So back when I was in 5th grade, the 4th graders at my elementary school put on a Christmas play, and we all piled into the gym to watch the antics of a family coming together for the holidays. I don't remember the details of the play (other than it dealt with just about every "crazy relatives are packed into one house" stereotype that one normally associates with Christmas), but there was one part that was particularly poignant for me and continues to stick out in my memory to this day.
Two brothers were sitting on a couch arguing over what to watch on TV -- one wanted football, the other It's a Wonderful Life. They dramatically yanked the remote back and forth in the epic holiday-TV showdown, before their younger sister waltzed in and announced that she had the perfect show to watch.
The stage lights dimmed and the spotlight was on this little girl as she stood center stage and belted out the following three words (I only wish I could describe the tune... it's lovely):
"Martha! Martha Stewart!"
It was hilariously awesome, mostly because few of my fellow 5th graders cared about who Martha Stewart was and the joke therefore fell somewhat flat on them, but NOT ME! Oh, no sir! I, at the ripe young age of 10, was a bonafide Martha Stewart junkie (this was pre-insider trading scandal)... I watched her show rigorously in search of great recipes and phenomenal crafting tricks to one day try out (unfortunately, my parents didn't quite get on board with her recomendation of wrapping each individual Christmas tree branch in lights, but I tried).
I've always loved cooking shows (I watched 8 hours of the Food Network when I was home sick last week), and Martha Stewart was my idol. I worshiped the East Hamptons air she breathed and the perfectly manicured grass she walked on.
Until, of course, she was sent to "jail". At that exact moment, Martha was potting soil to me. I saw her for the lying snob she is, and my "I want to be her" attitude turned into absolute loathing and a disgusted scoff every time I hear her name.
So at the start of this project, I declared that I wanted only recipes with a story, and none that could be found on marthastewart.com. And so far, I've done pretty well with that.
However, I tell you all of this because this past Saturday, I caved. I made a Martha Stewart pie.
I debated, I struggled, but in the end this was the perfect pie for what I needed (or so I thought).
As you're aware, Valentine's Day was almost two weeks ago, but my boyfriend was at a conference that weekend, so we celebrated Fake-Valentine's Day last Friday. We went out to dinner (which was lovely), swapped gifts (I got him the super awesome movie Black Dynamite... be impressed), and had an all-around awesome day.
Well, I also had another gift for him... a super adorable-looking Valentine's pie, courtesy of Martha Stewart's magazine. It was on the cover, so it had to be good, right?!
Wrong.
I spent 6 hours (SIX!) baking the sucker, which was a Chocolate Ganache Tart in a heart-shaped pan with cutesy meringue hearts all over the top. The crust was a chocolate pastry crust, which didn't roll out as Ms. Stewart claimed it would, so I wound up throwing the whole lump in my pan and smushing it out with my fingers... not a good start.
I baked the crust, and -- wait, let it be known that part of the subsequent problems with the pie were partially my fault... my pie pan was actually a cake pan in this case, and the baking times (I discovered later) were different, so I overbaked it. Anyway, I baked the crust and moved on to the meringue.
I was supposed to put the meringue mixture (combined with different food colorings) in a piping bag and make small hearts to bake and then set atop the pie. My "piping bag" was a spoon and a bowl (yes, I failed again) and my "hearts" were polka dots. Urgh. Martha's pies were clearly not meant for those of us inexperienced bakers who can't afford her fancy shmancy baking tools.
Moving on... the filling was a bittersweet chocolate ganache, and knowing my past experiences with the bitterness of bittersweet chocolate, I knew I should've swapped some out for semi-sweet, but I was trying to stay with the recipe, so I went ahead and did as instructed.
The pie was baked again, the meringue dots were added, and voila! I had a Valentine's Day pie!
I wish I had pictures, but alas, those will have to come later, because it's quite hilarious (I snapped a pic of my pie alongside the one of hers, and it's easy to see who's the pro and who's the one in the midst of a mildly stressful pie project). To give it to you straight, Martha Stewart is fully deserving of all of my spite and anger. To quote Julie Powell in Julie & Julia, "the bitch lied."
The pie was, in my opinion, awful. The crust was so dry, dust flew out of my mouth when I coughed, and the filling was far too bitter for my taste. I hated it. The boyfriend claimed it was awesome, but that's just a sign of how sweet he is. Because seriously? HORRIBLE! One of the worst I've made so far.
So to be somewhat crass, suck it, Martha.
I'm back to being spiteful. And this means I need recipes! So... send some! Please!
The day after the aforementioned terrible-ness, I went grocery shopping (as I had pancakes multiple meals in a row, since they were the only food I had in my apartment), and I made the grave mistake of going shopping while hungry. Oops. I picked up a rather random variety of goods, including stuff for chili dogs and tuna noodle casserole. Ridiculous.
