I Owe You

Friends, I owe you. Big time. I know I've essentially dropped off the face of the blogging earth for a long time and I apologize profusely for that. I had every intent of finally establishing a consistent schedule for posting and of revamping this little space with new design.  I even toyed with the idea of migrating to a different platform and--I'm getting crazy here--changing my blog's name.

Alas, every good plan seems to fall by the wayside, at least for me.  And I'm a planner, so I see a lot of plans crumble before me.

Friends, I disappeared because I've been struggling to keep myself afloat in the sea of responsibilities (work, fitness classes, wedding planning, moving in with Eric, many jam-packed weeknights and weekends...you know, the usual suspects).  I over extended myself yet again.  But I think I'm finally starting to keep my head above water, and I miss this space desperately.  I miss you, though I'm so thankful for being able to continue to read your blogs and to participate in comment conversations.  I have so many recipes and so many life tidbits to share with you, even if I'm many months too late (oops. sorry!).

So I'll be back very soon, bombarding you with my over the top obsession with rhubarb this year (it's still going strong) and many more Pies and Pints creations.  And I'd like to tackle my grand renovation plans for here. If you have any thoughts on that, please share with me! I'd love to know what you think of this space or what I share.

Have a spectacular weekend, with sunshine, ice cream, and maybe even a cocktail/mocktail, depending on your tastes!

The New Year

Cheers!  Happy New Year!!!

Mimosas start things off right

I hope I'm not too late in wishing that!  I feel a bit behind in everything, but I most definitely want to send my own wishes for a fantastic, happy, exciting (in only good ways), delicious (because we're all into food and drink here), and memorable (again, only in the best of ways) 2013.


I'll be back soon with more food and drink. I know I have a lot of catching up to do. I will, I promise!

PS - Happy holidays, since I forgot to tell you earlier. I hope you had a wonderful time, filled with family, friends, and lots of good cheer!

Chinatown Salad from A Periodic Table

This is long overdue, seeing as this recipe was developed as a way to utilize your leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  By now, you've either polished that bird off, pawned all remnants on unsuspecting and/or gullible others (Guilty. I added my bag of turkey to Eric's bag of turkey. One day he'll realize and toss them. Until then, I am turkey free.), or decided the leftover scraps were old enough to move out of your refrigerator and in to your trash bin.

But!  But I tell you that while this salad is delicious with turkey or chicken, it is equally delicious without any meat.  Actually, I preferred it without meat, since I would scoot the turkey over to the side so I could load my fork with salad, fresh green beans, sweet red bell pepper and crunchy, savory peanuts.  That's where it is in this salad, friends.  It's the actual salad you want to eat, and that's a rare thing.

Without further ado, I give you A Periodic Table's recipe for Chinatown Turkey (or Chicken) Salad. It's a breeze to make, it's filling without weighing you down, it's not your typical daily salad, and it's absolutely delicious.  Make it already!!!

A few notes on my version of the salad...

--As I said, this salad is perfectly satisfying and delicious even without meat.  So if you don't have turkey or chicken breast lying around, try it without. 

--I prefer my salads to be as fresh as possible.  Since I was the only person eating this (until I urged my mother to try it), I reduced the total portions listed in the recipe and filled a large bowl with the ingredients.  Yes, it was a bit haphazard and perhaps my ratio of ingredients was off, but, yes, it was wonderful.  

--I'm a saucy lady. Meaning, I douse just about everything I eat in extra sauce, from chicken wings to french fries to salad.  Thankfully, the dressing recipe makes plenty.  I made and stored my dressing in a jar in the refrigerator, so all I had to do was assemble the salad and add dressing. 

--There aren't any bean sprouts in my salad here because a whole two days after purchasing them, my sprouts had sprouted and gone slimey. Not a good thing. But the salad was stupendous even without.

Between us, I'll make this salad quite often.  It's addictive and refreshing, as perfect for mid-winter as it is for mid-summer.

Surprised and Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Emotions and stomach contents skyrocketed during the dinner, which was quickly followed by the contented stupor of a meal well made and well devoured.  We gave thanks, we relaxed, and then we turned our collective minds and bellies towards Christmas.

