Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Makin' Pie like a Samurai/Sugar Cream Pie...Take One
Last August, this really fabulous "What football team should I root for?" chart was brought to my attention, and I posted it to my FB with a comment that despite spending a significant portion of my adult life in Indiana, I'd never even HEARD of Sugar Cream Pie. The native Hoosiers of my acquaintance gave me hell. I blamed my ignorance on their failure to properly transmit their culture. No one took responsibility. Hrmph.
But, just like the time I stood up and told my third grade class that the potato was a deciding factor in the Civil War--because my dad told me it was...it's a oversimplification of the whole North's cheap immigrant labor leading to greater industrializaton vs. the more expensive slave labor of the South, which has a place in any reasonable discussion of the War...but all third graders ever get taught in school is "slavery, duh!" so they LAUGHED at me--the shame and humiliation of public exposure of my ignorance has been gnawing at me ever since. And so I decided that when I had my own kitchen again, despite not knowing what the hell it WAS, I was going to MAKE a Sugar Cream Pie and show those Hoosiers...!
Paraphrasing from What's Cooking America[sic...eek], the Sugar Cream Pie or Hoosier Sugar Cream pie comes from the Amish/Quakers/Shakers who moved into the state in the very early 19th century, and is distinguished by its lack of eggs.
Because the Mandatory Overtime Project rages on, and despite my great shame and embarrassment at being reduced to such culinary FAIL, I purchased a pre-made pie shell (one result of my misspent youth: I can make a fabulous pie crust from scratch). But the grocery store had Wick's pie crusts, so at least I got some authentic Indiana made-with-lard flavor into it.
And so...the Sugar Cream Pie. I made it on Tuesday. I used the second recipe, and substituted ground nutmeg because that's what I had on hand. I mixed it up with my hands in the pie shell...the cream wasn't QUITE room temperture, but it was a lot of fun. And then I sewed on my Paper-Pieced Insanity Project while it boiled over the sides and congealed on the cookie sheet I had placed under the pan for safety. I guess when the recipe says "9-inch pie shell" they really mean it.
The boiled-over bits had the texture of homemade caramel, so I ate it while the rest of the pie cooled. It was fabulous.
The actual pie was even better. It was like eating a can of sweetened condensed milk, only thicker. I will make this again, albeit with my own homemade (and 9-inch) crust.
I may even like this better than Bavarian Cream, although I have to sample more of both to make sure. :-D
I leave you with the Samurai Pie song. When my niece was younger, this was her favorite show, and this is my favorite episode. Now I make pie like a samurai.
But, just like the time I stood up and told my third grade class that the potato was a deciding factor in the Civil War--because my dad told me it was...it's a oversimplification of the whole North's cheap immigrant labor leading to greater industrializaton vs. the more expensive slave labor of the South, which has a place in any reasonable discussion of the War...but all third graders ever get taught in school is "slavery, duh!" so they LAUGHED at me--the shame and humiliation of public exposure of my ignorance has been gnawing at me ever since. And so I decided that when I had my own kitchen again, despite not knowing what the hell it WAS, I was going to MAKE a Sugar Cream Pie and show those Hoosiers...!
Paraphrasing from What's Cooking America[sic...eek], the Sugar Cream Pie or Hoosier Sugar Cream pie comes from the Amish/Quakers/Shakers who moved into the state in the very early 19th century, and is distinguished by its lack of eggs.
Because the Mandatory Overtime Project rages on, and despite my great shame and embarrassment at being reduced to such culinary FAIL, I purchased a pre-made pie shell (one result of my misspent youth: I can make a fabulous pie crust from scratch). But the grocery store had Wick's pie crusts, so at least I got some authentic Indiana made-with-lard flavor into it.
And so...the Sugar Cream Pie. I made it on Tuesday. I used the second recipe, and substituted ground nutmeg because that's what I had on hand. I mixed it up with my hands in the pie shell...the cream wasn't QUITE room temperture, but it was a lot of fun. And then I sewed on my Paper-Pieced Insanity Project while it boiled over the sides and congealed on the cookie sheet I had placed under the pan for safety. I guess when the recipe says "9-inch pie shell" they really mean it.
The boiled-over bits had the texture of homemade caramel, so I ate it while the rest of the pie cooled. It was fabulous.
The actual pie was even better. It was like eating a can of sweetened condensed milk, only thicker. I will make this again, albeit with my own homemade (and 9-inch) crust.
I may even like this better than Bavarian Cream, although I have to sample more of both to make sure. :-D
I leave you with the Samurai Pie song. When my niece was younger, this was her favorite show, and this is my favorite episode. Now I make pie like a samurai.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Mandatory Overtime Project
Just when I start to get settled in a little bit...
The stuff my team at work needs to write tests for the next software release still hasn't been completed; it was supposed to be ready for us to start in November, it's about 80% ready. And of course, the deadline for test completion isn't going to move. Yay, 60-hour weeks! So yesterday, I had to go into work on a company holiday. (I wore my "smeg" shirt, on the grounds everyone with the power to send me home would be home themselves. HA!) Ten-hour days all week, followed by Saturday hours, followed by more next week. Rinse, repeat until mid-March. And no, the people who didn't deliver on time aren't subjected to this; the March deadline is none of their concern.
So much for going downtown to check out the Super Bowl festivities. Or do anything else besides groceries and laundry. This is going to be a very boring blog for the next few months.
The stuff my team at work needs to write tests for the next software release still hasn't been completed; it was supposed to be ready for us to start in November, it's about 80% ready. And of course, the deadline for test completion isn't going to move. Yay, 60-hour weeks! So yesterday, I had to go into work on a company holiday. (I wore my "smeg" shirt, on the grounds everyone with the power to send me home would be home themselves. HA!) Ten-hour days all week, followed by Saturday hours, followed by more next week. Rinse, repeat until mid-March. And no, the people who didn't deliver on time aren't subjected to this; the March deadline is none of their concern.
So much for going downtown to check out the Super Bowl festivities. Or do anything else besides groceries and laundry. This is going to be a very boring blog for the next few months.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
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