I also picked up roll of cinnamon rolls, and on the drive home realized that cinnamon rolls are a rather idiotic purchase when you live by yourself, as you either have to bake all of them or risk them getting weird after storing them.
Luckily, however, Brianne and Kristine came up with the most genius usage ever for my dilemma, and a new pie invention was born!
We called it "I Was Craving Cinnamon Rolls" Pie, and the recipe was as follows: cinnamon rolls baked as the bottom crust, then topped with baked cinnamon apples and topped off with a drizzling of icing.
Spell it with me: G-E-N-I-U-S! How awesome does that sound?! Yeah, yeah, you know your mouth just watered a bit. Don't deny it.
So anywho, I took the cinnamon rolls and smushed them into a ball which I then rolled out and baked in a pie pan. They baked up a bit wonky, so I wound up having to smush them down with a spoon to even out the base crust. The apples on top were perfect (I made them "French style", meaning I threw a stick of butter in a skillet along with five sliced apples and a hearty dose of cinnamon and sugar and baked them until soft), and the icing oozed down into the mixture.
Apart from the "crust" being a bit dough-y, this pie was HEAVEN. This was the exact opposite of the "Martha Pie"... for every complaint I had about that one, I had a praise to sing about this one.
The only change I plan to make in the future (because, yes, I will be baking this again, and again, and again) is with the crust. I want to try out a few different methods... coiling the cinnamon rolls into one giant roll and baking it or baking the rolls as is but really close together are the two that I've come up with so far. Given practice, though, I'll perfect it. It deserves to be perfected. Oh yes, it does. Yum.
The scores for I Was Craving Cinnamon Rolls Pie:
Appearance: 17/20
Taste: 22/25
Crust: 17/20
Filling: 19/20
Originality: 15.2/15 (Brianne gave it bonus points here)
Total: 90.2/100
Comments
The Good:
"The apples looked perfect!"
"This pie was awesome."
The In-Between:
"A better fitting pie pan and keeping the rolls rolled would make it perfect."
On the crust: "Could improve and have more crisp."
The Bad:
"It was a little thin... needs more apples!"
"The crust was a bit chewy/doughy."
Alrighty, so that's all I have for you for now, so have a lovely rest of the weekend and I'll catch you soon :)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Lenten Promise
So it's been almost two weeks since my last post, but I've only made one pie... I still have a few days in this week to get one done (don't worry, I haven't missed a week yet). So for the first time in awhile, you'll get a relatively short post. Yay? I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.
Anyway, while I've been really good about baking a pie every week, I haven't been as good about updating this here blog. Part of the reason for that is my laziness, part is that I don't feel like people are really reading it, and part is that I get busy and then negligent.
Well, I was talking to my dad the other day and he asked about the blog and why I've been so bad about keeping it up-to-date. I mentioned the above reasons, expecting that to be enough of an excuse... of course, it wasn't. My dad reminded me that writing for other people wasn't the reason I started this blog in the first place -- I decided to keep track of my pie-venture for myself. The Year of Pie was created because I wanted to write. Without school papers pushing me, I have nothing to motivate me to practice writing -- something I really, really, really love to do. This blog was supposed to take the place of my professors' deadlines and be a means for me to write, and write well, since people were going to read it.
I was supposed to use this blog to record the stories, the frustrations, the excitement, and all of the little moments that are part of this grand project, so that I would have something to reflect upon when it's all over. Each recipe has a story and the baking of each pie has a story, and by not updating my blog, I'm neglecting to remember them.
So more than letting you down, I've let myself down. This project isn't everything it was meant to be. Baking pies can be difficult work, but spending a few hours once a week throwing something in the oven isn't making me a better person. It's not really helping me to improve upon myself and discover new things. Sure, I'm learning proper ways to make a meringue and how to sculpt the perfect crust, but that's not really changing me for the better.
Besides, as my dad also pointed out, I complain that people don't read, but they aren't reading because I'm not giving them a reason to. By going a month between updates, people are going to stop checking back to see if there's anything new.
Yes, I'm aware that whole above section was somewhat angsty and possibly an over-share, but I'm trying to put some real heart into this blog, and I want to share this weird journey with you... so deal with it :)
So, on this Ash Wednesday evening, the start of Lent, I've decided (along with giving up french fries and credit cards) to make sure I update my blog each and every week. I've set an alarm on my calendar and everything. I'm declaring that my promise, here and now. Cross my heart.
For those who do still read this, onto the PIE!!!
Last week's pie was Snickers Ice Cream Pie. I snagged this recipe from my sister, Sarah, although I made a few variations on it for my liking.
First of all, a brief update as part of the pie story. So last Thursday evening, I had a minor headache and a teensy-bit of a sore throat. I went to bed not thinking much of it (and not taking anything for it... I really hate taking medication, even if it's just aspirin), and woke up the next morning feeling achy. Nothing over-the-top, but just enough to contemplate calling in sick.
