tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59532640866369762492024-03-14T03:04:24.845-04:00Live Eat RockFairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-29529706287682132312010-06-24T17:55:00.002-04:002010-06-24T17:55:48.982-04:00My blog and I movedYes, it's true. I've left Blogger for WordPress. It's OK, I took all my posts with me! I know you were worried. So come find me, I'm here http://liveeatrock.wordpress.com/Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-48893326124338836202010-06-20T21:36:00.001-04:002010-06-20T21:46:33.617-04:00Etsy envyOh my God, how cute?! Why are my large feet too large for them? If you wear a 7.5, please <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/46760946/vintage-bandolino-two-tone-lipstick-red">go buy them</a> and wear them for me!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TB7B6-fbdaI/AAAAAAAAIBo/U-nOrwmpulI/s1600/vintage+bandolino+TWO+TONE+lipstick+red+bow+pumps.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TB7B6-fbdaI/AAAAAAAAIBo/U-nOrwmpulI/s320/vintage+bandolino+TWO+TONE+lipstick+red+bow+pumps.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
This started as a shoe envy post. Turns out I envy most everything in Tiger Cult's <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/tigercult">Etsy shop</a>.<br />
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Orange <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/49682518/vintage-kitsch-mamas-kitchen-salad">salad spinner</a>. She calls it kitsch. I say pure awesomeness.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TB7CtHLxViI/AAAAAAAAIBw/EOQIXgf-9_w/s1600/vintage+kitsch+MAMA%27S+KITCHEN+salad+spinner+in+orange.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TB7CtHLxViI/AAAAAAAAIBw/EOQIXgf-9_w/s200/vintage+kitsch+MAMA%27S+KITCHEN+salad+spinner+in+orange.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Adorable <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/48106352/vintage-bombshell-pinup-bathing-suit">bathing suit</a>. I'm into one pieces this summer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TB7Db5j5fEI/AAAAAAAAIB4/2T6zhZN2-ck/s1600/vintage+BOMBSHELL+pinup+bathing+suit+with+fern+print.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TB7Db5j5fEI/AAAAAAAAIB4/2T6zhZN2-ck/s320/vintage+BOMBSHELL+pinup+bathing+suit+with+fern+print.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love Etsy. End.</div>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-22275407829424262182010-06-20T21:31:00.000-04:002010-06-20T21:31:24.584-04:00Of robes and pastasI remember one Christmas Ian and I asked my mom what she wanted from us, what was on her wish list. She told us she would love a new robe. A new robe? As a kid I could hardly comprehend wanting that kind of a gift. It sounded so freaking sensible! I always thought of Christmas, Chanukah, and birthday gifts as things you <i>wanted</i> not needed, and a robe sounded suspiciously like something you'd <i>need</i>. You wanted things like a new Barbie, a dress for your American Girl doll, a Breyer horse, a barn for your herd of already 30 Breyer horses to live in, a new dress, or the newest books in the <i>Thoroughbred</i> series. Not a robe.<br />
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Tonight I stood in the bathroom putting freshly washed towels into the linen closet (wow, I already sound way older, don't I? Putting laundry away in the linen closet on a Sunday night?) and, as I hung up my faded, pink terry cloth robe, I thought, <i>Wow, I would love nothing more than a new robe. But we all know I'm not about to splurge on buying myself one!</i> And that's when I realized that the things I used to see as necessities have moved over to the "want" column. I'm getting dangerously close to halfway to 27-years-old guys.<br />
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The horse and the barn are still in the want column, by the way. They're just a little bigger now.<br />
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I have a recipe for you, too! OK, I actually have three. Two of them involve baking as the only way I think of to cheer someone up, so I hold those til tomorrow maybe.<br />
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This one is a bright spring pasta dish, pasta with tomatoes, shrimp, and favas. I made it tonight for my parents, who came over for dinner for Father's Day It's not the kind of pasta that you can throw together in 15 minutes. (Those are my favorite kind. Saute some veggies with some spices, boil some pasta, toss 'em together, BAM, a meal.) This one does take a bit more time, but it's not overwhelming by any means. And it's so good! I think you could easily switch out the fava beans for peas. Fava beans are a little time consuming to shell and whatnot, but I like them because they're different. The recipe as it is on Smitten Kitchen where I found it uses sausage instead of shrimp, but I find the sausage makes the whole dish too greasy. I always end up with a stomach ache after. If you want to go vegetarian, maybe substitute some mushrooms for the shrimp. Also, the original recipe says to cook the meat in the sauce. I opted for grilling the shrimp and setting them on top of the pasta. I'll note where you add them to the sauce though.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Pasta with Tomatoes, Fava Beans, and Shrimp<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Adapted from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/04/pasta-with-favas-tomatoes-and-sausage/">Smitten Kitchen</a></span><br />
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Serves about 4<br />
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Ingredients<br />
2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 medium onion, chopped small<br />
2 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly<br />
1/8 tablespoon red pepper flakes<br />
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined<br />
1/4 cup dry white wine<br />
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into fourths<br />
1 cup shelled fava beans, blanched 3 minutes, then peeled<br />
3/4 pound pasta (a wide, flat noodle works best, but really any larger-shaped pasta is good)<br />
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese<br />
<br />
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute about 6 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.<br />
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2. Toss your pasta into boiling water and cook it.<br />
<br />
(Here's where you'd add your meat. Cook until cooked through)<br />
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3. Add wine and simmer 1 minute.<br />
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4. Add the tomatoes and fava beans to the saucepan. Saute until the tomatoes are soft and almost breaking apart, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.<br />
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5. This is about where I put my shrimp on the grill, seasoned with Cape Cod seasoning.<br />
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6. Drain your pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of water.<br />
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7. Add the sauce to the pasta. Toss over medium heat until the sauce coats the pasta. Add water if needed to make saucier.<br />
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8. Top with cheese and shrimp.Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-17534561514720338262010-06-17T14:29:00.001-04:002010-06-17T14:34:50.760-04:00Art for the sake of...teeth?Trendy, cutting-edge jewelry is one thing. Jewelry adorned with <b><i>human teeth</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> is something else entirely. </span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TBpn71DO9RI/AAAAAAAAIBg/D-Vki7Z3Uq4/s1600/il_430xN.137005755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TBpn71DO9RI/AAAAAAAAIBg/D-Vki7Z3Uq4/s320/il_430xN.137005755.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Exhibit A: a tooth ring</span></b></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Found this ring on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/44684961/sterling-silver-and-four-human-teeth">Etsy</a>. Per the description, you can readorn yourself with human teeth, often mistaken for ivory by admirers. This particular ring has already sold, but the artist will make you another with her tooth collection gathered from interested friends, friends of friends, strangers, and tooth fairies. I cannot comprehend. </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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It's only on a rare occasion that I find these odd things on Etsy. I'll try to post my kickass finds more often.Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-55661769590010168212010-06-16T16:04:00.000-04:002010-06-16T16:04:40.512-04:00MapsJulia Blog Overload.<br />
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I am in love with this map created by <a href="http://www.famillesummerbelle.com/index.html">Famille Summerbelle</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TBksPmmAyzI/AAAAAAAAIBY/WNGhoOVB-SQ/s1600/World-map-cutout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/TBksPmmAyzI/AAAAAAAAIBY/WNGhoOVB-SQ/s400/World-map-cutout.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I find maps fascinating (as well as 13 inch biceps..ahem). Something about being able to see how far one place is from another, and being able to imagine taking a journey to a faraway place. One of my favorite parts of <i>Lord of the Rings</i> is the maps that Tolkien drew of Middle Earth. Every time the Fellowship travels to a new place, I turn to the maps in the front or back of the book, find the spot, and trace with my finger how they got there.<br />
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I like the details on maps too. This particular map (<a href="http://www.famillesummerbelle.com/prod_maps_world.html">find it here</a>) differentiates each country, and even the oceans, not by color, or by the mountains in the area, but by animals. A fresh focus.Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-77086426866758087342010-06-16T15:02:00.002-04:002010-06-16T21:55:41.311-04:00Fruit LoopsIt's funny the things people respond to.<br />
<br />