My Thanksgiving was relatively small and simple.  With Eric's parents out of town, we only had one dinner to tackle, a fact my weak willpower appreciated tremendously.  It's impossible to fit two full delicious Thanksgiving dinners in your stomach in less than a day, regardless of how hard you try to prevent it. Trust me on this.  So, our group of five - me, Eric, my parents, and my uncle - set ourselves to the delightful task of tackling the dinner.  Turkey, mashed potatoes (courtesy of Eric, a self-proclaimed potato expert), gravy, peas, a simple sourdough stuffing (with celery, onions, and herbs), corn pudding (my tribute to Eric's family's feast), Molly Wizenberg's cranberry sauce (the reigning favorite), and three riffs on pumpkin pie.  We had to test different filling combinations...though results were inconclusive.  Meaning we simply must conduct more tests. Oh, the suffering!

I had planned on using the post-holiday time to finish some work and to catch up on blogging.  I have so many recipes to share with you, after all!  But life intervened, in the best possible way...

The first Christmas tree in Eric's new house

The night before Thanksgiving, Eric insisted we buy a Christmas tree for his house.  His first Christmas tree for his first house. So we found the perfect tree, carefully secured it in the car (pine needles everywhere. Ah, 'tis the season, right?), and set it up in a place of honor. We carefully wove lights through the tree, then hung a small collection of ornaments from his parents' house.  At Eric's urging, I grabbed the last box out of the ornament bin and opened it up, only to see it wasn't an ornament. It was a ring. A very sparkly, very beautiful ring. 

You see, I was surprised. Completely stunned and swept off my feet.  Eric knelt and proposed ever so sweetly. I said yes. I also said I do, just in case.

So the rest of our holiday was spent popping open bottles of champagne, sharing our news with family and friends, and reveling in the thought of a lifetime together.  I can't wait!

Mimosas to celebrate the following morning!

I promise to restrain myself on talking about
wedding plans here...until I get to the cake tastings.
You deserve all the details.
I'll just flaunt my new mug, then...

Also, somewhat understandably, I've developed quite a strong attachment to this particular Christmas tree. Do you think I can plant it and hope it will grow?  If not, my wonderfully clever friend suggested some crafty ways to save at least part of our tree, which I will do immediately.

So, my dear friends, I shall return with recipes galore in the very near future. I'm still catching up on that pre-Thanksgiving to-do list, as well as gearing up for Christmas and New Year's festivities! It's the best time of the year to share some love from the kitchen! And the bar!  Cheers!

Briefly Noted

I haven't forgotten about you. In fact, I have a whole slew of recipes waiting to be posted. Many of which would be entirely appropriate for the coming Thanksgiving holiday.

Alas, I won't be able to get them to you until after Thanksgiving.  I've been thrown back into the role of student, madly rushing around to complete assignments before Thanksgiving.  Add into that a possible class Wednesday night (we still don't know if we're having it for sure), a short spot of travel, and an early morning Turkey Trot - 5 miles of running for which I am utterly unprepared (I swear I meant to start running a month ago...)...it's going to be a hectic two days.  Followed by a long weekend of relaxing + catching up here + finishing some writing for school.

Even though my autumnal recipes are on delay, there's still plenty of time to celebrate fall before diving headlong into winter, in all its minty, eggnog-y, citrusy, piney glory! I know I won't abandon my beloved pumpkins for several more months. Nor shall I forget my delicious apple cider from Trader Joe's, either hot or cold...and sometimes with bourbon. So my apologies for being a bit slow. But mostly, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones. Cheers!

Smores Bars from A Periodic Table

Just hold up a minute here.  I agree it's fall.  The temperature here has dropped alarmingly, it's grey and rainy outside, I've worn pants (instead of shorts and skirts) to work most of the last two weeks...and I've already given in to siren song of pumpkin in everything I eat, smell or sit near.  We're all agreed. It's fall.

But are smores strictly and exclusively a summer food?  Am I allowed to make them outside of hot, humid days filled with sun and fun?

If you answered no, well...you're wrong.  Smores are an eternal and universal food. Food of the gods?  Maybe.  Excellent in PopTart form? Yes, though I say that with plenty of guilt.  Able to be made at any time of the year with whatever equipment is available to you? Yes - for proof, see my roommate and I make quick microwave smores. Yes, we're those kind of people. Quick is sometimes the most important thing, especially when your stomach is demanding satisfaction.

