Category Archives: Uncategorized

French Silk Pie.

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Apologies for the over week-long wait on the French Silk pie, the star of Pi(e) Day 2010. However, we didn’t even get to tuck into the pie until the middle of this week, due to an unfortunate dental issue (the husband’s, not mine). Thanks to an emergency root canal and a temporary crown (permanent cap to be installed in April – until then, no caramel for Cullen), things are all better. And naturally, we celebrated this dental salvation with big pieces of rich, homemade chocolate pie.

We’re well-known for our smart decisions around these parts.

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Breakfast for Pi(e) Day 2010

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While the past few months have indeed slipped by me (apparently unnoticed, by the state of this blog), this year I was reawakened from my foodie coma by Pi(e) Day. I have still gone through Tastespotting and Food Gawker daily, if not every other day, and appreciated and tagged recipes I’d like to make – but there’s been no making. Sure, we’ve cooked since the last time I posted, and enjoyed it, but I haven’t really catalogued anything via the Internet. I feel you deserve an explanation, so I’ll be brief:

Since the last time I posted, I got a new job – and resigned, and now I’m an at-home housewife, which I do thoroughly enjoy even if it doesn’t pay well. Cullen got a new position, allowing us to enjoy being a real married couple instead of two people living in the same house and passing in the breeze. I’ve watched a lot of Netflix with him, mostly Deadwood. We still don’t have continuous Internet, just an aircard, so it makes things a little more difficult in terms of posting and pictures. Speaking of pictures, I don’t have a camera anymore. It’s somewhere in the house – supposedly on top of the refrigerator, but I have yet to find it. Oh, and we got a German Shepherd who is convinced she is the Queen of the House, which is totally not true, because I’m Queen of the House.

So, my life has changed and rotated and now my desire to cook and connect has returned. (If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed my quiet reemergence.) And so, Pi(e) Day. Unfortunately, I didn’t get this posted on Pi(e) Day because… well, we were landscaping the in-laws’ flowerbeds for them, and by the time we got home and everything got settled, with the addition of Daylight Savings Time (ugh), I was too wiped to do much of anything besides watch a few episodes of Deadwood, season two. But I was determined to honor Pi(e) Day, and even with more than one pie – quiche and a pie. Continue reading →

Baby Banana Bread Bundts

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I am one of those apparently few who don’t really care for banana bread. I mean, I’ll eat it if I don’t have a choice, but it’s not something I go out of my way to get. I prefer apples. And it’s not an unpleasant food – I just don’t care for it. Cullen, on the other hand, loves the stuff. So when we had some bananas getting browner by the second laying on the counter, he asked me, “Can you make banana bread?” And when he got the look that says “um, duh, honey,” he shut up and put the banana in the freezer. About a week later, I took them out and started making banana bread so he would have something tasty and reasonably healthy to take to work with him. They were a stellar hit with him, and with his OIC, so good things all around.

(Recipe after the jump.)

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The Great Christmas Cookie Bake, 2008.

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As of now, I’m embarking on the largest cookie baking spree I’ve ever done at one time (and in this tiny kitchen, too). I have no cash, so it’s hard for me to buy as many presents as I have people I want to give presents to. Instead, there’s a classic fallback – homemade goodies!

Despite the mad rush of people at Wal-Mart and Michael’s, I ventured out into the world and picked up all the things I figured I’d need for goodie-making. I forgot how much fun I could have in Michael’s – and how much stuff they have in that store that I want. I spent a bunch of my paycheck in both stores, but it will totally be worth it.

The majority of my present recipients are from my dojo, American Black Belt Academy. I’ve made a lot of really good friends there since I started taking kama bushi kai with Shihan McElwee. The fun part about making cookies for these folks is that not only will they eat almost anything, but a big favorite in the dojo is a cookie that one of our attendees makes – apparently it has flax, oatmeal, coconut… a big kitchen sink cookie, healthy and delicious. But J won’t give me the recipe, so I’ll have to do my best.

I figured that would be more than enough. Though I’m considering adding espresso snowcaps and some biscotti… but we’ll see how the list so far works out as it is. :)

As for packaging, I bought some plain white boxes, white gift tags, thin red ribbon and red tissue paper. I figured I would divide the cookies among the tissue paper and tie the boxes closed with the ribbon. I have these ceylon green notecards that I’m going to use for personal messages – I adore them, really, very pretty. I bought an eight-pointed star stamp and a tiny stamp of a Chinese coin; I already have a set of twenty Hànzì (Chinese characters) stamps. I figure I can decorate the outside of the boxes with the star in silver and the coin in red, and the inside of the boxes with red Hànzì – not only is red Christmas-y, but also the color of wealth, prosperity and good reputation in feng shui.

Tonight, I’m gonna make up a massive collection of cookie doughs which will then be residing in my fridge for the night. Tomorrow — tomorrow begins the baking, Stage Two of the Great Christmas Cookie Bake, 2008.