I update my Twitter with all sorts of randomness almost daily. Same with my Gchat and Facebook statuses. Only occasionally do I get responses, and even less often do they come pouring in. I think I'm going to start tracking which updates get the most.<br />
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Stats for this week.<br />
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<b>Fruit Loops</b><br />
Last night my power went out. That's not the reason I ate Fruit Loops for dinner. I decided on my dinner pre-power loss. That is the reason, however, that I ate three bowls of Fruit Loops, and the reason that my teeth ached with a pain only brought on by too much processed sugar. My admission to eating three bowls, and the hopes that a power loss made up for the over indulgence got quite the response on Facebook. I wonder if that's because people love Fruit Loops or because everyone can secretly relate to doing the same thing. I know I'm relieved to find out someone else has the same secrets and vices as me. It's good to not be alone in my three bowl Fruit Loops eating world.Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-26942364416785297102010-06-16T14:44:00.000-04:002010-06-16T14:44:08.387-04:00The Winds They Did BlowBlah blah blah, weather small talk, blah, blah. But seriously, we've been having some crazy intense storms here in Indiana lately. Seventy mile per hour winds, yellow-gray-green skies, torrential downpours, tornadoes.<br />
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As a quick side note, my mother is a lush when it comes to drinking. She has one glass of wine, her face turns red, and she starts giggling like a tween while making dirty jokes. No, wait, she makes dirty jokes without the help of a glass of wine.<br />
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Back to these stormy nights. Earlier this week I sat down on the couch with my dinner and flipped on the t.v., hoping to catch Jeopardy. Instead all I got were local news teams standing in front of green, red, and yellow-splotched weather radars, warning me of the aforementioned winds and tornadoes. I then received this text from my dad, "Mom had 1 half glass of wine & is on the couch." I immediately pictured my mom laying on the couch, cracking up at the weather reports as the winds swirled outside the glass sliding doors. Shortly after my dad called me. "Julia did you hear? There's a winter storm advisory out." "I heard!" I replied. "Hail and everything! I predict 5 feet of snow by morning." "I can't get Mom off the couch," he joked. "Oh stay inside! Here comes the snow!"<br />
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"Drunk" mothers and winter storm warnings in June are definitely laughing matters.Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-30742523226646738302010-06-03T15:30:00.000-04:002010-06-03T15:30:47.301-04:00On Second Thought, I May Be OffendedI'm Jewish. That makes me a minority. I realize that there are people in Indiana, especially in some of the smaller towns, that don't know a lot of Jewish people, or maybe any for that matter. In fact, I rode with a girl in college who said I was the first Jewish person she knew and was really friends with. I'm OK with all of this. I actually enjoy that a lot of my non-Jewish friends are interested in my faith. One, a staunch believer in Jesus (she says Jesus is the one reason she could never convert), even came to Friday night services with me once. How cool is that?<br />
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What I am not OK with is someone turning my religion into a novelty.<br />
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Last night I met (well I suppose re-met technically since we went to the same high school, though never knew each other) a girl. Suddenly, mid-catch-up-on-our-lives conversation, she looked at me and asked, "Are you Jewish?" I know, I know, it's the nose and the dark hair that give it away, right? I replied, "Yes." She then squealed, "Oooh I LOVE Jewish people!!" I laughed. I'd had a few beers. For a split second I thought, <i>Huh, that's a weird thing to say</i>, but I let it pass. She then proceeded to tell a story about a Jewish guy she'd gone on a few dates with. She said some fairly bitchy and rude things about him, which I also let slide. I really regret not getting up and walking away at that point.<br />
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I woke up this morning and the more I thought about that comment, the more unsettled and angry I got. This girl was turning my religion, my belief in a higher power, my faith, into a novelty. How can you say that you love Jewish people? That's such a ridiculous thing to say. She loves every Jewish person? Why? We're not all the same. Some of us are giant assholes. It's true. We do share the same beliefs and traditions. You could love those, sure. Nobody walks around saying "I love Catholic people," and not because Catholic people aren't cool. A lot of them are. You just don't say that. It's a broad, sweeping statement that's honestly very ignorant.<br />
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It's rare that someone offends me based on my religion. I don't have stories that involve me being harassed because I'm Jewish. I guess I just hang around people who are classier and more open-minded than that. To my friends, I'm Julia, who also happens to be Jewish. To this girl, I felt like I was only Jewish, that's it. Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-48393879094837874132010-05-31T17:44:00.002-04:002010-06-13T20:49:27.899-04:00Summer lovinI love ...<br />
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The way cool rain smells when it hits the hot pavement.<br />
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Naps on the couch after pancake breakfasts.<br />
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Fudgy, chocolatey, buttery brownies that remind me of being little at my grandparents' house.<br />
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Summer rain from my porch.<br />
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Long weekends and mondays that feel like Sundays.<br />
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Homemade iced coffee.<br />
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Planning birthday cakes.<br />
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Flowers in my new garden.Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-16315891626843805752010-05-25T17:33:00.001-04:002010-05-26T08:55:39.669-04:00The rest of my familyI've always said that I'm lucky enough to have two homes and two families: my actual blood family and home here in Indiana and my camp family in North Carolina. Both have made me the girl I am today.<br />
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In the most recent issue of <i>Outside</i> magazine, Mondamin, Green Cove's brother camp, is named one of five "Camps That Kick Ass" in the country. Hello, I knew this, but I'm so glad my favorite place is getting recognition besides the <a href="http://www.uskidsmags.com/content/jj-funtoread-7370420.htm">obviously-biased article</a> I wrote in <i>Jack and Jill</i>. Blue Ridge Now did a <a href="http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20100525/ARTICLES/5251021/1151?p=1&tc=pg">write-up</a> of the article in <i>Outside </i>magazine. Here's a short quote from the write-up.<br />
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More than 60 percent of the camp's counselors are former campers and many of Mondamin's boys are second- or third-generation campers, [Robert] Danos [activity director] said.<br />
"We can tell parents who are shopping for camps when they ask how do you know these kids so well, it's because we've helped raise them," Danos said.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 25px; word-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 25px; word-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">That literally made me almost cry. (OK, I'm very camp-sick right now considering the time of year, let's keep that in mind...) It's just so true. Camp helped raise me, from the ages of 11 to 23. I cannot wait to send my kids to camp there. It's this amazing tradition and this incredible amount of caring and sense of family. All of that is what makes camp the place it is. A home away from home and a second family. </span></span></span></span>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-52088437675271653432010-05-21T16:51:00.001-04:002010-05-21T16:59:40.386-04:00Pie...uhm Food...Catch Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S_bxbseDncI/AAAAAAAAIBI/BMLXfIrwMgI/s1600/IMG_0153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S_bxbseDncI/AAAAAAAAIBI/BMLXfIrwMgI/s320/IMG_0153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I've decided on a new name for my bakery: Piebelly.<br />
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I've been baking like a crazy woman lately. It relieves stress, and there's been plenty of stress in my work life lately. Chocolate chip and pecan-cranberry brown sugar cookies, strawberry rhubarb crisp, rum-soaked banana bread, <a href="http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=387218">hummingbird cupcakes</a>, sugar cream pie, triple berry pie...<br />
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The triple berry pie I'm calling my best pie yet and so I'm sharing it after the jump. It's the perfect summer berry pie: Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, though I'm sure you could easily substitute raspberries in there. I usually use flour to juice up my filling, but my aunt mentioned tapioca, so I thought I'd give it a try. Must've worked well, since the pie was so damn good. I also made some vanilla whipped cream, just softly whipped, to plerp on top. Delicious dessert for a few days.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S_bwzQzvabI/AAAAAAAAIBA/c9BrN3N7la0/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S_bwzQzvabI/AAAAAAAAIBA/c9BrN3N7la0/s200/IMG_0149.JPG" width="150" /></a>In a way, this pie was also a 717 pie (the 717 being the magical yellow house that we lived in, with a fourth roommate whom we no longer speak of, in Bloomington for two years). The pie bird, a little guy with a hole in his beak that you settle in the center of your filling and then place your top crust over, was a gift from Samantha. The cheerfully purple-dotted pie dish was a gift from Marnie. Maybe that's why it was so good!<br />