These Smores Bars are what you're looking for if you want a delicious way to enjoy smores year-round, without a bonfire.  They're a cinch to make and have every flavor you're craving in a smore...and a few extras (peanuts! sprinkles! a mix of chocolates!).  Plus they travel well, so maybe you can take them to the bonfire and make friends with the person who just burnt their last marshmallow to a crisp.

Chocolate, peanuts, sprinkles, and
marshmallows atop a graham
cracker crust. 

Smores Bars
from Shannon at A Periodic Table 
(adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

Get Shannon's recipe here.  She deserves all the credit for this magical and easy treat. Plus her blog is one of my all-around favorites, from writing to photography to recipes.

A crust of graham cracker crumbs, dry milk (shhh! It's
the secret ingredient that rocks your world), and butter
forms the base

A mixture of milk and dark chocolates offers all
the rich, creamy chocolate flavor you could possibly
want. Even if you didn't know you wanted it.

Stir in the goods! Marshmallows, extra-large nonpareils (go for
the extra-large. Their crunch and color is spectacular), and roasted
peanuts.

Put the chocolate + goods mixture atop the graham cracker
crust and chill.

Your patience will be rewarded.
And your smores craving will be met.

Confessions of a Cookbook Nerd

At home, my mother and I share our cookbooks.
Probably the most used books on this shelf are Martha Stewart's
Cookies or Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food. Giada gave them
a run for their money for a few months...but, alas, she did not win it all.

I'll willingly admit I am a dork. A nerd. A geek.  For proof, you just have to come with me to work. In a lab.  Where I become inappropriately excited when colored tubes arrive for me to use. Or when my proteins have fun abbreviations like dANK and mRA and TRX. You can't tell me you don't immediately think T-rex and picture a T-rex stomping around  in your head. I know you are. It's impossible not to!

For all that I am a science nerd--just wait for me to excitedly explain how something works (based on the reactions of my typical audience of Eric and Manning, it induces spontaneous eye-rolling and feet twitching to escape)--I am an even greater geek about kitchen stuffs and cooking.  Alton Brown? He's my hero, combining science and cooking in an easily digestible format you're guaranteed to remember.  Harold McGee? Near idol status. (He's wrote On Food and Cooking, the source of much of Alton's fun facts. I asked for it for Christmas. And it's in my casual reading stack.)

On the bookshelf in my apartment.
The most used of these books are The Food You Crave (Ellie Krieger)
and Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.
The Vodka Cookbook is surprisingly good and always a treat.
It's not nearly as kitschy as you'd expect.

So it should come as no surprise that I read cookbooks like novels. For fun. For education. For expanding the horizons of my culinary knowledge.  And--I won't lie!--for the pictures. Though I didn't miss the pictures in Melissa Clark's two cookbooks (nor in Molly Wisenberg's book or David Lebovitz's book), because they offered a story so well told that I had vivid images from their stories. I want to write like that someday.

I'll admit I haven't read every single cookbook I own...yet. It's a newer habit of mine, pouring over each page while curled up on the couch or lying in bed. Each brings a little something different to the table (pun intended, so there!). Alton organizes the recipes by cooking technique and prefaces each new technique with some scientific explanation.  Melissa Clark sorts her recipes by month in one of her books, which has helped me focus on more seasonal ingredients.  Gesine Bullock-Prado separated recipes by the temperature state of the sugar required in the recipe, so I can progress in skill and confidence as I move forward.  But each one makes me want to dash into the kitchen and try out something new.

Another shelf of cookbooks in my apartment,
of my most recent cookbook purchases.
I already have a list of future purchases, awaiting
the next Amazon order.

In fact, I have a tremendous list of "food things I want to make".  Actually, it's beyond reason now. Oops. It's one major reason why I want more hours in a day--so that I can make more of these recipes.  Thank goodness I have coworkers, family, and friends who are willing to devour the finished products!

Random fact: one of my New Year's Resolutions was to cook at least one new recipe each week.  I've been cooking from the hip the last few years, and making the same handful of things repeatedly.  My cookbooks sat on the shelf, collecting dust and longing to be used.  This is my effort to go beyond the usual and learn new ways to prepare both familiar and unfamiliar ingredients.  It seems to be working so far!

At home, another shelf full of shared cookbooks.
My favorites are in a row -- Power Foods, Martha Stewart's Baking
Handbook, Baked Explorations, and Mario Batali's Molto Gusto.

