Sunday, November 23, 2014

In Which I Include A Lot Of (Mostly) Useless Links In My Ten Things Of Thankful

I am behind on everything blog related this week, and I will never catch up. Even my husband has spent this weekend repeatedly asking me when I'm going to write my TToT entry. I've got 30 minutes while I wash away the grey (just shut up), so dashing it off now.

Last weekend, I was pondering my sanity for signing up to make four pies for a fundraiser, since I've really never made pie. Oh, sure, I can make a delicious pumpkin pie, using the recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can my mother's secret recipe. I've made a couple of apple pies before, too, but I always used already prepared pie crusts my mother's secret pie crust recipe for those. If I were going to present myself as a pie baker (what an idiot!), then I needed to go big or go home. SO I WENT BIG! I spent last weekend practicing, and I got the crust DOWN. It was tender and flaky. My husband even said it was the best homemade pie crust he'd ever tasted. Rolling it into a perfect circle is a work-in-progress, but I don't think anyone but Martha Stewart can do that, and I have my doubts about her, figuring she relies heavily on the magic of television to accomplish that neatly rolled out circle of dough. But I get the job done with artful trimming, as my rolled out crust still resembles Great Britain more than it does a neat circle.


Picture sideways, but it doesn't matter.
It's not a circle no matter which way I turn it.




But I make it work.

And the filling? The filling was PERFECTION! Coconut cream is probably my favorite pie, especially when it has meringue on top. I learned a lot about "weeping" (which is not only what the pastry chef does but also what happens when the filling is not piping hot when the meringue is put on the pie and a layer of water forms between the two). I also made two French Silk pies, which are decadently rich, especially when made with Ghirardelli baking chocolate and covered with whipped cream.


Upside down. What's up with my pictures?
Coconut cream filling. Five eggs, milk, sugar, coconut,
other good stuff. Mmmmmmm!


Even if you don't like meringue (but you should),
you have to admit this is GORGEOUS.


Test piece of French Silk.

HUGE shout out goes to Christopher Kimball and America's Test Kitchen for being my pie tutor! I am a faithful watcher of the PBS show and proud owner of the cookbook. They don't just show you how to make something or provide you with a recipe, but they also explain why some things work and some things, well, not so much. 

I even made lemonade out of lemons with a pie crust fail. I did a horrible job rolling one out, I trimmed it too close and I didn't have enough to crimp the edges properly, making it slide down into the pan. I tried to patch a place that didn't patch so well (figured out how to do that the right way, so it wasn't all in vain), and while the pie shell was cooling on top of the stove, my husband knocked something off the top of the microwave, which, of course, landed right on the pie shell, breaking off the patch plus another huge chunk. Contrary to what you might think, I did NOT get mad about it (seriously, it was a crappy pie crust), especially because he spent the entire weekend doing all the laundry, and by all, I mean probably 9 loads, since Emma finally picked up all the clothes off the floor of her room and made a stab at making it livable again. I rolled out and baked all the other scraps of dough I had been saving, made the filling for chicken pot pie, and we ate that for supper, poured over all the sad, broken pieces of crust plus the extra pieces I baked. Happy tummies!

On Wednesday, my husband had a meeting in Kansas City, so I took the day off from preschool and rode shotgun. We left at 5:30 a.m. (gah!) and hit the road. As per my usual m.o., I drank a diet coke on my way up there. About thirty miles south of Kansas City, I realized I needed to go the bathroom. Like, really go. My husband was concerned he wasn't going to make it on time for his 8:30 meeting, so he didn't want to stop until we got closer. And closer meant about a block from the building, by which time I was absolutely whimpering when I pointed out a Burger King on the corner. "Oh, do you want me to stop?" my husband asked. Barely waiting until the car stopped moving, I lurched into the Burger King and finally relieved my poor bladder.



While in Kansas City, I made use of the time my husband was in his meeting to visit two friends with children at Children's Mercy Hospital, an amazing facility. One friend had a 14 year old daughter who was undergoing special therapy for an autoimmune disease, and we had a long visit at her suite at the Ronald McDonald House (another amazing facility). Then down the block to Children's Mercy, where I visited with another friend with a 14 year old son who has just spent 8 weeks in the hospital with a virus that attacked his nervous system. He was being discharged from the hospital, but they will be staying for another month while he undergoes intense physical therapy to help him regain use of his arms and legs (he's come a LONG way so far). Thankful that there is such a facility with specially trained physicians and nurses and therapists and other support staff to help both of these kiddos become healthy once again, and oh, so thankful for healthy children of my own.