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My weekend will be filled with rhubarb thanks to Smitten Kitchen. Moist and sweet rhubarb coffee cake and little rhubarb tarts. This has most definitely been the spring of rhubarb.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Triple Berry Pie<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
Ingredients<br />
<br />
For Double Pie Crust<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>1/2 cup crisco, in the fridge until right when you need it<br />
1/4 cpu butter, in the fridge until right when you need it<br />
4 to 8 tablespoons ice cold water<br />
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For Pie Filling<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
2 1/2 tablespoons tapioca<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) strawberries, quartered<br />
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) blueberries<br />
1 cup (6 ounces) blackberries<br />
1/4 cup raspberry or blueberry jam<br />
1 teaspoon lemon juice<br />
1 egg, beaten<br />
whipping cream (for glaze)<br />
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With pie crust, I've said it before, two rules: Keep everything cold and handle the dough as little as possible. Cold will help make the dough easy to handle and not melty. No touchy will make the crust tender.<br />
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Make the Crust<br />
• In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt together.<br />
•Cut the chilled butter into small cubes. Using a pastry blender (in a rocking motion) or two knives (in cutting motions), cut the cubed butter and chilled shortening into the flour mixture until the shortening and butter form small pea-sized balls.<br />
•Mix in the ice cold water with a wooden spoon, starting with only 4 tablespoons. Add more as needed, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moist and holds together if you gently gather it into a ball. It should stick together but not be super sticky.<br />
•Squeeze the dough into a ball, trying to handle it as little as possible, cover the bowl, and put it in the fridge to chill for at least a half an hour. You can wrap your dough ball up nice and tightly with plastic wrap and freeze it for as long as you want at this point.<br />
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Make the Filling<br />
•In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, tapioca, and cinnamon together.<br />
•Gently mix in all the berries and the lemon juice. Let the fruit mixture sit for about 20 minutes, or until the berries start to get juicy.<br />
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Assemble the Pie<br />
•Preheat the oven to 375°.<br />
•Get ready to roll the dough. Flour your counter top/work surface and rolling pin. Split your dough ball in half.<br />
•Roll out one half of the dough (sometimes I do this on parchment paper, which makes for super easy flipping into the pie dish), stopping to gently peel it off of the counter and flip it over every few rolls to make sure it doesn't stick. Set it in the bottom of the pie dish. You'll want a little hanging over the edge.<br />
•Brush the bottom crust with the beaten egg. This will help keep the fruit juices from soaking through the crust.<br />
•Carefully put the berry filling into the pie pan.<br />
•Roll out your top crust and lay it over the berry filling. Fold up that extra from the bottom crust that's hanging over the edge and pinch it to the top crust. You can make nice little designs by using a fork or pinching with your thumb and index finger.<br />
•Cut slits into the top crust, or if you're lucky enough, use your pie bird :)<br />
•Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Cover the top of the pie loosely with foil to keep the crust from burning. Bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes, until the juices are all bubbly.<br />
•Remove, cool, and EAT!Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-64843973999177078332010-05-21T16:06:00.001-04:002010-05-21T16:59:58.825-04:00Music Catch Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S_bX0SkfpFI/AAAAAAAAIAw/HPjV7Hdpahc/s1600/the_national1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S_bX0SkfpFI/AAAAAAAAIAw/HPjV7Hdpahc/s320/the_national1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I've had The National's new but not really new (it's mostly covers, rereleases, and live tracks) album, The Virginia EP, for about a month now, but I just gave it a good listen for the first time today. Maybe it's something about my mood; Matt Berninger's melancholy voice makes me ache a little. Maybe the persistently rainy, gray weather fits the steady rhythm of the album. I don't know why, but I've fallen in love with them again. Check out their <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thenational">MySpace</a> page. Particularly listen to "Slow Show," "Secret Meeting," and "Daughters of the SoHo Riots."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S_bh_jl-xyI/AAAAAAAAIA4/0LjedVizygA/s1600/mumford-sons.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S_bh_jl-xyI/AAAAAAAAIA4/0LjedVizygA/s320/mumford-sons.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
Mumford & Sons has also been making a steady appearance on my Recently Played playlist. They're a delightful folky rock band that sounds a little like the Avett Brothers, and somehow a little like Iron & Wine. The album, <i>Sigh No More</i>, sounds familiar the whole way through. I love the way each song steadily builds and builds, vocals, sweet harmonies, and guitar becoming more powerful and frantic. My two favorites right now are "Winter Winds" and "Timshels." You can find their album on their <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons">MySpace</a>.<br />
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Sorry, I'm not feeling the YouTube videos directly on my posts today. Just do the extra work for these two bands. It'll be worth it.<br />
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Aaaaand festival season is here! What's on my schedule for this year? Well, <a href="http://www.lollapalooza.com/">Lollapalooza</a> is looking somewhat unexciting this year. Their headliners make me a little sad. Lady Gaga? Really guys? I realize she's popular and that she has this wow factor about her, but last year the Yeah Yeah Yeahs headlined. The Killers. Kings of Leon. I saw Death Cab there a few years ago. These bands make real music. Don't get me wrong, I respect Lady Gaga for the fact that she can put on quite a show. She's an entertainer. But not someone to headline Lolla. We also have Green Day, whose new music I don't listen to. Nope. If I liked Soundgarden, I'd be excited for their reunion in Grant Park. Though, OK, now that I'm looking at the whole lineup again, I see lots of bands that I love, so maybe I'll wait until the schedule comes out and buy a one or two day pass. I do love seeing live shows in the middle of downtown Chicago, especially after dark, with the bright skyline as a backdrop. Magical, really. I'd love to go to <a href="http://forecastlefest.com/treasure_map/">Forecastle</a> in Louisville though. That one should happen.<br />
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Happy music Friday kiddos!Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-56536765201693395232010-04-19T16:25:00.003-04:002010-04-19T16:28:07.072-04:00Pig in Boots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Hello Spring!</span></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S8dVagkzLcI/AAAAAAAAH_Y/9cIem5WqFYc/s1600/potd-piginboots.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S8dVagkzLcI/AAAAAAAAH_Y/9cIem5WqFYc/s320/potd-piginboots.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If rainy spring days mean piggies in boots, then I'll take them all with a smile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Eggs. Have we discussed my love of runny-yolk eggs? There's just something about the buttery texture of an egg yolk. Poached eggs, over easy eggs, soft-boiled eggs. As long as I can cut into the middle, watch the yellow center flow, and dip my toast in it, I'll take it. When we were little, my mom used to make us soft-boiled eggs. She'd put them in these little <a href="http://www.domesticsluttery.com/2010/04/almost-easter-egg-cellent-egg-cups.html">egg cups</a> (only ours stood on two little feet wearing shoes and striped socks instead of a pedestal), crack off the top like a little hat, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the yolk-y inside. We'd eat them with these little plastic reusable spoons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S8y7VreVP9I/AAAAAAAAH_g/g2mcWEeJ5mI/s1600/eastereggcups.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S8y7VreVP9I/AAAAAAAAH_g/g2mcWEeJ5mI/s320/eastereggcups.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought this was a normal egg dish until one Sunday morning I asked Adam if he wanted one and he looked at me like I was crazy. We have some different family food traditions (sugar cream pie, potato chip cookies, chocolate sprinkles on toast), and I figured this was just another one. Though I guess I should've been clued in by the fact that all of my family food traditions are different because they're European. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So today I'm browsing this site I've found called <a href="http://www.domesticsluttery.com/">Domestic Sluttery</a>, and I see that they've posted something about egg cups and eggy soldiers (see the egg cups link above). Intrigued, I googled "what is an eggy soldier" and came up with this <a href="http://www.batteredsausage.com/recipes/EggySoldiers.php">recipe</a>. So in England (and probably Holland), my thing for soft-boiled eggs wouldn't be weird. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Eggy Soldiers are super easy to make. Bring a pot of water (enough to cover an egg) to a boil. Gently slide in your egg. Let it cook for about four minutes. Turn off the stove, and, using a spoon, take the egg out of the water. Set it in an egg cup. Now the egg is really hot, so be careful on this next part. Using a butter knife, tap the egg about one inch from the top of the narrow end. When the egg shell cracks, continue to cut through the entire top of the egg. You'll end up cutting off a little hat. Salt and pepper the inside of the egg and enjoy with a slice of buttered toast, maybe toasted in a <a href="http://www.teapottery.co.uk/Top_Sellers_0/Toaster_Teapot_64.htm">teapot toaster</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S8y8oBOBRkI/AAAAAAAAH_o/hg-nbAEL490/s1600/Toaster+Teapot+image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S8y8oBOBRkI/AAAAAAAAH_o/hg-nbAEL490/s320/Toaster+Teapot+image.jpeg" /></a><br />