Another random fact: browsing for cookbooks on Amazon is favorite way to pass time. It's led me to some unanticipated finds. And it's saved me from shelling out full price at Anthropologie (which is a surprising great place to find indie cookbooks...but I always flip through the entire book before purchase to make sure it's worth it!).

Random fact #3:  My wonderful aunt and uncle are tremendous foodies and have endlessly encouraged me in the culinary arena.  They also have a fabulous habit of gifting me or my mother with autographed cookbooks.  I love each one!

Yet another shelf of cookbooks (and other books) at home.
The prize here?  Harold McGee's On Food And Cooking. It's intense
but its awesome. I plan to start it (for bedtime reading) after
I finish Ruhlman's Twenty.
Also check out the three books on perfume on the left...
They're all hilarious and brilliant. 

Look for "By the Book" posts in the future, as I try recipes from my library of cookbooks.  I promise it will be full of adventures!

But Everyone Else Is Doing It

If you're like me, you spend an ungodly amount of time each day reading posts from various food blogs. Reading is quickly followed by printing a few new recipes. And even more rapidly followed by awe and envy at people's skill and creativity in the kitchen, behind the camera, and on the computer.

If you've looked at many food blogs in the past few months, you'll probably see at least one post about kale and quinoa cakes. I swear, everyone is doing it.

Including me.  Oops. Sorry to be a sellout. But I promise these are deliciously worth the effort.

Kale and Quinoa Patties

from Joy the Baker

originally adapted from Heidi Swanson (her blog is 101 Cookbooks - check it out!) 

I did have to adjust Joy the Baker's recipe...

1) She says to moisten the quinoa mixture with water until they can be formed into and hold a patty shape. I added a lot of water...and the mixture still wouldn't hold shape. So I added an extra egg and an egg white (leftover from another recipe), and things seemed to work like they should.

2) I needed to add a new drizzle of oil each time I placed the patties in the pan. After the first rather sad-looking batch, I also drizzled a little oil atop the patty before flipping it (to cook the second side).  Without enough oil, the patties didn't brown and crisp oh-so-nicely.

I dipped my patties in Greek yogurt with sriarcha....delicious!

I hoped to make my own aioli with capers to use as a dipping sauce...but, alas, that never happened.  Perhaps next time.

I suspect that Joy the Baker's suggestion to eat these atop a salad would be spot on too.

Everyone else is doing it. So you probably should too. You'll be happy you did.

Friday Cheer! Stone Ruination IPA to drink and eat

Guess what? I read a lot of blogs. A lot of food-centric blogs.  While they inspire me to be a better blogger (still working on that...), they also make me want to cook so many of their incredible recipes. Today's Friday Cheer was instigated by a post from a favorite blog, The Beeroness.  This brilliant lady develops delicious recipes, sweet and savory, that feature different types of beer.  I've tested several of her recipes and every single one has been awesome...from Chocolate Stout Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust to Chocolate Pretzel Beer Toffee (a huge hit with my coworkers and family) to the  IPA Marinated Citrus Pork with Peach Poblano Salsa that prompted today's post.

Not only does The Beeroness offer recipes featuring beer, she gives some useful advice on how to choose a beer to use in a specific dish.  So if I can't find the exact beer she recommends, I know what features I need in the beer I ultimately choose.

Can you tell I'm a fan?

Thankfully I was able to find Stone's Ruination IPA, because her description of it as one of the few perfectly balanced IPA's made me mad to try it.  Because they are tremendously hoppy, IPA's are not a style of beer I drink too often. I really have to be craving an IPA to enjoy it, and summer is the time I love IPA most -- with a burger and on the patio. It's bliss.  But if I'm not in the mood for an IPA, it just sits there, collecting dust and wondering why all his beer neighbors are disappearing.

Stone Ruination IPA
Perfectly balanced and beautiful
Very drinkable

Apparently it is a serious issue that many IPA's on the market aren't balanced. They focus on cramming in as much hop flavor as they possibly can. And a population of people goes bananas over it...which I also dislike (be educated about what you love, people!), but that's a whole other thing.  Trust me, though, as The Beeroness claimed, Stone's Ruination IPA is balanced - it's full of hops with citrus and pine flavors which are balanced against a honey-like sweetness.  Don't think this beer is a sweet one, though. It's hops, through and through, but used in the way they ought to be.