I got ready for work, with this achy feeling coming and going in waves, and headed off, as I had a presentation to give that morning. I gave my boss a heads up before the presentation that I wasn't feeling so hot, and I headed back out the door. I gave the presentation, which went well, and then went back to the office. It wasn't a far walk, but I was incredibly winded by the time I got back. Bad sign.
I walked in the door and almost immediately I was told to go home... apparently I wasn't looking so great. Actually, I found out later that I was pretty pale... another bad sign. So I took my first sick day and went back to bed, still feeling only minorly ill (I felt that taking the day off was more preventative than anything). I rested up for the day and by that night, it had gotten much worse.
As you should be aware, unless you're living under a box, and even then you should be aware, The Olympics started on Friday!!!!!! I'm a die-hard Olympics fan... I can't think or talk of anything but the antics of Apolo Ohno, Shaun White, and any other Olympian that graces NBC from 7:00 onward. It gets a little ridiculous... I usually even go through a post-Olympics bout of depression afterwards. Nothing serious, mind you, but it's the same gloomy feeling anyone gets after saying goodbye to something they won't see for a long, long time.
Anyway, so I geared up to watch the Opening Ceremonies, and got as excited as I could whilst feeling like I could be sick at any moment. I was achy all over, it hurt to swallow, my head was pounding, and about every 20 minutes I experienced waves of nausea. No bueno.
Well, I'm a dork (as many of you know), and I tend to clap when I get excited. The Olympics are therefore cause for me to clap... A LOT. And every time I clapped during the Ceremonies, my hands would tense up in extreme pain. That's how achy my joints were. Ugh.
So Saturday rolled around and while I was still pretty sickly, I needed to make a pie, so I picked one of the easiest ones I had... this Snickers Ice Cream Pie. I justify the simplicity of it by the above 6 paragraphs. I was sick, I was crabby, and I wasn't in the mood for elaborate baking.
The recipe called for an Oreo crust, and Walmart was out of those, so I purchased a graham cracker one. Yes, I did. Woe-is-me, remember? I then made up for the lack of chocolate in the crust by squirting chocolate and caramel sauce into the bottom before adding a mixture of chocolate and vanilla ice cream and chopped up snickers. The whole goopy mess was thrown back in the freezer to solidify.
It was the perfect pie for the state I was in. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it... and how could I not? Some of the greatest ingredients went into that sucker! I could've gotten more creative, sure, but it was just what the doctor ordered (the doctor being me in this case, since I don't go to doctors for the flu). Yu-um!
Okay, this entry isn't going to be as short as I promised... I have a few more stories to share.
So I was pretty much patched up by Sunday (although now I'm feeling sick again... ack!), and in honor of Paczki Day yesterday (also known as Fat Tuesday), I whipped up a batch of Polish paczkis! For those who don't know, paczkis are a donut-esque dessert... slightly heavier than the average Krispy Kream, covered in powdered sugar (or glaze), and often filled with jelly. We make them every year and deliver them to our relatives... it's a tradition I grew up with and really missed in my four years of college. Ours aren't jelly-filled, though; we add the jelly as we eat them.
Well, I decided, for the first time ever, to make my own paczkis this year! I called home and my mom read the recipe off of the age-old notecard my dad had it written down on, and then I set to work. After mixing all of the ingredients listed, I stared down not into a bowl of thick dough, but into a bowl of runny soup. What went wrong? My dad didn't write to add flour on the recipe... that's just something he knows to do.
I had a minor freak-out, as a batch requires almost 8 cups when all is said and done, and I only had 6, but I managed to borrow the rest. Phew! After fixing the problem, the soup was transformed into dough! Hooray!
Jumping to the end, the paczkis weren't as round, fluffy, and delicious as my dad's are... mine were flat, hard, and only good after being microwaved. The problem? I realized I didn't let the dough rise enough before rolling it out, and then I rolled it out too thin, so when they were fried, they didn't puff up like they're supposed to. Urgh.
Still, I can say that I made them! For the first time! I made my great-grandma's paczki's! Hooray! That's all I need to be a happy girl.
Well, that, and good pancakes... I made the perfect stack last night, for the first time EVER! They were all round, the same size, and golden brown. So I stacked them up, put a pat of butter on top, and drizzled syrup over to (of course) snap a picture for proof. And then I threw the butter out. Ha.
I'm rather proud of myself, to say the least!
And I'm going to continue to share joyous moments like that as I consistently update my blog from here on out! Huzzah!!!!
Okay, pictures coming (hopefully) soon. :)
Anyway, while I've been really good about baking a pie every week, I haven't been as good about updating this here blog. Part of the reason for that is my laziness, part is that I don't feel like people are really reading it, and part is that I get busy and then negligent.