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Soon I am going to <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/shakshuka/">bake my eggs in tomato sauce</a>.Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-86208838680795040172010-03-19T17:48:00.003-04:002010-04-20T17:10:45.352-04:00I Lurrrve YouA list of my Right Now Loves<br />
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<ul><li>Conan O'Brien's <a href="http://twitter.com/ConanOBrien">tweets</a>, particularly "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I just learned that retweets of my Bieber tweet mentioning Bieber actually help Bieber. Bieber, you're a worthy foe. Bieber." I also love Conan's new beard. Oh what the hell, I LOVE CONAN O'BRIEN!</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spoon's <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124199848">SXSW show</a> (</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lady rocker Rachel Flotard and her band called <a href="http://www.myspace.com/visqueen">Visqueen</a>. Please take a moment to enjoy "Hand Me Down." <object height="364" width="445"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JmKiRF5pZZ4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JmKiRF5pZZ4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spring having sprung! Warm weather is here, though who knows if she'll stay. Windows are open, Mira is sunbathing in any and every sunny spot she can find, long walks are being taken, bike will be fixed up.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Six days until our Raleigh visit! I can hardly believe that two and a half years have passed since I moved from Raleigh back to Indy. This visit is long overdue. Hilary, Bette, and I will be reunited. Adam will enjoy North Carolina so much that we will not come home. (At least that's how it goes in my mind...) I don't have a whole lot of places to revisit or things I very much want to do. I just really want to see my friends, eat some Cookout, and go to a few choice bars. The fun I remember having the year I lived there really comes from just having really awesome friends.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Molasses chip cookies, which I would like to morph into cherry molasses chip cookies. (recipe to follow after jump.)</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;">Plans to run the Race for the Cure this year instead of walking with the girls. </span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><a name='more'></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 21px;"><b>Molasses chip cookies/I wish you were cherry molasses chip cookies</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 21px;">adapted a little from <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/grandpa-time28099s-molasses-cookies/">this</a> Tasty Kitchen recipe</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 21px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">In my dreams I add dried cherries and chocolate chunks to these cookies. It will happen soon. As is, they have a nice, deep, spicy flavor, and of course a chewiness that comes from the oatmeal.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1/2 cup butter</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1/4 cup white sugar</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1/4 cup brown sugar</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1/4 cup dark molasses</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1 egg</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1/2 teaspoon cinnamon</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1 cup flour</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1/2 teaspoon baking soda</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">1 1/2 cups oatmeal (not the fast cooking kind)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">3/4 cup coconut</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">peanut butter chips</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Preheat the oven to 350°.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the molasses, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla, and mix.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add gradually to your wet ingredients and mix until combined.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Add the oatmeal one cup at a time, and mix until combined. Add the coconut and peanut butter chips.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Scoop spoonfuls of dough up and form nice balls, and place them on cookie sheets.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Bake for 10-15 minutes. The cookies will be done when they're just set. Cool them on a cooling rack.</span></span>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-72277765611596379482010-02-19T10:13:00.005-05:002010-02-19T11:19:12.695-05:00Gotta Get Me GoingI've made it to another Friday! In a short nine hours I will be in Chicago with some of my favorite girls in the world. I cannot wait!! Sushi, Indian food, Olympics, girl time.<br />
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</div><div>I haven't cooked much this week. Last weekend was spent chiefly in the kitchen (much to my happiness I'll add). Instead I've been trying to find the perfect morning pump up music. Driving to work is a chore, despite the cup of coffee I've already downed by then. I need good music to get me going for the day. Something that I can turn up, sing along to, or just listen to and feel motivated. Sometimes I just scream loudly, but that makes my throat hurt. So far, I've found these bands to be successful.<br />
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</div><div>Guster. Always Guster. Playing Lost and Gone Forever makes me feel home. It's hard for me to recommend this band to you for any concrete reason other than they are awesome because they've just been my favorite for so long (10 years to be exact). I love how goofy they are, I love the drums, particularly the bongos of their earlier years, and how they've evolved with each album but not so much that they lose who they are. Here we have Adam and Ryan playing drums (they play guitar and sing. Brian is the drummer and he's AAAAHMAZING in my opinion.)</div><div><br />
</div><div><object height="360" width="580"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rTgLExbtLX8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rTgLExbtLX8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="360"></embed></object></div><div><br />
</div><div>And here we have "Happier" from Lost and Gone Forever</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9px;"><object height="265" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u4QDkepo9iU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u4QDkepo9iU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have also been good pump me up music. Karen O is their singer. She's awesome. They played at Lollapalooza last summer (a last minute sub for the Beastie Boys) and I fell in love. I might put that show in my top five. Very high energy, and of course being in downtown Chicago on a gorgeous summer night never hurts either :)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9px;"> </span></span>I love Karen O's voice - powerful without getting out of tune. That girl can scream. Two songs here. </span></span></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>"Maps" on Fever to Tell<br />
<object height="265" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VJf2FQDl8Ig&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VJf2FQDl8Ig&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div>"Zero" on It's Blitz!<br />
<object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pmGNo8RL5kM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pmGNo8RL5kM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div>So what gets you pumped up when you need a lift? I'm always looking for recommendations to add to my morning playlist.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm also going to mention the Broderick, a band from dear Bloomington. Four dudes singing solid rock. Check them out, they're up and coming.</div><div>http://www.myspace.com/thebroderickband</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now onto food! Last Thursday I made a black and white cappuccino cheesecake for our cheesecake competition at work. It was very tasty and made my stomach scream out in protest of too much cream cheese. Cheesecake is a lot of work though, and I think only appropriate for special occasions. So I'm going to give you a better and easier sweets recipe: Meyer lemon bars, which I made Friday night. Meyer lemons are smaller than regular lemons and sweeter, which I like because normal lemon bars can be a bit too tart for me. Between the lemon bars and the leftover cheesecake Adam and I had good Valentine's dessert. We also had magical dinners. Sunday we made au gratin potatoes, the recipe for which I'll have to post sometime, Dover sole two ways, and snow peas (mmm I love snow peas for their crunchy sweetness). Saturday night was the real star though in my opinion. Lasagna. In a Dutch oven no less. I think you should ideally use a large and deep casserole dish of some kind, but I don't have one. The Dutch oven worked just fine. The lasagna was flavorful, filling, and cheeeeesy! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S36prbN9V_I/AAAAAAAAH04/bZBhwNBiito/s1600-h/IMG_0049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S36prbN9V_I/AAAAAAAAH04/bZBhwNBiito/s400/IMG_0049.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>OK, so what follows, in case you missed it from all that rambling, is Meyer lemon bars and lasagna. </div><div><a name='more'></a>Meyer lemon bars</div><div>(<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">adapted from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/lemon-bars/">Smitten Kitchen</a> as so much tends to be!)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div>You can easily use regular lemons instead of Meyers. You'll probably need one or two less since they're bigger.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div>For the crust:</div><div>1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temp</div><div>1/2 cup white sugar</div><div>2 cups flour</div><div>1/8 teaspoon salt</div><div><br />