I followed The Beeroness' recipe for IPA marinated pork chops with peach poblano salsa. The IPA came into play twice:  in the pork chop's marinade and in the salsa.  The salsa, by the way, is fantastic on it's own. Her recipe makes extra salsa, so I enjoyed that on my beloved Milagros tortilla chips for days.

Incredibly delicious

Up close, it's just as delicious

Thanks for the inspiration, Beeroness!  I know I'll be back for more recipes and more beer recommendations.

Happy Friday!!!

Time Warp

You know how some people have a theme for the month, like a lot of guys have a month where they don't shave their facial hair -- No Shave November or October Mustache Month.  Well, I apparently had No Blog November.  I wasn't aware of this fact until I looked at the calender, saw it was December (already???), and realized November had flown by.  It didn't feel like it was flying at the time, but it never does.  It only seems like it zipped past when viewed retrospectively.  Still, I think November moved along with a wee bit more speed than a month usually does.

This November, I...
(get ready, it's a list!!! yay!)

• Was bursting with pride when the new store space for Runners Plus & Soccer Plus officially opened on November 1st!!!!  The stores moved into a new space that was bigger and that they remodeled to their specifications. It looks amazing and I know how much hard work was put into this massive project, because Eric had some very late nights during the move. I'm so proud of Eric and the store and I'm so happy for them. If you're in town, you have to check it out. If you're not in town, check out their Facebook page. 

• Attended another science conference, this time in Cleveland and with more of my coworkers. To me, the highlight of the trip were our two dinners.  The first night we went to Michael Symon's B Spot Burgers, and I went bananas over the pickle bar (!) and fell in love with three of the six house sauces. They also had an entire wall covered in retro beer cans--including several brands I'd never heard of--making the logo of the restaurant. The second night, several of us students went to a fancy French restaurant.  While it was obvious we were not the typical clientele, the food was incredible! 

• Took a road trip with my guys to see two of our friends in Indiana.  We've been wanting to make this trip for over a year and it finally became reality. And it was awesome!  I wouldn't expect anything else from a visit with Jac and DB.

• Went on another road trip with Eric to Tennessee, where I attended my very first Tennessee football game! I'd believed it to be my first D-I collegiate football game, but I was wrong. I have a very hazy memory of attending a Notre Dame - Michigan football game in South Bend when I was a wee tyke. I can't recall any of the game, but I clearly remember being enamored and impressed with the incredibly cool football shaped menus at whatever restaurant we went to.  They even wrote the score of the game on the menu! Oooooo, right?  

• Discovered Trader Joe's Apple Cider. It's perfect. Go try some.

• Had two Thanksgiving dinners in one day...and didn't get sick from it. That's an accomplishment if I've ever heard one!  It probably helped that I ran the Turkey Trot race that morning, to make room for all that deliciousness.

• Re-discovered and most likely enhanced my love of drinking champagne. Kayleigh tried a new drink recipe (I believe we're renewing our weekly make-a-drink ritual, which is quite fun) that featured champagne. Now we're hooked. Here's the recipe (from Wegman's):
• Put about a cup or so of washed cranberries on a baking sheet. Sprinkle ground clove on top (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp) and roll the cranberries around to coat.  Put in a 450 degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes.
• While the cranberries are cooking, make a simple syrup on the stove. In a small saucepan, combine equal amounts of sugar and water (I used 1 cup each).  Over low to medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves, then turn off heat. Avoid high heat or prolonged cooking, so you don't make caramel!  The end product should still be clear, with no visible sugar granules.
• When the cranberries are done cooking, put them directly into the simple syrup. Let them steep for at least 15 minutes (that's how long we waited) and up to an hour. The syrup will turn a lovely pink color.
• Ladle some of the simple syrup plus a few cranberries into the bottom of a class. Top with chilled champagne. Careful, it fizzes like crazy, so we added champagne in increments and held it over the sink.
• Cheers! 

• Helped host a dinner party in honor of my mom's birthday. We had a scrumptious Italian feast, with an antipasti plate, two pastas, salad, garlic bread, and chianti. And don't forget the desserts! Leftover Thanksgiving pies (I loved the elderberry, from a family friend's bakery in Columbus. My first taste of elderberry and it was glorious!), plus a flourless chocolate cake made with 70% chocolate. It was served with raspberry sauce (a la Ina Garten) and three ice creams (pistachio, vanilla, and Jeni's Queen City Cayenne).  My contributions to the party were a from-scratch marinara (using Mario Batali's Basic Sauce recipe plus some red pepper flakes), compound butter for the garlic bread (hot damn, garlicky!), the flourless chocolate cake and the raspberry sauce. I had so much fun working with my aunt and uncle to prepare this dinner and I believe everyone enjoyed themselves. This underlines the fact that I love dinner parties, especially relaxed ones.