Well, I was talking to my dad the other day and he asked about the blog and why I've been so bad about keeping it up-to-date. I mentioned the above reasons, expecting that to be enough of an excuse... of course, it wasn't. My dad reminded me that writing for other people wasn't the reason I started this blog in the first place -- I decided to keep track of my pie-venture for myself. The Year of Pie was created because I wanted to write. Without school papers pushing me, I have nothing to motivate me to practice writing -- something I really, really, really love to do. This blog was supposed to take the place of my professors' deadlines and be a means for me to write, and write well, since people were going to read it.
I was supposed to use this blog to record the stories, the frustrations, the excitement, and all of the little moments that are part of this grand project, so that I would have something to reflect upon when it's all over. Each recipe has a story and the baking of each pie has a story, and by not updating my blog, I'm neglecting to remember them.
So more than letting you down, I've let myself down. This project isn't everything it was meant to be. Baking pies can be difficult work, but spending a few hours once a week throwing something in the oven isn't making me a better person. It's not really helping me to improve upon myself and discover new things. Sure, I'm learning proper ways to make a meringue and how to sculpt the perfect crust, but that's not really changing me for the better.
Besides, as my dad also pointed out, I complain that people don't read, but they aren't reading because I'm not giving them a reason to. By going a month between updates, people are going to stop checking back to see if there's anything new.
Yes, I'm aware that whole above section was somewhat angsty and possibly an over-share, but I'm trying to put some real heart into this blog, and I want to share this weird journey with you... so deal with it :)
So, on this Ash Wednesday evening, the start of Lent, I've decided (along with giving up french fries and credit cards) to make sure I update my blog each and every week. I've set an alarm on my calendar and everything. I'm declaring that my promise, here and now. Cross my heart.
For those who do still read this, onto the PIE!!!
Last week's pie was Snickers Ice Cream Pie. I snagged this recipe from my sister, Sarah, although I made a few variations on it for my liking.
First of all, a brief update as part of the pie story. So last Thursday evening, I had a minor headache and a teensy-bit of a sore throat. I went to bed not thinking much of it (and not taking anything for it... I really hate taking medication, even if it's just aspirin), and woke up the next morning feeling achy. Nothing over-the-top, but just enough to contemplate calling in sick.
I got ready for work, with this achy feeling coming and going in waves, and headed off, as I had a presentation to give that morning. I gave my boss a heads up before the presentation that I wasn't feeling so hot, and I headed back out the door. I gave the presentation, which went well, and then went back to the office. It wasn't a far walk, but I was incredibly winded by the time I got back. Bad sign.
I walked in the door and almost immediately I was told to go home... apparently I wasn't looking so great. Actually, I found out later that I was pretty pale... another bad sign. So I took my first sick day and went back to bed, still feeling only minorly ill (I felt that taking the day off was more preventative than anything). I rested up for the day and by that night, it had gotten much worse.
As you should be aware, unless you're living under a box, and even then you should be aware, The Olympics started on Friday!!!!!! I'm a die-hard Olympics fan... I can't think or talk of anything but the antics of Apolo Ohno, Shaun White, and any other Olympian that graces NBC from 7:00 onward. It gets a little ridiculous... I usually even go through a post-Olympics bout of depression afterwards. Nothing serious, mind you, but it's the same gloomy feeling anyone gets after saying goodbye to something they won't see for a long, long time.
Anyway, so I geared up to watch the Opening Ceremonies, and got as excited as I could whilst feeling like I could be sick at any moment. I was achy all over, it hurt to swallow, my head was pounding, and about every 20 minutes I experienced waves of nausea. No bueno.
Well, I'm a dork (as many of you know), and I tend to clap when I get excited. The Olympics are therefore cause for me to clap... A LOT. And every time I clapped during the Ceremonies, my hands would tense up in extreme pain. That's how achy my joints were. Ugh.
So Saturday rolled around and while I was still pretty sickly, I needed to make a pie, so I picked one of the easiest ones I had... this Snickers Ice Cream Pie. I justify the simplicity of it by the above 6 paragraphs. I was sick, I was crabby, and I wasn't in the mood for elaborate baking.
The recipe called for an Oreo crust, and Walmart was out of those, so I purchased a graham cracker one. Yes, I did. Woe-is-me, remember? I then made up for the lack of chocolate in the crust by squirting chocolate and caramel sauce into the bottom before adding a mixture of chocolate and vanilla ice cream and chopped up snickers. The whole goopy mess was thrown back in the freezer to solidify.
It was the perfect pie for the state I was in. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it... and how could I not? Some of the greatest ingredients went into that sucker! I could've gotten more creative, sure, but it was just what the doctor ordered (the doctor being me in this case, since I don't go to doctors for the flu). Yu-um!
Okay, this entry isn't going to be as short as I promised... I have a few more stories to share.