</div><div>For the lemon layer:</div><div>4 large eggs, room temp</div><div>1 2/3 cups white sugar</div><div>1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (about 5 Meyer lemons)</div><div>1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (those 5 zested lemons plus one more lemon, so you'll need 6 total)</div><div>2/3 cup flour</div><div><br />
</div><div>powdered sugar for dusting</div><div><br />
</div><div>Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.</div><div>Make the crust. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Combine the flour and salt, and add to the butter slowly with the mixer on low, mixing until just combined. Put the mixture into your baking dish and gently spread and press it evenly over the bottom and a bit up the sides. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Cool on a rack and leave the oven on.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Make the lemon layer while the crust is baking and cooling. Whisk together all of the lemon layer ingredients (eggs through flour on that list up there). Pour over the crust and bake for about 30 minutes, or about 5 minutes past the point when the filling sets. I think I had to bake mine about 10 minutes longer than Deb recommends. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Cool the bars to room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Lasagna</div><div>(<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">based loosely on my dad's recipe)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div>1 pound ground beef</div><div>3 cloves garlic, chopped</div><div>1 1/2 teaspoons salt</div><div>8 ounces canned tomatoes</div><div>12 ounces tomato sauce (either a can of tomato sauce, or as we used, pasta sauce, which gives a little extra flavor)</div><div>10 mushrooms, washed and sliced</div><div>12 ounces lasagna noodles</div><div>2 eggs</div><div>3 cups ricotta cheese</div><div>1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated</div><div>1/4 cup grana padano cheese, grated</div><div>2 teaspoons parsley, chopped</div><div>1/2 teaspoon pepper</div><div>1 pound mozzarella, sliced thinly</div><div><br />
</div><div>Preheat oven to 375°.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Brown the ground beef in a somewhat deep skillet. Add the garlic, salt, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and mushrooms. Let simmer, and cook the noodles until tender.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Beat the eggs and mix with the ricotta cheese, parm cheese, grana padano, parsley, and pepper. Put one layer of noodles down on the bottom of your casserole dish (or Dutch oven, as it may be). Spread a layer of cheese mixture over that, add a few slices of mozzarella, and enough sauce mixture to cover everything up. Repeat this layering process of noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella, and sauce mixture until you have none left. You should end with the sauce mixture on top. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool, and dig in!</div><div></div><div><br />
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</div></div>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-88493810578606755362010-02-10T09:59:00.012-05:002010-02-10T10:10:00.658-05:00Today's Letter is "M"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think today's Wednesday. I kind of don't care to keep track anymore because I'll only be reminded how many more days stretch ahead before the weekend. And once the weekend gets here, how few days are left before the inevitable return to work on Monday. Sorry, that's kind of negative, I know, but seriously. We've gotten a bunch of snow in the past five days. Every morning this week I've woken upon hoping for too much snow on the road to go into work, but the damn city has kept our roads snow-free. So I've been spending most of my week daydreaming of North Carolina. Oh and yesterday I spent my day watching the Bonnaroo line-up be slowly and painfully announced on Bonnaroo's MySpace. Who does that? Anyway, it looks pretty good. I usually feel that Bonnaroo's line-up is a pretty good preview of Lollapalooza's. Hopefully will get to at least one festival this summer!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S3LBnRag0LI/AAAAAAAAHzo/jrAQ9dPLxgI/s1600-h/IMAG0066.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S3LBnRag0LI/AAAAAAAAHzo/jrAQ9dPLxgI/s400/IMAG0066.jpeg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mira was somewhat suspicious of the tiny snowman we met on one of our walks.</span></b></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The snow did kick in a serious hibernation switch on in my head over the weekend. I decided that I needed to cook and bake a lot just in case I could never leave my apartment again. Friday night I made these bombtastic baked chicken meatballs. My only problem was that my tomato paste had been in the fridge for awhile, and some nice fuzzy, white stuff was growing on parts. I just went ahead and used the non-fuzzy, white parts. A few hours post-meatball consumption, I felt off. Amazingly enough, still ate leftovers the next night, and even more amazingly enough, felt slightly off again. HAH. Anyway, the meatballs are super tasty for few ingredients (which is my favorite. The less money I have to spend, the better.) I made them bigger (got about ten balls I think), and ate them with spaghetti. I bet they'd be the perfect party appetizer if made smaller.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then came the muffins. These whole wheat apple muffins have been my go to when I've had extra apples lying around this fall and winter. They are DELICIOUS. Nice and warm spicy (you know, like cinnamon), moist for days after, and partially healthy. This was probably the fourth or fifth batch I've made.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Baked Chicken Meatballs</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(adapted slightly from </span><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/10/baked-chicken-meatballs/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Smitten Kitchen</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S3LGFv6bB-I/AAAAAAAAHzw/pJ-HACS8LRU/s1600-h/IMG_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S3LGFv6bB-I/AAAAAAAAHzw/pJ-HACS8LRU/s320/IMG_0038.JPG" /></span></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S3LGFv6bB-I/AAAAAAAAHzw/pJ-HACS8LRU/s1600-h/IMG_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 ounces sliced pancetta, chopped (Deb suggests Canadian bacon if you can't find pancetta)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 small onion, finely chopped (have I mentioned how I hate to chop onions? Also grate cheese.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 clove garlic, minced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 egg</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 pound ground chicken</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 tablespoons tomato paste, divided</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup bread crumbs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon olive oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons oregano<br />
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Preheat the oven to 400°F with racks on the top third of the oven.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Cook the pancetta for a couple of minutes in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until the onion is soft, about 6 minutes.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Lightly beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the chicken, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, pancetta mixture, bread crumbs, and oregano. Shape into meatballs, whatever size you want, and arrange on a lipped cookie sheet or 9x13 inch baking dish.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Stir together the other two tablespoons of tomato paste and the olive oil. (I actually ended up having to make up a little more of the tomato paste/olive oil mixture to put on top.) Brush over the meatballs.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Bake until meatballs are just cooked through, (and really just. I let mine go a bit long and they were kinda dry.) 15 to 20 minutes.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S3LGKwnWDqI/AAAAAAAAHz4/xKTCfeqwuls/s1600-h/IMG_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S3LGKwnWDqI/AAAAAAAAHz4/xKTCfeqwuls/s320/IMG_0035.JPG" /></span></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whole Wheat Apple Walnut Muffins</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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(I like adding the "whole wheat" in there because it makes me feel healthy)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(adapted from </span><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/whole-wheat-apple-muffins/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Smitten Kitchen</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
I usually get about 18 muffins</span><br />
