the 2nd to throw my friend's bachelorette party/shower that night (which was super fun), and started work again on Monday. It was a really quiet week, since no students are back, and I mention that because I have a funny story for you. Yes, I'm telling it. I swear, we're almost done!
Okay, so I live in an apartment in a dorm building (for those who aren't aware), and yes, I think that information is safe to give out (I've never mentioned which dorm or even which campus for that matter, so we're good). Anyway, so since students are gone, I'm the only one in the building. I'm actually they only one with a key... they changed the locks over break so that students can't break in and do damage. So basically, I've felt pretty secure this whole time knowing that. Well anyway, so by being the only one in the building, that means Wall*E is the only car in the parking lot. So a few nights ago, I was getting ready for bed, and as I closed the curtains, I noticed another car out there... right near my window. Well to know me is to know that I'm a paranoid scaredy-cat, so I started freaking out a little bit. What if someone else is in the building? What if they're out there watching me shut my lights off? NO ONE CAN HEAR ME!
You get the idea.
So here's where it's kind of funny... I'm in my room, trying to find something to defend myself with (just in case), and since I couldn't find anything weapon-worthy, other than some books (and really, what good do those do me in this kind of situation?), I went into my living room, dragged my recliner over to the door, and reclined it so that the back wedged underneath the door handle and the chair was blocking the entire door. Seriously. I was able to sleep though, so I felt it was a brilliant plan.
The only downside was when I woke up the next morning and had to figure out why my chair was against my door (I was rather tired during the previous situaysh.)... kind of hilarious.
Okay, back to pie!
This week, I baked a pie for my boss... Pecan Pie Minus the Pecans with a Meringue Topping! Yup, that's what she wanted. Well, I got to try out my new pan, which was fun, and the pecan mixture filled up the crust, so woot for no doubling/thin pies! I baked that part up and as it set, I started whipping up the meringue. Well, in my fancy Kitchenaid mixer, it's super hard to tell when "stiff peaks" have formed, so in the process I managed to overwhip it :( I didn't realize that was possible, but when I stopped the mixer to check it, the whole thing was super runny and gross. After some frantic phonecalls, I discovered that it's sometimes salvageable if you add another egg white, which is great news, only I didn't have any more eggs! And it had started snowing, so I wasn't in the mood to go buy more.
Sometimes, it must be noted, I do stupid things when I'm frustrated. And this time was no different. I poured the liquid meringue over the pie, and then threw the whole thing under the broiler. I then proceeded to ruin this even further by forgetting to check the oven until I smelled smoke. Awesome.
So the whole top was burnt and my apartment smelled like burnt marshmallows. Blech.
Well, I brought it into work the next day and once we peeled the meringue (if you can call it that) part off, it was actually a pretty good pie! Basically pure syrup, but I vote that a win :)
I need more meringue practice! Lesson learned. Also, keep more than the necessary ingredients on hand.
Okay, so in the interest of getting this post up now, I don't have pictures to add just yet... I'll add them later! Sorry!
And now I have to actually go, so this ending is going to be rather abrupt... thanks for reading, sorry for neglecting you!!!
Eat some pie!!!
New poll up! And from the last poll, I discovered that the majority of you like whipped cream with your pie, some like ice cream, and a few like either coffee or nothing. Mmmmkay! That is all!
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