So I was pretty much patched up by Sunday (although now I'm feeling sick again... ack!), and in honor of Paczki Day yesterday (also known as Fat Tuesday), I whipped up a batch of Polish paczkis! For those who don't know, paczkis are a donut-esque dessert... slightly heavier than the average Krispy Kream, covered in powdered sugar (or glaze), and often filled with jelly. We make them every year and deliver them to our relatives... it's a tradition I grew up with and really missed in my four years of college. Ours aren't jelly-filled, though; we add the jelly as we eat them.
Well, I decided, for the first time ever, to make my own paczkis this year! I called home and my mom read the recipe off of the age-old notecard my dad had it written down on, and then I set to work. After mixing all of the ingredients listed, I stared down not into a bowl of thick dough, but into a bowl of runny soup. What went wrong? My dad didn't write to add flour on the recipe... that's just something he knows to do.
I had a minor freak-out, as a batch requires almost 8 cups when all is said and done, and I only had 6, but I managed to borrow the rest. Phew! After fixing the problem, the soup was transformed into dough! Hooray!
Jumping to the end, the paczkis weren't as round, fluffy, and delicious as my dad's are... mine were flat, hard, and only good after being microwaved. The problem? I realized I didn't let the dough rise enough before rolling it out, and then I rolled it out too thin, so when they were fried, they didn't puff up like they're supposed to. Urgh.
Still, I can say that I made them! For the first time! I made my great-grandma's paczki's! Hooray! That's all I need to be a happy girl.
Well, that, and good pancakes... I made the perfect stack last night, for the first time EVER! They were all round, the same size, and golden brown. So I stacked them up, put a pat of butter on top, and drizzled syrup over to (of course) snap a picture for proof. And then I threw the butter out. Ha.
I'm rather proud of myself, to say the least!
And I'm going to continue to share joyous moments like that as I consistently update my blog from here on out! Huzzah!!!!
Okay, pictures coming (hopefully) soon. :)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Of Pink Ladies and Yellow Pies
So does anyone else out there still have issues writing 2010 as the year? I always think it looks weird to just write "10" at the end of the date. Also, I'm usually writing the previous year down until, oh, about May-ish. *sigh*
Well anyway, I'm sorry for only posting one entry in January! Time is a-flyin'! Also, as a hint, a few comments might motivate me to update more :) Just saying...
I have 4 new pies to update you on, so let's get cracking!
So shortly after my last entry, I took off for the great state of Arkansas to lead a Habitat for Humanity trip. It was a phenomenal week... we had a great group (I can't sing their praises enough. They were no-fuss, "what can I do next?" kind of people... basically, a dream group!), we accomplished a lot, and got that amazing feeling that comes after knowing you've just done something great for someone else. I love that feeling!
So while in Arkansas (which, by the way, is a gorgeous state... who knew?), I was having all sorts of pie anxiety. We left on a Sunday and got back on a Saturday (aka my pie week), and I didn't know if I'd be able to make one down there or have to scramble to make one late Saturday night. Seriously, I was panicking... this is the ONE rule I just don't mess with!
Well, we were staying in a house for the week, but even then I wasn't sure of what I would have in terms of necessary baking equipment. And what kind of pie would I make?
The group was really excited when they heard about my year of pie, and we spent a few days trying to come up with something that I could make up (as I forgot my recipe book... also, I don't have all that many recipes left, so send some please!!!). Figuring I would do this on our last night, I was wracking my brain for ideas, still stressing a tiny bit, when everything fell into place on Wednesday night.
We were invited to the home of one of the Habitat board members for dinner, and we were served up some lovely down-home Southern hospitality, along with a side of charm and a nice helping of gratitude (which we returned). The actual food was also wonderful, and we ate ourselves silly. And then dessert rolled around.
We were offered two different pies: an oreo ice cream pie and the one I chose, Pink Lemonade Pie (which I then accidentally called Pink Lady Pie... I think I like my name better). It was heaven. Slightly tart but with a creamy, smooth filling, it was the perfect palate-cleanser -- not too heavy, but just satisfying enough to consider another slice. I was absolutely in love with this pie, so I mentioned my project to our fabulous hostess, and she happily gave me the recipe! Pie crisis solved!
It was just about the easiest thing ever... sweetened condensed milk mixed with cool whip and half a can of frozen pink lemonade all whipped together and frozen in a graham cracker pie crust. Easy peasy! So that night I ran out to the store and picked up the ingredients, swapping orange juice for the pink lemonade, making this... Orange Creamsicle Pie!!! Win.
The downside was that I purchased an already made graham cracker crust... I just didn't have the tools to make my own. I felt like a slight failure for this, but I justified it by saying that I was at least making a pie that week! That was tough enough to do!
It was phenomenal, the only downside being I forgot to put it in the fridge after it set in the freezer... it was a bit, well, frozen, whereas the Pink Lady Pie was silkier. Ah well, it was still tasty.
