Daring Bakers Challenge #1 - Lemon Meringue Pie

This was my first Daring Bakers challenge. It was only a partial success for me because of the pie crust and the fact that my camera was not functioning on baking day. But, here's my recap, nonetheless. We were not allowed to deviate much from this recipe. This only really bothered me when it came to making the crust.

I love meringue pies, but I'm still not extremely adept at making pie crust. Cakes are typically more my thing. When I have made pie crust, I use a mixture of Crisco and butter to produce a nice, flaky crust. This crust contained only butter. I think it made the crust too soggy, and not stable whatsoever. During the baking process, one side of the crust ran into the bottom of the pan, and I had to perform an emergency rescue with it.

Aside from my pie crust problems, the rest of the pie came out perfectly. The lemon curd was a cinch to make on the stove top, and was robustly lemon flavored.

I don't know what makes everyone so scared of meringue. Mine whipped up in about 5 minutes with my trusty Kitchenaid mixer.

The recommendation to serve this pie immediately should be followed. After 24 hours, this pie was a watery mess (but still edible). It's like the pie "sweated" after sitting. Some have said this was due to the extra baking of the curd filling following completion on the stove top.

Next time I make this pie, I will use a butter/Crisco crust, and broil the meringue instead of baking it for 20 minutes. I have christened 2008 as the year I master pie baking. This was the first on a long road for me!

Check out next month for the surprise daring bakers challenge! I'll have my camera put together by then.

On The Needles

With the holidays long past, I have finally resumed working on my cabled sweater! I decided it was about time I finished knitting something for myself. So far, I have the back and left front finished of this sweater. I'm hoping I can complete it in a few weeks! I'm knitting it in a dark red.

Burgers I've Eaten - Part 8

Last night, I went to Duda's Tavern in Fells Point. I had been hearing alot about the burgers at this little bar and thought I'd check them out. I already knew this was a perfect bar for drinking beer outside in the summer.

What a wonderful burger! Their menu states that fresh ground beef is delivered to them daily. It was a nice, clean tasting burger with a perfect charbroiled exterior. Of course, I got the danish blue cheese topping, that was kind of a cross between plain cheese and a salad dressing. A perfect accompaniment to this burger. The bun looked kind of large at first, but was not overwhelming.

The staff at this place seem super fun. I will definitely be going back. Next time, I will get the Irish Dubliner Cheddar on the burger (my favorite cheese!).

Dashed Hopes

The Giants beat the Packers last night in overtime.

sad.

Cupcake Love

I made a batch of cupcakes this morning and thought it would be the perfect time to take pictures of all the cute cupcake stuff for sale at Target right now. As you can see, I went a little overboard. (Not pictured is the cute cupcake mug that is on my desk at work)

Enjoy...

The Wire

The final season of The Wire has begun. I am amazed that the entire country isn't talking about this show. We are a few months in to this writers strike, and I've heard more about American Gladiators than I have about the Wire.

It's one of the best shows I've ever seen. It's definitely the best cop show ever made. Please, if you have HBO, I encourage you to watch The Wire. You can view all of Season 5 ondemand a week early, each Monday.

Show some love to Baltimore, and a fantastically written drama.

My Yearly Rant

Henceforth is my yearly rant about how much I dislike American Idol and wish it would go away.

Thank you FOX for airing another season of this incredibly boring, ridiculous show that perpetuates shitty pop music in America.

I really appreciate it.

One Step Closer

To my dream 2008 superbowl when


will beat the crap out of


I can't wait!

Nooooooooooo

I heard on the radio this morning that they are making a Fight Club musical and Trent Reznor is doing the music.

This sounds like a very bad idea to me.

Why

Because I think she's a climber, because I think people only voted for her yesterday because she cried, because I think she will push for war against Iran just as much as President Bush, because I don't believe she really wants to change America, because I think she fights dirtier than most, because I don't believe she is sincere in anything she says.

Hillary Scares Me

She really does.

Let's hope the people of America see the light.

Please.

Mashed Potatoes

I have been reading alot of food blogs recently, and many of them have recipes for mashed potatoes. Many of them skip what I consider to be a crucial step in fluffy mashed potatoes (see #3 below). Here are my tips for the perfect mashed potatoes:

1. Use a ricer or a food mill to process the potatoes, instead of a masher. This gets out all of the lumps, and is super easy!
2. Add a little sour cream in addition to the milk to desired consistency.
3. After you incorporate the butter, milk, and sour cream, put the entire batch back into the original stock pot and place on medium heat, stirring constantly. This will make them super fluffy. I learned this tip from the Moosewood Cookbook years ago, and it works!

So, there you have it, my tips for perfect, yummy, mashed potatoes.