I also got to have lunch with an old friend from high school ("old" meaning one I've had for a long time, NOT old as in years - we are far too young for that!). Great little Mexican restaurant that had delicious salsa, and we talked and talked and talked. Growing up, I lived on a street with mostly boys, and most of them at least a year younger than me, so when Debbie moved in next door when we were sophomores, I was ecstatic! I love the kind of friends whom you can just pick up with just where you left off last time. Debbie, Heather, and Dawn are all those kind of friends, and I was so lucky to get to see each of them in one day!

My husband and I went to one of my favorite stores while in Kansas City, Pryde's Old Westport, an incredible kitchen store in, well, Westport, just north of the Plaza, if you know anything about Kansas City. They have bakeware and utensils and bowls and specialty items galore and AN ENTIRE ROOM WITH JUST FIESTAWARE! I could have stayed in there all afternoon, but instead, I picked up a couple of things to aid in my pie baking and a Christmas gift for my mom (shhh, don't tell her). The woman who rang up my order commented on the pie shield I bought, and I told her I was honing my pie baking skills. "How long have you been baking pies?" she asked. "Since last weekend," I answered, taking my purchases and heading to the car. I'm a pie baker, world! 

We ran into Trader Joe's next, a store I used to shop at in Los Angeles when it was just a cheap place to get groceries and wasn't so freaking trendy. They had brussel sprouts on the stalk, which my husband had never seen before, so we got a stalk, along with various oddball things, including a couple of bottles of Two Buck Chuck. Then, before we took the two and a half hour drive home, we stopped for an early dinner at an Italian buffet, the same place Christine and I, along with Cuckoo and Buttercup, ate at when they were in Kansas City last summer for a soccer tournament. Delicious!

I spent Thursday and Friday making pies, plus a German chocolate cake from scratch, delivered them all to the venue for the show choir fundraiser, then attended the fundraiser, (making sure to eat a piece of my own pie, since it was better than any of the store bought or bakery items available at the fundraiser). 

Saturday morning? Made more pies, this time for my mother in law, who commissioned me to make two for her to take to a party. Time out to take a jaunt through a craft fair with my friend Breana, then back to pie baking. A two hour nap while the pie was cooling, delivery to my mother in law, a stop at the mall to pick up a few things from Ulta, back home and to bed ridiculously early, then up again this morning to make the dough for my great aunt's sugar cookies, a family favorite and a requirement at Thanksgiving. Club volleyball practice this afternoon, a workout at the Y, a couple of loads of laundry, a quick trip to buy feathers for the pre-k Indian headbands for our feast tomorrow, and THAT'S WHY IT TOOK ME UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT TO POST MY TEN THINGS OF THANKFUL!

I sure HOPE there were ten things there....



Ten Things of Thankful


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27 comments:

  1. Pretty sure you hit the ten things. I would also volunteer to be you guinea pig on your next baking adventure. I do even less than your grandmas recipe. I buy it from the bakery and remove sticker. viola!
    I could use someone to do nine loads of laundry here. well actually. no that is not true. I will get them from washer to dryer and from dryer to hamper....Now if i could find a master laundery folderererer and putawayer.

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    1. I would gladly let you be a guinea pig. There's only so much pie you can eat in one weekend!
      He folded it but he only put away his own. He claims he doesn't know where mine goes, but it wouldn't take much to figure it out if he tried....

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  2. I counted ten. Your pies look SO AMAZING! I have pie-envy :)

    Well done for making it in :D

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    1. Whew! It wasn't easy! DOESN'T THAT MERINGUE LOOK AMAZING?!

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    2. I've never tried the kind of pie you made, but lemon meringue pie is my absolute favourite EVER, and it looks PERFECT. You have the gift. The meringe-gift :D

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  3. You little old pie maker, you. Seriously, that crust dough is a tough one. I've tried it and always prefer you mom's secret recipe ;). You had a week full of food, friends, love and laughter. Is there anything better. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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    1. If you've ever watched Martha Stewart, she gives a few half-hearted rolls on an already perfectly formed crust. No way she does it herself.
      And thanks, it was a great week! Happy Thanksgiving!

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    2. I have a friend who used to work for Martha. Rest assured she does not do it herself.

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  4. Look at us, squealing in at the last few moments. I think they should be grateful that we simply showed up!

    I wanna slice of that meringue pie! I will start my pies tomorrow.

    Happy to hear about your road trip adventure. WHAT is it about them and their bladders? We can hold it, but they pull over on the side of the road. I thinks something is not fair in the world.

    *high five* to hubs doing all the laundry and teen girls cleaning their rooms. Girly is still working on hers. I am glad to know there is hope...