So then, let's see... the next week's pie was one I've been dying to try for quite some time -- Key Lime Pie. I got the recipe from my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Jerry, who went to the Florida Keys for their honeymoon a few months back. The one souvenir I asked for was a recipe while they were there (and maybe some key limes if they could manage it... otherwise I would just be making lime pie. Walmart's produce section isn't quite equipped for such exotic things as key limes.). And they delivered! Not only did they get me a recipe (apparently every restaurant in the Keys uses the same recipe), they also got me a bottle of key lime juice! Double win!
So I decided to bake the pie in my Paula Deen dish... once again forgetting its size and therefore stupidly purchasing only one can of sweetened condensed milk. I don't understand how I continue to fail at this. Urgh.
Anyway, I made the crust, mixed up the ingredients, and juuuuuust as I was about to pour the batter into the crust I thought "Hmm... I don't think Key Lime Pie is supposed to be yellow. This looks weird." I put the bowl down and re-checked the recipe and lo and behold, I was supposed to add egg whites, not eggs. Whoopsidaisy!
Irritated at my mistake, I sprinted back to the store to pick up more of the milk I needed (this time remembering to grab 2), then whipped up another batch. The upside to my mistake? I got to actually double the recipe. The downside? I used 3/4 of my lime juice. Dang.
So the recipe said to bake the pie for 8 minutes, but since I doubled it, I figured it should go in longer. 25 minutes later (!), the pie finally looked set enough to take out of the oven. I sat and checked the dang thing every five minutes, but it looked too liquidy to be a decent pie until the 25 minute mark. Having never baked this kind of pie, I didn't really know if what it was supposed to look like as it came out of the oven, and the recipe was rather vague.
Well anyway, we ate the pie once it cooled, and it had a really heavy cheesecake-esque consistency that I quite liked, but I think it was overcooked for what the pie is supposed to be like. The lime flavor was really light, and while it seemed a bit off, overall I really liked it and hope to try it again sometime soon (this time in the smaller pan that the recipe calls for).
Halfway through! Deep breath! And... onto the next pie!
So last week was my friend Lydia's birthday, and I made her the pie she requested, which was Peanut Butter Pie. Yes, I've done variations on this before, but this was a new recipe that I kind of invented and was really excited to try out. I've mentioned once or twice that it's one of my goals for this year to recreate Perkins' peanut butter pie (which is HEAVEN), and this was the closest I've come thus far.
I found three separate recipes for chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse, and homemade whipped cream, and then I set to work! On a crust, I layered the aforementioned ingredients (which I sampled quite a bit in the mixing process... shhhhh) and topped it off with a lovely garnish of chocolate shavings. Okay, really I forgot to pick up mini-Reese's cups, so chocolate it was!
The pie was quite tasty overall, although I used bittersweet chocolate instead of semisweet for the ganache, so that part was not as on-the-money as I would have liked. Also, the consistency of the whipped cream wasn't as thick as Perkin's, but still, it was a rather delicious pie! And I can't wait to give it another shot... also to let it set longer (I hate making pies mid-week, because they usually have less than 2 hours to set, which doesn't allow the mousse or other fillings to firm up as much as they should). The things one learns...
Finally, pie number 4 (sorry!) was a meat pie (again, recipes are running low... let's fix this, folks!). Actually, it was Chicken Taco Pie, to be exact, and I got the recipe from Jerry's mom, Irma. The recipe was super easy overall... shredded chicken, onion, and taco seasoning baked in a pie pan with bisquick mix, eggs, and milk, and topped with cheese. Can we say yum? It was pretty darn great overall (served with salsa and sour cream) and I know now to double this recipe, as most of us wanted seconds. I want to mess with spices a bit if I try it again, though, since I think it could've used an extra kick. Otherwise, I loved it!
I also have to let you know that I baked this pie in my apple-shaped pie pan. Why? Because I'm lazy. I was hesitant to share this story, as I don't want to be judged (and I will), but since it relates to the pie, I feel I must. So I'm a terrible housekeeper... living on my own, I tend to put off cleaning until it's absolutely necessary. I'm not a complete slob by any means, but vacuuming and putting away clothes aren't usually my top priorities when I get home from work (Vegging out in front of the Food Network while reading Entertainment Weekly are.).
And since I own a LOT of dishes (seriously, way more than one person needs), I tend to just keep using new plates and mugs and pans and let the sink get fuller and fuller and fuller. It's gross, I know! But in my defense, washing the dishes is my absolute least favorite chore. Always has been. Always will be.
So basically I was out of clean dishes when it came time to bake this pie (to give you an idea, the key lime and peanut butter pie pans were dirty in the sink), hence the apple dish. Also my random measurements (my measuring cups were also dirty).
Don't worry your pretty little head though, I finally washed my dishes on Monday. I had to empty the dishwater 3 times and filled up my dish rack 4 times, but they're clean! For now.
Judge away, you know you want to.