• Finished my crystallography class, woohoo! Let me tell you, there is a lot of math involved in understanding how crystallography works.  Also let me tell you, Wikipedia can be awfully useful in reminding you about math concepts when you haven't taken a math class in over 10 years. Thanks, Wikipedia.

• Also finished my TRX  circuit class. After the first session, the only people who showed up to any (and to all) of the other classes were the instructor, myself, and the only other girl in the class.  Even though it kicked my out of shape butt, I had a blast and plan to sign up for at least one TRX class next quarter.  I have to admit that I'm on a TRX kick right now, so much so that I spent some time perusing their website.  I am even so crazy that I want to buy a TRX setup to use at home and I even want to take their instructional/certification classes. I'm obviously obsessed at the moment!

November, I'm sorry I didn't take the time to savor you, but I certainly had some fun!

December, I'm looking forward to all you have to offer!  Family and friends, getting into the Christmas spirit, binges of baking Christmas treats, dressing up for holiday gatherings (I promise to continue to wear my collection of leather boots at often as humanly possible on the weekends), Christmas ale/Winter ale (try Christain Morlein's Christkindl!), planning Christmas gifts to delight my loved ones (I'm seriously addicted to that), hot cocoa, hot cider, and champagne toasts!  

Happy December!!!

Formatting & Adventurous Baking

When I read other blogs, I usually feel inspired to blog right away. Sometimes I do, and you'll see a post that is relatively similar to my source of inspiration in either subject or writing layout. I admit, I'm not the most creative person, especially when it comes to writing.

Recently, I've added more blogs to list that I follow, thanks to Blogger's Blog of the Day feature or references in a blog I already read. All of these different writers have an amazing approach to their posts, and I want to mimic each of them! Of course, that's ridiculous. I really should figure out what I want to write about and how I want to do it. But....that would require picking a theme and sticking with it. I don't know how well I'd fare with that.

For now, I'm going to keep offering up a mish-mash of ideas and formats, though I'll certainly continue my love affair with bold titles on paragraphs. I just love bold and italics, don't you? I love variety in most aspects of my life, so why not reflect that here? I still would like to emulate some blog writers a little more, though, like Orangette - her stories always have an impact on me, even if it is to make me wistful for a food I've never had or a place I've never been or a person I've never met. Strange, I know, but her memories and her connections between memories and food are compelling and addicting to me.

Alright, moving along...

I've mentioned before that one of my coworkers is leaving soon and moving to a different state for a new job. I'm bummed about his leaving, because we share a passion for cooking and for complaining, so I always enjoyed our conversations. I wanted to make an awesome baked good to mark his leaving. That meant trying a new recipe. I had a few swirling around my mind. Baked's Sweet and Salty Cake (chocolate cake + salted caramel + chocolate ganache)...but after reading other blog's "reviews" of making this cake, I was honestly terrified. (Both blogs promised I could avoid their mistakes if I followed their tips but it sounded like something was bound to go wrong. Plus, other recipes from this bakery's cookbook are really rather more complicated than I think they need to be, so I don't go to them when I am feeling tired or busy.) Martha Stewart's Grasshopper Pie (chocolate crust + grasshopper [aka creme de menthe] fluffy filling). Smores Whoopie Pies (graham cracker pies + marshmallow and chocolate icing fillings). All good choices, all with a noticeable amount of effort which would thereby demonstrate my sadness at my coworker's departure. My roommate chose and I made the Grasshopper Pie. Her reason for choosing was the pure fun of saying "grasshopp-ah". I was a little shocked she didn't choose smores, which is a favorite of hers...but, I can't deny the fun of pronunciation.