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1 cup whole wheat flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup all-purpose flour</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup oatmeal</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tablespoon cinnamon</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tablespoon nutmeg</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup granulated sugar</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup brown sugar, packed</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 large egg, lightly beaten</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup buttermilk or soy milk (you can use that vinegar trick with soy milk too I think)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup walnuts, chopped<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease 18 muffin cups and set aside.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Mix flours, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together, and set aside.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- In a separate bowl, cream the butter until it's soft and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, and beat until fluffy. (I've recently discovered the importance of literally beating butter and sugar until really fluffy, and not half-assing it. I think it makes a difference to take 3 minutes instead of 1 minute.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Add the egg and mix well. As always, scrape the sides of the bowl while mixing this whole time. Mix in the buttermilk/soy milk gently. (Apparently if you over mix, buttermilk will curdle?)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Stir in the dry ingredients with a spoon. Fold in the apple chunks and walnuts. I saved some of the walnuts to put on top.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Pour the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top, and any extra walnuts, if you so desire.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 19 minutes (I always only need 5), or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tins, then take them out and cool completely on a wire rack.</span>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-15162580901380478142010-01-29T15:32:00.002-05:002010-01-29T15:37:58.751-05:00I got Tiger'dA few weeks ago Adam called and left me this voicemail.<br />
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Hey. This is Tiger. I need you to do something for me. It's huge. I need you to change your...number....voicemail... (Justin, his roommate cracks up in the background, says something probably along the lines of "you idiot, you messed it up!" Adam laughs as well, breaking his very serious tone and then tries to continue.) Call me back. Please.<br />
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Here's the actual voicemail that Tiger left for one of his girlfriends. He says "Hey, it's Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone and maybe calling you. So if you can, please take your name off that. Just have it as a number on the voicemail. You got to do this for me. Huge. Quickly. Bye."<br />
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My boyfriend is such a dork.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span></span>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-77443493096656065152010-01-29T10:59:00.002-05:002010-01-29T11:00:33.015-05:00Sick Girls Like Corn BreadFirst of all, did you know Jewel has made like four or five albums since her first one in the 90s? Pieces of You was one of my first CDs (along with Dave Matthews Band, Crash). I recently heard Foolish Games on the radio and suddenly got a Jewel craving. So now I'm listening to that album on LaLa.com. But the song Pieces of You, kinda disturbing!<br />
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<object height="364" width="445"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fGj77BrEgj4&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fGj77BrEgj4&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br />
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You know what I miss? Mixed tapes. Mixes on CDs just aren't quite the same. There's nothing quite like sitting by your boom box, waiting to hear a song on the radio so that you can hit the record button, and inevitably get some of the DJ chatter at the end of the song on the tape too.<br />
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The most exciting thing that happened to me this week involved my plumbing and pasta in my bathtub. On Tuesday the kitchen and bathroom sinks started to drain slowly. I then discovered that not only were they draining slowly, but they were draining right into my bathtub! SCORE! I tried Drain-o and plunging but no luck. Pretty soon my bathtub was a log of what I'd eaten in the past week. Good thing I don't care much if I don't get a shower ever day, or for three days. <br />
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Well, I've managed to get sick three times in the past month, which is pretty rare for me. Cold, Norovirus (which is the most hilarious and gross stomach bug EVER), cough/fever. (By the way Foolish Games does not sound pretty when sung by someone who is on the verge of losing her voice. Worst sound that has ever come out of my mouth.) I'm hoping for a healthy February. So not much cooking or baking has happened. I did make some black bean soup and corn bread earlier this week though. The soup was so so. The corn bread was fabulous. I want to make it again with chili.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S2ME5M5IzUI/AAAAAAAAHzc/0Id2kUiL3qM/s1600-h/IMG_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S2ME5M5IzUI/AAAAAAAAHzc/0Id2kUiL3qM/s320/IMG_0029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The recipe calls for milk or buttermilk. I don't drink milk and really only use it in baking, substituting soy milk most other times. And usually it works out fine. I've made some damn good gratin potatoes with soy milk. The only thing I've had trouble with is alfredo sauce. My body cannot handle all that heavy cream but oh good Lord I love alfredo sauce. Soy milk, in my experience, when heated up and subbed for heavy cream in this case, gets sweet, and alfredo sauce should not be sweet. Does anyone have any tips on cooking with soy milk or other dairy substitutes? Anyway, back to the corn bread. I didn't have milk and was almost out of soy milk. I did however have heavy cream for some weird reason, so used that instead. No need to do that I'm sure. I'd stick with milk or soy next time.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Bread<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(from </span><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/01/hibernation-fare/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Smitten Kitchen</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">)</span><br />
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1 1/4 cups buttermilk, soy milk, or milk (To make buttermilk with regular milk, heat the milk, add one tablespoon white vinegar and let sit 10 minutes.)<br />
2 tablespoons butter<br />
1 1/2 cups medium-grind cornmeal<br />
1/2 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 tablespoon sugar<br />
1 tablespoon cumin<br />
1 egg<br />
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped up<br />
1 cup grated cheddar cheese<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S2ME0mSHnjI/AAAAAAAAHzU/Ht-9Orz_2oM/s1600-h/IMG_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S2ME0mSHnjI/AAAAAAAAHzU/Ht-9Orz_2oM/s320/IMG_0028.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Preheat the oven to 375°. On the stove, put the butter in a medium oven-proof skillet or an 8-inch square baking pan over medium heat, (I used my fabulous cast iron skillet. Bam!) until hot, about two minutes, then turn off the burner.<br />
While the butter is heating (and probably after you've turned the butter off. I'm not a fast combiner), combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the egg into the buttermilk/milk/milk + vinegar/soy milk. (oh the options!) Stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, combining well. Add the jalapeno and cheese. If the batter is too dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk.<br />
Pour the batter into the pan of preheated butter, spread the batter out evenly, and slide it into the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is browned and the edges have pulled away from the pan.Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-59658230892848383312010-01-21T11:23:00.000-05:002010-01-21T11:23:07.710-05:00ReachThe past week the news has been full of stories of from Haiti. Bodies piling up on the streets, rescue efforts at schools abandoned because survivors at this point were unlikely, no clean water or food, crime, and general hopelessness. This <a href="http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED21%20Jan%202010%2009:15:23:953">picture</a>, though, defies all that. It literally embodies the word <i>HOPE</i> for me. That little boy was buried for eight days under rubble, and amazing rescue workers pulled him out. Talk about second chances.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I want to do my small part and was thrilled when one of <i>Jack and Jill's</i> fairly regular writers emailed me saying she felt the same way. She suggested writing an article about the children in Haiti, how they are coping with the aftermath of the earthquake, and how kids here in the U.S. can help through various organizations and charities. I hope that we're touching kids and opening their minds with the magazine. Who knows, but I like to dream :)<br />
</div>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-77534719631865376712010-01-18T15:12:00.004-05:002010-01-18T16:02:15.926-05:00It's All in the Family<div style="text-align: left;">Heeiiy! If you read this post, this blog, my word vomit, would you mind commenting on this one? I'd like to know if anyone other than my dear mother and my brother come around. Muchas gracias!<br />
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Mira and I have a new neighbor. Well two to be accurate. We have a new neighbor in the apartment across the hall. We also have a new neighbor living somewhere near one of our favorite trees in the yard. At night I let Mira out just quickly in the yard outside our building. She usually walks directly to this one tree, pees near it, and inside we go. About a month ago, out we walked as usual around 11 p.m, right over to that tree. I was hardly paying attention, bracing myself against the frigid night air. Mira had her eyes on the ground as she sniffed for the perfect spot. Somehow both of us managed to miss the GIANT MOTHER EFFING POSSUM sitting by our favorite tree, frozen/"playing dead" (like we were stupid enough to think it was dead, it was standing up on its hind legs!), and staring right at us with its beady little eyes and tiny pink nose. I'm pretty sure I screamed, I dragged Mira in the other direction, and then continued to scream and curse loudly as Mira found a new spot to water. We hurried upstairs and, from the safety of my apartment, I peeked out the kitchen window. The offender was still by the tree, only it'd unfrozen and was starting to waddle around now that the coast was clear. Possums are seriously ugly, seriously gross, and even worse when you suddenly find yourself standing three feet from them. Trust me.<br />