Okay, so a few final things before I wrap this up. First of all, sorry for the lack of pictures... I'm hoping that later this week I can post an entry that's pictures-only. Some of these pies have turned out rather beautifully, and I want to show them off, but in the interest of getting the blog posted ASAP (and taking into account how remarkably slow my computer at home is), this is text only. My sincerest apologies.
Also, I want your thoughts on this... I have a Barnes and Noble gift card (!!!!!!!), and I've been trying to decide what to buy. There are a lot of great novels out there that I'm interested in, and I can get 3 of the ones I really want on my card. OR, I just found a "Pie Bible" on their website, and it has everything one could possibly know about pie... recipes, tips, crusts, garnishes, EVERYTHING. But it's a bit pricier, so that would be the only book I could afford. What do I do?!
And last, but certainly not least, I would like to throw a special shoutout to Mrs. Salisbury! It means so much to me that you read this and I'm so sorry it took me so long to update!!!
Keep on keepin' on, folks! And Happy Super Bowl Weekend! Also, Happy Birthday, Dad!!!
Well anyway, I'm sorry for only posting one entry in January! Time is a-flyin'! Also, as a hint, a few comments might motivate me to update more :) Just saying...
I have 4 new pies to update you on, so let's get cracking!
So shortly after my last entry, I took off for the great state of Arkansas to lead a Habitat for Humanity trip. It was a phenomenal week... we had a great group (I can't sing their praises enough. They were no-fuss, "what can I do next?" kind of people... basically, a dream group!), we accomplished a lot, and got that amazing feeling that comes after knowing you've just done something great for someone else. I love that feeling!
So while in Arkansas (which, by the way, is a gorgeous state... who knew?), I was having all sorts of pie anxiety. We left on a Sunday and got back on a Saturday (aka my pie week), and I didn't know if I'd be able to make one down there or have to scramble to make one late Saturday night. Seriously, I was panicking... this is the ONE rule I just don't mess with!
Well, we were staying in a house for the week, but even then I wasn't sure of what I would have in terms of necessary baking equipment. And what kind of pie would I make?
The group was really excited when they heard about my year of pie, and we spent a few days trying to come up with something that I could make up (as I forgot my recipe book... also, I don't have all that many recipes left, so send some please!!!). Figuring I would do this on our last night, I was wracking my brain for ideas, still stressing a tiny bit, when everything fell into place on Wednesday night.
We were invited to the home of one of the Habitat board members for dinner, and we were served up some lovely down-home Southern hospitality, along with a side of charm and a nice helping of gratitude (which we returned). The actual food was also wonderful, and we ate ourselves silly. And then dessert rolled around.
We were offered two different pies: an oreo ice cream pie and the one I chose, Pink Lemonade Pie (which I then accidentally called Pink Lady Pie... I think I like my name better). It was heaven. Slightly tart but with a creamy, smooth filling, it was the perfect palate-cleanser -- not too heavy, but just satisfying enough to consider another slice. I was absolutely in love with this pie, so I mentioned my project to our fabulous hostess, and she happily gave me the recipe! Pie crisis solved!
It was just about the easiest thing ever... sweetened condensed milk mixed with cool whip and half a can of frozen pink lemonade all whipped together and frozen in a graham cracker pie crust. Easy peasy! So that night I ran out to the store and picked up the ingredients, swapping orange juice for the pink lemonade, making this... Orange Creamsicle Pie!!! Win.
The downside was that I purchased an already made graham cracker crust... I just didn't have the tools to make my own. I felt like a slight failure for this, but I justified it by saying that I was at least making a pie that week! That was tough enough to do!
It was phenomenal, the only downside being I forgot to put it in the fridge after it set in the freezer... it was a bit, well, frozen, whereas the Pink Lady Pie was silkier. Ah well, it was still tasty.
So then, let's see... the next week's pie was one I've been dying to try for quite some time -- Key Lime Pie. I got the recipe from my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Jerry, who went to the Florida Keys for their honeymoon a few months back. The one souvenir I asked for was a recipe while they were there (and maybe some key limes if they could manage it... otherwise I would just be making lime pie. Walmart's produce section isn't quite equipped for such exotic things as key limes.). And they delivered! Not only did they get me a recipe (apparently every restaurant in the Keys uses the same recipe), they also got me a bottle of key lime juice! Double win!
So I decided to bake the pie in my Paula Deen dish... once again forgetting its size and therefore stupidly purchasing only one can of sweetened condensed milk. I don't understand how I continue to fail at this. Urgh.
Anyway, I made the crust, mixed up the ingredients, and juuuuuust as I was about to pour the batter into the crust I thought "Hmm... I don't think Key Lime Pie is supposed to be yellow. This looks weird." I put the bowl down and re-checked the recipe and lo and behold, I was supposed to add egg whites, not eggs. Whoopsidaisy!