I started on the Grasshopper Pie.
Step 1) Make chocolate pie crust...with some shredded coconut added in. Hmmm, I thought, curious. I've found that coconut is not widely liked, though I personally enjoy it. I loathe and actually gag when I think about the coconut in Malibu Rum, but I like real coconut quite a bit. I decided to go with it, and went ahead with a the coconut-chocolate crust.
Step 2) Make filling. This was broken up into a few steps and I started to get a little worried.
A) Steep milk with real mint leaves to up the minty flavor. I think I used too much real mint here, because in the resulting pie you can only taste this mint and not the creme de menthe (which makes it a less than successful Grasshopper in my eye).
B) Combine minty milk with creme de menthe (so green!), gelatin, sugar, and eggs. Heat over a double boiler to 150 degrees F, according to a candy thermometer. I assumed the temperature needed to be reached to cook the eggs and/or to activate the gelatin. This is where I started to get worried. I couldn't reach 150F....and eventually decided to call it quits on this step.
C)Set the bowl in an ice bath (another problem: I don't have ice. I tried a sink of cold tap water, which I drained and refilled a few times...but it's just not that cold) and whisk for 2 minutes until it thickens to a pudding consistency. Well, that just didn't happen. Whisk I did until my poor arm hurt. Let it sit for 15 minutes in the water to try to cool it down. Put it in the fridge for 15 minutes to try to cool it down too. Nothing worked; it remained liquid and decidedly not pudding-like. Damn.
D) I decided to repeat the heating to 150F process (though I realize it could severely screw things up), and I actually reached the temp! Woohoo, victory! I repeated the chilling/whisking process. Still no pudding-like consistency. Damn, damn, damn. So the bowl went into the fridge while I worked on Pumpkin Flans (started during part B). At 11pm, I decided to call it quits. The filling had won. I stirred in whipped cream, which remained clumpy in the non-pudding mixture, and poured my half-liquid, half-froth (from all the whisking) mixture into my coconut-chocolate crust, returned it to the fridge, and went to bed.
E) In the morning, the filling had set up. Victory! Sure, there were lumps of whipped cream visible, but I'm sure it'd taste just fine. I cut the pie into wedges, packed them into plastic containers, and hauled them to school. In transit, they smushed against each other a bit, so they weren't pristine wedges. But they definitely tasted good. More real mint than creme de menthe and the coconut was very detectable.

I think my coworker liked it, and that's what matters. In the future, though, I'd change the recipe by: not using coconut in the crust, not using as much real mint so the creme de menthe can shine through, and have ice for the ice bath. Sigh. What an adventure for a simple pie! But that's how a lot of my baking goes. I suppose that should be some eloquent metaphor for life....but....I leave that up to you.

By the way, the pumpkin flans were quite delicious. Like a pumpkin pie without the crust. I kinda like pumpkin pie with the crust, though, so I'll still make it that way too. I also had an issue getting the caramel out of the ramekins I baked the flans inside, which caused a brief panic during cleanup. The issue was resolved by soaking the ramekins (containing glass-like caramel hardened to the bottom) with soap and water overnight. Phew, crisis averted!

Tonight, I'm adventuring into making Indian food - Aloo Gobi. And some Peach Cake, since I have a few slightly bruised and very ripe peaches that I'd rather cook with than eat plain (I like a like firmness to my peaches). I'll let you know if there are any crazy disasters!

But why is all the rum gone????

The name of this blog is Hops, in reference to hopping through the ups and downs of life. We hop from one thing to the next. We hop up hills and down hills. And as you've heard, I don't like running...so I'll hop along (ha!)

Okay, to be honest, I did have something along this train of thought in mind when I named my blog. Something about the ups and downs of life. But I also wanted to be light-hearted and simple. The word popped in to my head and stuck.

I also had a vague notion of talking fairly regularly about beer. Or wine. Or cocktails. Whatever drink struck my fancy. This was also around the time I was contemplating becoming a homebrewer of beer. My coworkers and I brew beer, and I'd really enjoyed it. I wanted to develop a new hobby or two and thought homebrewing was an excellent choice - I could brew AND drink AND share my brew! Fun all around! Sadly, I never purchased the requisite equipment and I'm still looking for a place I'm allowed to brew and ferment. Maybe one day I'll find it.

So the name Hops came from a philosophical approach to life and a desire to talk about beer.

And you know what? I haven't talked about beer!