</div><div><div>OK, so no more possum sightings until last week. Our confidence in the favorite tree had been renewed, our fears lulled into a stupor. Thankfully this time I happened to be looking up and spotted the possum by the tree about six feet away this time, again frozen and staring at us. I diverted Mira, who had also spotted the beast. Apparently they're known to viciously attack dogs. Come on, how could you attack this sweet face?<br />
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<div>Especially when that sweet face does this?!<br />
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</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428168411464156274" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S1S6aRpRRHI/AAAAAAAAHys/4bI73oQZwA4/s320/4285859482_a6f097eec9.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /><br />
</div><div>(Sorry, I couldn't resist...) Anyway, I think the possum has officially taken up residence somewhere near our tree. I'll be on guard from now on. <br />
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</div><div>In kitchen news, I have two family recipes for you. The first is Oma Macaroni. My grandmother (we call her Oma) always made this when we would visit her and Opa in Holland. It's one of those foods that will always have memories attached to it of sitting in their kitchen, which somehow never seemed brightly lit, eating at the long table, my grandfather at the head, Ian, Oma, and I on the long side, and Mom at the other end, two casserole dishes of macaroni on the table. Ian, picky eater that he was, required a small casserole dish all to himself with only the pasta and tomato paste baked up together. I like making this in the winter because it's nice and warm, and really pretty flavorful. The second recipe is for my dad's banana bread with a few additions. Pappy made this always and I could eat slices upon slices in one day. When I was a junior in college and finally figured out that I had a kitchen, I asked him for the recipe. I added the chocolate chips and cranberries two goes ago, and with those additions, I prefer this in muffin form. As just straight banana bread, I like it in a loaf pan. Fair warning: the batter is seriously tasty, and the bread itself can be consumed within hours if you're not paying attention.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Oma Macaroni</b><br />
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1 cup elbow macaroni<br />
1 cube beef bullion<br />
butter to saute + 2 tablespoons<br />
1 large onion<br />
1 small can tomato paste<br />
1/2 pound ham<br />
1 cup grated cheddar cheese<br />
2 tablespoons Worcheshire sauce<br />
bread crumbs<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Bring one cup of water and the beef bullion cube to a boil. Meanwhile, chop up the onions. Cook the macaroni in the boiling water. While the pasta's cooking, heat up some butter in a skillet and saute the onion until golden brown. Dice the ham. Mix the macaroni, onion, ham, 2/3 of the can of tomato paste, cheese, and worcheshire sauce together (I say in the pot you cooked the mac in to reduce dishes...). Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and dots of the 2 tablespoons of butter. Bake for 45 minutes, or until it's bubbly and the top is golden brown.<br />
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<b>Pappy's Banana Bread/Choco-Cran-Banan Muffins</b><br />
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1/2 cup butter, softened<br />
1 cup white sugar<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
4 tablespoons sour cream<br />
1 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 tablespoon cinnamon<br />
1 cup (or 2) bananas, mashed<br />
1 cup chocolate chips<br />
1 cup dried cranberries<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9x9 loaf pan or two muffin pans. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the sour cream, baking soda, vanilla, bananas, cinnamon, and flour, and mix. With a spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, or fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full with batter. Bake for 45 minutes for a loaf, 20 for muffins, or until a knife comes out clean.<br />
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</div>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-8083637301398978182010-01-08T09:58:00.008-05:002010-01-08T16:14:59.183-05:00Bits n Pieces<div style="text-align: left;">Today has been relatively unproductive because I've been browsing various food blogs and Etsy is continuously posting awesome things on their Twitter. I discovered this <a href="http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/">blog</a> that way and spent a good half hour reading past posts. I like this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37251965">elephant</a> I found there.</div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S0eL9VP2GuI/AAAAAAAAHx8/-6-kSvJOhfc/s320/il_430xN.111741643.jpeg" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 319px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424458161982937826" />He's so full of happy colors that he's blowing them out of his trunk. He can't even contain them!<div> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36293241">This item</a> though, I question. There is no joy exploding out of it anywhere, unless you count the possible poop explosion out of the butt. This is a drop crotch jumpsuit. Please please don't get me wrong, I will sacrifice fashion for comfort any day. I wear a boys onesie around my apartment frequently, and trust me, it's not flattering. The jumpsuit, however, has multiple <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S0eMS6SM1JI/AAAAAAAAHyE/eBc1vbapcQw/s320/Cotton+Blend+Drop+Crotch+Jumpsuit-1.jpeg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 75px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424458532702180498" /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S0eMTHSRmzI/AAAAAAAAHyM/gohdSj6KLhk/s320/Cotton+Blend+Drop+Crotch+Jumpsuit.jpeg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 75px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424458536192154418" />problems. One, the name. Why in the world would you put the word "crotch" in the title of something you are trying to sell? What does the word "crotch" make you think of? High fashion? A piece of clothing you'd wear in public? I think of, well things that are honestly grossing me out a lot. I'm not going to play the what word do you think of next game with the word "crotch." Better to do it with the word "elephant." Anyway, I also wonder why a drop crotch is a good idea on a garment when it makes the butt look like a very full diaper. I don't know, that's just me, and I know very little about what's in as far as clothing goes.<div><br /></div><div>Next is Train Song. I think<i> </i>a lady named Vashti Bunyan originally wrote it in the 60s. Feist and Ben Gibbard do a really nice cover of it on the Dark Was the Night compilation. Today I like songs that are a little sad and a little filled with longing. I like this line</div><div><i>but suddenly now, I know where I belong</i></div><div><i>It's many hundred miles, but it won't be long</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bVVGHkE--XI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bVVGHkE--XI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>OK, so then NPR posted a free download on Second Stage of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/johnheartjackie">John Heart Jackie</a>, a very nice and mellow and folk-y duo. They cover Train Song too, but you'll have to go to their MySpace page to listen to it. (and while you're there, listen to their other songs too!!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Righto. Have to still post the Oma Macaroni. Also made banana bread last night, but in the form of muffins and with chocolate chips and cranberries. SOOO GOOD I might die. Made an epic fail soup. By Sunday you will have the two epic un-fails.</div></div>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-17464080761819592602010-01-05T15:57:00.011-05:002010-01-05T17:00:12.713-05:00A Sugar Cream Pie New Year<div style="text-align: left;">Where were you 10 years ago? What were the decade's top songs/artists/albums? 2009's best music: Vote Now! Not going to lie, I got very tired of seeing these types of polls and articles pop up in my inbox and on my Twtitter feed. So here's mine.</div><br />2009: Fine as a Swine<br />-I traveled to Las Vegas for the first time (!)<br />-I took over Jack and Jill magazine (!)<br />-I reached a quarter of a century and have had various small quarter life crises (...!...?)<br />-I came to terms with the term "broke" and made some lifestyle changes such as canceling cable and cutting shopping (not !)<br />-I visited camp under the guise of a work trip and got my flight paid for (!!!) hey I did write an article on my fave place in the world for the mag<br />-My dog was banned from my parents' house (not !)<br />-I fell into more new music than I could have ever have dreamed of (!!!!!!)<br />-I decided to one day open a bakery in North Carolina with Bette and have a prostitution business on the side (!!!!) (anyone interested in a "cherry pie" aka a tall blonde with big tatas and a midget on the side?)<div>-I celebrated the two year anniversary of my return to Indianapolis (not !)<div><br /></div><div>My New Year's resolutions are as follows: put $100 into my savings account every month as car payments have ended, pawn off baked goods on unsuspecting coworkers in an attempt to lose weight, have formulated a move to North Carolina plan by the end of the year.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 2010, more specifically Jan 12, Vampire Weekend comes out with their second album! You can listen <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122213523&sc=nl&cc=asc-20100105">here</a> until then. I've got a couple more listens before I comment on it, but so far, so musically nice on the ears!<br /><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XPgH_4Ko0Jc/S0OsRQD2oyI/AAAAAAAAHxc/cWky_y2_oE4/s320/photo.jpeg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423367788653093666" /><div>In 2009 I also made a sugar cream pie. Here's how that story goes.