Burgers I've Eaten - Part 7

It's been a while since I've tasted a new burger. This weekend, my husband and I ventured to Woodberry Kitchen in Clipper Mill on a friend's recommendation. It's a semi-upscale restaurant that specializes in locally bought foods and meats.

We started our order with a round of drinks and pickles from the kitchen. I discovered I liked Cognac when my Alexander arrived, made with Cognac, Godiva, cream, and nutmeg.

The pickles were less than stellar. Instead of traditional pickles, a variety of cauliflower, carrots, and onions arrived to our table in a little bell jar. Had we realized that these are what would be served as pickles, we would've skipped this course.

We both ordered the burgers and fries. The burger was perfectly prepared, slightly pink throughout the middle. The meat had a wonderful clean taste to it. Our only problem was that when the burger arrived, the bottom of the roll was soggy from the juice of the burger. My husband felt that this could have been avoided. The burger tasted so fresh and clean, with fresh blue cheese on top, that it didn't matter as much to me. I figured it was bound to get soggy as I was eating it.

For dessert, we had pear cranberry sorbet. There was a flourless chocolate cake on the menu, but I was too full to eat that. Someone tried to bring it to our table, and it looked amazing. I'm saving room for that one next time.

Woodberry Kitchen is located in the new Clipper Mill Development in Baltimore, MD. It was pretty crowded there, so I suggest reservations, if you are interested. Here's their website.

Found

There is an awesome website called Found Magazine, where people send in various items they found which might be of interest to those of us who like snippets into strangers' lives. Today, I finally found a good one. Normally, I just find grocery store lists and stuff like that.

Here's the note I found in my parking lot at work (I am keeping the incorrect spelling and missed punctuation):

Johanna,

I don't know what caused the fight -- it doesn't matter. I don't know what you expected from me in 1 day. You have given me absolutely no choice. Production is closed at US Water mattress until Jan 3. I cant controll that. You don't want me driving. Fine. You don't want me sitting at the house. What am I do do? You say you will resent me. For reasons I can't controll. I WILL NOT sit around to have you resent me over things I cannot controll. I am a man and you will not be-little me. You have no patience for me and that is not my fault. We are not intimate at all. You dont love me. Maybe you wont resent me when I have my own car and am working. Ill be in touch. I love you.

Bob

(I hope they work it out)

Frosty the Snowman

I've been watching "Frosty the Snowman" on television since I was a little girl. Every year, when Frosty melts into a puddle in the greenhouse, I cry. This year, I didn't think I would, since I'm 30 now.

It was on last night, and it came to the part where he melts and they do the song montage while they flash pictures of Frosty when he was a snowman, and I cried, again.

I am embarrassed.

Forgot Some

I forgot to add Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? to my top albums list. Not all the songs are great, but the ones that are rule. I think I forgot to add this one because I like it so much, it seems like I've been listening to it for more than a year.

I also forgot to add Jens Lekman and Panda Bear to albums I haven't yet heard.

My So-Called Life

My So-Called Life came out the other week on DVD, and I can't wait to start watching it (I have to wait until after Christmas). When this show aired on ABC in 1994, it was comforting to know I wasn't alone in my teenage loneliness. If you've never seen the show, and you were part of the crowd who didn't go to drunken field parties, I highly recommend it.

Favorite Albums of 2007 (and some disappointing ones)

I now present to you my favorite albums of 2007:

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

After their last album, I didn't have super high hopes for this one, but it surprised me and I couldn't stop listening to it after I first bought it.

M.I.A. - Kala

Yummy dance tunes that are also good for running. "Paper Planes" is one of my favorite songs of the year.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

This is a really nice collection of pop tunes.

Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends

Saving Rock and Roll in America

Radiohead - In Rainbows

One of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard.

Albums I liked, but didn't make the top:

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

because I heart Trent Reznor. Survivalism is one of the best songs he's written in a long time.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

"North American Scum" is one of my favorite singles of 2007

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

A pretty summer album, but a kind of boring Wilco record. Still, it's nice.

Albums I've heard and liked, but have yet to buy:

Iron and Wine - The Shepard's Dog
Liars - Mute
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup

Disappointing Albums of 2007:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Sounded like it was produced in a water tank. Some of the songs are good, but the sound is so awfully muffled that it's distracting.

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Sounds too blah. I am willing to give this one another shot though.

Bjork - Volta

Loved "Earth Intruders". The rest of the album was only kind of interesting though.

I Do Not Know

if there is a better band than Radiohead playing music right now.

Neat Kitchen Stuff

I was browsing my friend's wishlist this morning and came across the foodloop. It's a silicone string you can use to tie food together when cooking. What a great idea! They also have other products, like a gentle meat tenderizer, a little silcone pod for poaching eggs, and a drizzle stick. Check them out here!