Irritated at my mistake, I sprinted back to the store to pick up more of the milk I needed (this time remembering to grab 2), then whipped up another batch. The upside to my mistake? I got to actually double the recipe. The downside? I used 3/4 of my lime juice. Dang.
So the recipe said to bake the pie for 8 minutes, but since I doubled it, I figured it should go in longer. 25 minutes later (!), the pie finally looked set enough to take out of the oven. I sat and checked the dang thing every five minutes, but it looked too liquidy to be a decent pie until the 25 minute mark. Having never baked this kind of pie, I didn't really know if what it was supposed to look like as it came out of the oven, and the recipe was rather vague.
Well anyway, we ate the pie once it cooled, and it had a really heavy cheesecake-esque consistency that I quite liked, but I think it was overcooked for what the pie is supposed to be like. The lime flavor was really light, and while it seemed a bit off, overall I really liked it and hope to try it again sometime soon (this time in the smaller pan that the recipe calls for).
Halfway through! Deep breath! And... onto the next pie!
So last week was my friend Lydia's birthday, and I made her the pie she requested, which was Peanut Butter Pie. Yes, I've done variations on this before, but this was a new recipe that I kind of invented and was really excited to try out. I've mentioned once or twice that it's one of my goals for this year to recreate Perkins' peanut butter pie (which is HEAVEN), and this was the closest I've come thus far.
I found three separate recipes for chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse, and homemade whipped cream, and then I set to work! On a crust, I layered the aforementioned ingredients (which I sampled quite a bit in the mixing process... shhhhh) and topped it off with a lovely garnish of chocolate shavings. Okay, really I forgot to pick up mini-Reese's cups, so chocolate it was!
The pie was quite tasty overall, although I used bittersweet chocolate instead of semisweet for the ganache, so that part was not as on-the-money as I would have liked. Also, the consistency of the whipped cream wasn't as thick as Perkin's, but still, it was a rather delicious pie! And I can't wait to give it another shot... also to let it set longer (I hate making pies mid-week, because they usually have less than 2 hours to set, which doesn't allow the mousse or other fillings to firm up as much as they should). The things one learns...
Finally, pie number 4 (sorry!) was a meat pie (again, recipes are running low... let's fix this, folks!). Actually, it was Chicken Taco Pie, to be exact, and I got the recipe from Jerry's mom, Irma. The recipe was super easy overall... shredded chicken, onion, and taco seasoning baked in a pie pan with bisquick mix, eggs, and milk, and topped with cheese. Can we say yum? It was pretty darn great overall (served with salsa and sour cream) and I know now to double this recipe, as most of us wanted seconds. I want to mess with spices a bit if I try it again, though, since I think it could've used an extra kick. Otherwise, I loved it!
I also have to let you know that I baked this pie in my apple-shaped pie pan. Why? Because I'm lazy. I was hesitant to share this story, as I don't want to be judged (and I will), but since it relates to the pie, I feel I must. So I'm a terrible housekeeper... living on my own, I tend to put off cleaning until it's absolutely necessary. I'm not a complete slob by any means, but vacuuming and putting away clothes aren't usually my top priorities when I get home from work (Vegging out in front of the Food Network while reading Entertainment Weekly are.).
And since I own a LOT of dishes (seriously, way more than one person needs), I tend to just keep using new plates and mugs and pans and let the sink get fuller and fuller and fuller. It's gross, I know! But in my defense, washing the dishes is my absolute least favorite chore. Always has been. Always will be.
So basically I was out of clean dishes when it came time to bake this pie (to give you an idea, the key lime and peanut butter pie pans were dirty in the sink), hence the apple dish. Also my random measurements (my measuring cups were also dirty).
Don't worry your pretty little head though, I finally washed my dishes on Monday. I had to empty the dishwater 3 times and filled up my dish rack 4 times, but they're clean! For now.
Judge away, you know you want to.
Okay, so a few final things before I wrap this up. First of all, sorry for the lack of pictures... I'm hoping that later this week I can post an entry that's pictures-only. Some of these pies have turned out rather beautifully, and I want to show them off, but in the interest of getting the blog posted ASAP (and taking into account how remarkably slow my computer at home is), this is text only. My sincerest apologies.
Also, I want your thoughts on this... I have a Barnes and Noble gift card (!!!!!!!), and I've been trying to decide what to buy. There are a lot of great novels out there that I'm interested in, and I can get 3 of the ones I really want on my card. OR, I just found a "Pie Bible" on their website, and it has everything one could possibly know about pie... recipes, tips, crusts, garnishes, EVERYTHING. But it's a bit pricier, so that would be the only book I could afford. What do I do?!
And last, but certainly not least, I would like to throw a special shoutout to Mrs. Salisbury! It means so much to me that you read this and I'm so sorry it took me so long to update!!!
Keep on keepin' on, folks! And Happy Super Bowl Weekend! Also, Happy Birthday, Dad!!!
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