<div><div><div><a name='more'></a><br /></div><div>I love pie. I love making pie. PIE. Thanksgiving is the Pie Holiday. I wanted to make cranberry caramel almond tart for Adam's Thanksgiving. Adam wanted me to make sugar cream pie. I'd never heard of such a pie, and quite honestly a pie consisting only of cream and sugar sounded bizarre. Adam's grandmother, on the other hand, makes the world's best sugar cream pie. Adam was setting me up for failure. Julia, make this pie that you've never made before, but that my grandma's a pro at for my family's Thanksgiving. I manned up, found a good recipe, tweaked it a tiny bit, and, with my sexy assistant Adam, made my first official state pie of Indiana. (That's the sugar cream pie, if you didn't get that....) His grandmother deemed it a very good sugar cream pie. I pass!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sugar Cream Pie</div><div><br /></div><div>single pie crust</div><div>1 1/3 cups all purpose flour</div><div>1/2 teaspoon salt</div><div>1/3 cup cold shortening</div><div>3 tablespoons verrry cold butter</div><div>3 to 6 tablespoons ice water</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut the chilled shortening and butter into the flour with a food processor, pastry blender, or two knives until the shortening and butter are in pea sized pieces. (Chunks=flaky crust) Add the ice water, starting with only 3 tablespoons, and mix together. If you can get the dough to stick together in a ball, then add no more water. If not, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, testing for stick-togetherness after each addition. The key to good pie crust is to handle it as little as possible, so remember that. Roll the dough out onto a floured counter or between two pieces of parchment paper. Transfer it into a 9-inch pie pan and mold it to the pan. Your crust should come up over the lip of the pan but should not hang over that edge, so trim it if you have extra hanging out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Filling</div><div>1 cup sugar</div><div>4 tablespoons flour</div><div>1/2 teaspoon salt</div><div>1 pint heavy cream</div><div>1 teaspoon vanilla</div><div>1 tablespoon butter</div><div>1/4 teaspoon cinnamon</div><div>nutmeg</div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat the oven to 400°. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a medium bowl and mix in the cream and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients and whisk it all until the mixture starts to thicken. Pour the mixture into your unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle nutmeg on the top. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350° and bake for one hour, or until the filling is jiggly and set. I would check your crust about halfway through baking time. If the edges look nice and golden brown, carefully take the pie out of the oven, and wrap the edges with foil. This will keep them from burning!</div><div><br /></div><div>Coming soon: Oma Macaroni, discussion of World Peace Cookies</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-62951819498098721202009-12-21T17:00:00.006-05:002009-12-21T17:19:53.398-05:00a grown up Christmas listI love lists. There's nothing quite like drawing a neat black line through items one by one, just ticking them off. So I have three quick lists for the end of the Monday before Christmas. <br /><br />Things That Should Not Happen Again<br /><br />-unbuttoning my pants on the way into the bathroom at work (that should happen after I'm in the stall)<br />-wearing skinny jeans on a day when my thighs feel as big as boulders<br />-snow and ice on my car in the morning<br />-the toilet in my apartment running constantly (aauuugh the noise and the water waste!)<br />-going to the bathroom at work without my shoes on<br />-falling asleep on the couch for the millionth night in a row (contrary to anything Adam might say, this is NOT fun.)<br />-standing in line for half an hour at the post office to mail a gift<br />-Christmas present shopping for five hours<br /><br />Things That Should Happen Lots More Times<br /><br />-a free Moosejaw sweatshirt with orders over $79<br />-wearing a cute yet flowy shirt on a fat day<br />-wrapping presents and putting them under the tree (FESTIVE!)<br />-making cheesecake<br />-ugly christmas sweater parties<br />-talking about buying Bonnaroo tickets in December<br />-penguin onesies from Target (which is what I should have worn to work today instead of the skinny pants)<br />-Christmas present shopping for five hours only if done with Adam<br />-wearing red and white striped Christmas knee high socks with white santa fur around the top<br />-The Flaming Lips live (particularly "White Christmas" and "Do You Realize")<br /><br />Things That Are Going to Happen Tonight<br />-mushroom marsala pasta with artichokes<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/mushroom-marsala-pasta-with-artichokes/"></a><br />-pilates<br />-possible toilet fixation (well I do have a fixation with the damn toilet right now, but I meant the toilet getting fixed.)<br />-penguin onesie from TargetFairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-77281925857611946242009-12-16T16:35:00.006-05:002009-12-16T17:13:07.277-05:00Edward Sharpe (for real this time)I just realized that my last post included "Edward" in the title and I did not deliver. I had all these plans to write an entry about Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and also about Edward Cullen (<i>swooooon</i>) and the New Moon premiere that I attended with my Twilight work girls. Epic Fail (in the words of one Carol Prince). OK so now I'm going to get down to business. Music recommendations. Go.<div><br /></div><div>Wait, first does anyone know how I can put a song on here? For now I'm going to go with a YouTube video. (oh my lordy [says my mother...] YouTube does not show up as a misspelled word in my browser.)</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><a name='more'></a></div><div>My first new favorite band is Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. (listen aqui http://www.myspace.com/edwardsharpe) The first time I put this album on (OK I wish I could say that and mean it, but I did not actually "put the album on." Oh for a record player. I just double clicked in my iTunes.) and heard the first song, I almost cried. "40 Day Dream" sounds oddly like a long lost cousin of the Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour," and let me just remind you of how much I love the Beatles and how angry any copying of this band makes me. I'm incredibly glad I struggled through that initial song though because this band is awesome. It's mostly a girl and guy or just Edward singing. It's very clear and crisp and light sounding. And a little bit old school, like maybe even 60s. This song "Home" makes me think of Johnny Cash and June Carter. I love it.</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YHKuB85EgnI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YHKuB85EgnI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>I also have an irrational and intense love for the Avett Brothers (http://www.myspace.com/theavettbrothers) these days. I can literally listen to <i>I and Love and You</i> on repeat all day. Their earlier albums are a bit more bluegrassy, which I love. Here's one of my faves, "Laundry Room." (I also love "January Wedding.")</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="660" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5CLIcxyAyqQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5CLIcxyAyqQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="405"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953264086636976249.post-58843974430629411742009-11-27T20:56:00.004-05:002009-12-28T14:14:50.724-05:00Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup and EdwardOne of the best perks of my job is the free stuff. We have a product review page called Cool Finds in Jack and Jill. Companies email us about reviewing their products, we say "sure, we'd love to! But we have to see the product first." The company sends us their product, we decide if we like it or not, and then we fight over who gets to take it home. I've gotten an air popper for popcorn, a Paul Frank winter hat, a pair of fuzzy slippers, and a rice cooker. The rice cooker came with a recipe book. We figured if we were going to take advantage of this free rice cooker, we might as well give the company some publicity in return, so we featured one of their recipes for chicken tortilla soup. The U.S. Kids Test Kitchen made it and all employees were fairly impressed. I thought it needed just a bit more kick. Last night we made it at home with a few spicy additions. <div><br /></div><div>I'm just going to say that this recipe is firstly fairly cheap. Canned ingredients, rice, chicken, and broth. Secondly, it's a ONE POT RECIPE. So few dishes!! Thirdly, it's pretty easy to throw together.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />I got a can of diced tomatoes with chiles in it. Also did not use as many olives because I'm not a huge fan. The spices at the end were my addition, which means I just kinda tossed them in, no measuring. The soup ended up kinda spicy....No rice cooker? Go with a large pot instead!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup<br /><br />Ingredients<br />2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced<br />1 medium yellow union, peeled and chopped<br />1 tbs olive oil<br />2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, uncooked, sliced<br />5 cups chicken broth<br />2 carrots, peeled and chopped<br />15 oz can diced tomatoes<br />1/2 cup long grain white rice, uncooked<br />3 1/2 oz can diced green chiles<br />12 oz can kernal corn, drained<br />7 oz can black olives, sliced<br />tortilla chips<br />taco seasoning<br />cumin<br />chipoltle powder<br />hot sauce<br /><br />Preheat the rice cooker, if you have one.<br />Heat the olive oil in the rice cooker/pot. Saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.<br />Add the chicken and brown on all sides.<br />Add the broth, carrots, tomatoes, rice, chilies, corn, and olives.<br />Put the lid on the pot/rice cooker and cook until the rice is done. It'll be about 20 minutes.<br />Serve on top of tortilla chips, sprinkle on a little cheese, or add a dollop of sour cream.<br /><br /><br /></div>Fairy Princess With An Edgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14375617106127469536noreply@blogger.com0