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    1. On two wheels!
      I'll mail you a piece of coconut pie. Nothing could go wrong with that. Are there still Marie Callendar's restaurants in California? They always had good pie. With meringue.
      That diet coke went right through me! Adult diapers crossed my mind several times.
      Keep in mind that the 15 year old didn't FINISH, but it's not as bad as it was.

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  5. Wow! I am completely impressed with the pies! They look fantastic! I have always used your mom's recipe the few times I've actually made pie.

    I had a lovely little time going back and rereading the post of when we met. It was so much fun. I can't wait for us to get together again.

    I love that you and your husband went to "our" restaurant, mostly because I can actually picture you there.

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    1. My mom's recipe is a good one, especially if you roll the dough out a little thinner (her trademark move). Need to start on another kind of pie, because practice is the only thing that's going to make my pie rolling any better, unless I find a sous chef somewhere.
      We need to make that happen as soon as we possibly can!
      We were seated next to a waterfall on the far side of the restaurant. I had to go to the bathroom three times.

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  6. Wow! You go Wonder Woman. I think I'm actually drooling over the pies. Two of my favorites. If I come to Joplin will you make me one?? I'm glad you made it to the party....even late. It sounds to me like a pretty good week. I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

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    1. I TOTALLY will make you a pie if you come to Joplin. I'll make you a pie if you get me OUT of Joplin! It was a great week and surprisingly long. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  7. OK, that was a spinningly-busy post and I am sure you have ten in there for sure. My head is spinning just reading this! Now I'm exhausted and have to go to bed.
    Meringue is a very under-appreciated pie. My father loved lemon meringue.
    I have to admit that while I will tackle nearly anything in my kitchen, pie is not something I've tried. No idea why.
    Your title reminds me of the old A. A. Milne Pooh books - or the story titles, at least. I remember things like "In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting," and "In Which Tigger is Unbounced." I love the Pooh books...

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    1. I couldn't count them, so it will just have to do :)
      Meringue is HARD. Well, making it is easy. Getting it to stay in the place you put it is not easy! I hate lemon, though, so coconut it is!
      I'm surprised you don't make pie, because you are an amazing cook!
      I was thinking of Pooh, too! Kyle's room was decorated in vintage Pooh when he was a baby!

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  8. I went to a movie today and had to run to the bathroom at the end. I didn't want to miss laughing at the big white medic doctor. Pies are divine things. I love pie, but can't cook one myself. If I send you my address will you send me the meringue. My favorite pie is French Silk so I really enjoyed your post today. It is about 11:30 p.m. here and I am now hungry.

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    1. I wish I could send you a pie! The French Silk is absolutely decadent!

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  9. I've never had French Silk pie before.... will have to see if I can find someone to make me one. Hint, Hint. I suck so bad at making pie crust. I've tried and tried. I did make a lattice looking one, one time that came out not too bad. That coconut one is making my mouth water.

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    1. I've got the crust recipe down. Next hurdle is rolling into a circle. French Silk is fabulous, but coconut is still my favorite!

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  10. (warning: get a small pillow to place on the table below your jaw)… around our house, back in the day (when Ola was around) I used to the the French Silk pie Master, don't be burning the chocolate or nothing!…. actually I ended my career (around the house) with this lemon/chocolate pie thing…. total food fun!
    but then again, I would also write messages into the bottom of the crust before putting the filing in (a hold-over from my 2nd job as a teenager, working in a pizza parlor… but that's for a bother blog post).

    I've said too much! Have a good Thanksgiving ( aka Feast of St Roger's Day this week!)

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    1. When we did ten cakes of thankful, yours was French Silk, as I recall. IN A PACKET! Or ice-cream. Or something NOT REALLY PIE!

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    2. Clark, it's time you got back in the kitchen; just don't put lemon and chocolate together again!

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  11. I don't see anything wrong with your pie crust. I think the official directions in the recipe do say something like, "Roll out the dough to roughly resemble Great Britain." Really, circles are for amateurs!

    Your post has made me question my decision to let Costco provide the pies for our Thanksgiving, though. I'm thinking now Dyanne pies would be better. :-)

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    1. You're right! ANYONE can make a circle, but it takes great skill to make Great Britain!
      I'll come out and make your pies for you next year!

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  12. What an amazing week, THOSE PIES THOUGH! That fancy ruffled edge, oh my! Totally jealous. My one attempt to make a crust was a legendary fail. My husband? Nailed it on the first try. D'oh!
    It's sooo nice of you to visit your friends with kids in the hospital, how heart-breaking. Glad to hear they're making progress. You're a saint for linking up after all of that!

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    1. The edges were NOT fancy - just pinches and pokes with my finger, but thank you! It was great to have a reason to visit the hospital and see friends. It would be so hard to be that far away from home for such an extended time AND with a sick child.

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