So here's a few fun facts about me and beer...
*When I first began drinking, beer was not all that tasty to me. I preferred the highly carbonated and highly sugared Smirnoff Ice Triple Black (absolutely disgusting to me now) or a mixed drink (coke and vodka or rum). Before long, though, I actually began to like beer. Now I love beer. And my appreciation for different flavors of beer is constantly improving - for example, I didn't like IPAs or other hoppy beers when I initially acquired a taste for beer (cite: the inability to drink a single bottle of Stone's Arrogant Bastard between Moe and I, despite much determination to do so!)....but now I do!

*I love trying new brands and new types of beer. Especially if it's made by one of my favorite breweries (My roommate Kayleigh realized she and I continually buy different types of beer from our favorite breweries much more than other breweries. She loves Brooklyn Brewery, I love Dogfish Head, Bells, and, more recently, Rivertown Brewing Co. from Cincinnati). Sometimes I discover an awesome flavor. Other times....well, it takes awhile to drink them. On a very rare occasion, I have given my beer to someone else to finish for me or - the horror! - have thrown it out (I recall a particularly bad batch of Brooklyn Brewery's Black Imperial Stout. It was flat and metallic and absolutely abhorrent).

*Brewing is a ton of fun. Similar to cooking and baking, I really enjoy making something I can enjoy and I can share with others. It's like my personal form of magic :) Except I don't think we've brewed any beer that is magically delicious....but we might! Don't give up hope yet!

*I am NOT a beer snob, despite what Eric says. I will drink and, more importantly, enjoy and crave an icy cold PBR. I will try different beers, though, and get excited about some of them. It's not my fault if some of them are microbrews and more expensive. :) Seriously, though, I do enjoy all types of beer - microbrew, homebrew, national brewery, international...


Now, to talk about beer I've been drinking...

Yuengling Lager: Oh, the sweet glory of Yuengling! Our recent trip to Tennessee afforded Eric and I the opportunity to purchase some Yuengling and smuggle it back into Ohio, where it isn't available. I savor each and every can (sorry, I bought cans because I could get more cans for the buck), holding a mini-debate in my head to decide if the day or meal is worthy of the Yuengling. It's so perfect for summer and fall....but I'd drink it anytime! Amber colored, light, crisp, but a distinct flavor, compared to traditional American lagers like Bud Light. Add in the fact that its not available in Ohio and you understand the obsession I share with hundreds, if not thousands, of Ohioans. Rumor is that Yuengling may be sold in Ohio by 2012!!!! Of course, variants of this rumor have existed for years, but apparently there are actual news stories supporting the credibility of this momentous occasion. I can't wait! Hopefully my love for Yuengling doesn't diminish with increased availability.

Rivertown Brewery, Wit Ale: Rivertown is a local Cincy brewery (apparently we have a rich tradition - Morlein, Hudepohl, now Rivertown) that I only began seeing in stores within the last year. I tried their Brown Ale last fall and enjoyed it. So I tried their Winter Ale and loved it (which did not seem to be the shared opinion. Most people did not like it because of the strong molasses and cinnamon flavor. I think it's perfect for a winter ale.). Then I bought the sampler pack and am working my way through it (Hefewizen was too sour for my taste, but the Hop Bomber was a marvelously balanced hop and ale flavor...mmm!) Anyway, the Wit Ale is a Belgian-style white ale with orange and coriander. It made me think of Sam Adams similar type (sorry, I can't be sure of the name, but I know they have one). It's got a little heft/body to it, but not too much. That in addition to the citrus flavor make it an excellent spring beer. I think it'd be a little heavy in my stomach during the hot summer months.

21st Amendment Brewery, Bitter American: Let me tell you, I am in love with 21st Amendment brewery! I thought they could do no wrong...until I had their Fireside Chat winter ale (not my favorite...it was donated to a fellow beer aficionado). Aside from that one beer, I have thoroughly enjoyed anything else they produced. I'm incredibly eager for their summer beer (Watermelon Wheat) to come out - it's PERFECT! The Bitter American is one of their short term offerings, available for only a few weeks. It's a twist on an American Pale Ale, so its hoppy. But it also has more spices and malt than typical APA, so it has a distinctively different taste. Not spicy, not sweet, not hoppy...but a refreshing blend of all three things. It's got a little more body/heft than the Rivertown Wit Ale and I'd say it's more body than the typical APA, but it remains lighter than a dark beer. It's another good spring beer.

When I've sampled some new beers, I'll let you know! Don't say I haven't written about beer!

Oh, and as a clever ending... Bottoms Up! ;)