scsours's Xanga

Friday Food Festival--KAF Edition

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:18:36 GMT

Okay, only one baking project this week, which you've already seen a bit.

This week, I made Rustic Raspberry Pie (p. 459).

(Before baking.)

(Immediately after.)

(Ten seconds after.)

This was spectacular. I love raspberries, although sometimes the supermarket berries are just too bland. These were a bit bland before they went in the pie, but they really came into their own baked. I thought the sugar and cornstarch were too much and that the result would be like canned cherry pie filling. :gag:

But the result was excellent. I might dial back the sugar a hair if I had some really tasty berries, but for your standard supermarket berries, this was just fine.

Theology Thursday

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:07:44 GMT

All right, here's a real puzzler for you.

Can you make Jesus out of calcium- and fiber-added juice?

(My Catholic friends are currently either spitting on the ground and crossing themselves or lovingly clucking, "Protestants, God bless 'em.")

Seriously. This is right up there for me with whether you can make Jesus pudding with the leftovers. Stephen says no. But he's okay with dipping leftover Jesus in a bowl of soup or spreading leftover Jesus with butter.

What's up with that?

Anyway. Calcium-added Jesus. This seems very, very wrong to me.

Then again, the Bible says not one of his bones was broken. Maybe he had extra calcium after all?

Oops!

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:18:05 GMT

Public service announcement:

When cooking two different things at once in the oven, place the item(s) less likely to explode on the bottom rack. . .

. . . lest you find yourself with a raspberry-blackberry-potato pie.

Sweet Boys

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:28:12 GMT

Saturday Stroll Through the Garden

Sat, 12 May 2012 14:56:20 GMT

Well, despite a little frost on the ground earlier this week (cue hostile stare at the universe), things are going all right. (I was able to put everything that needed it in the greenhouse for the night.)

Kale and basil are going really nicely, although the snapdragons are doing little more than limping along.

Barely limping, in fact.

More basil, with some half-hearted chard. Usually chard is pretty vigorous, so I'm hoping it'll perk up some.

Oregano . . .

. . . is just sitting there, and the alyssum are still barely sprouting.

Nasturtiums, however, even at the two-leaves stage, are pretty impressive. And the pineapple sage seems to be doing well. Can't wait to see it take off.

Lettuce. Serious. This is after I picked off enough leaves for a salad lunch.

Peas are big enough to start training up a string. They're only supposed to get to be 30 inches, though, so they shouldn't need too much support.

And then, because it was sunny and the garden store was just too tempting, . . .

I got a cheap Earth Box knock-off to put my tomatoes in. And a smaller pot to put a pepper in. As well as a pepper to put in it.

I'm actively staying away from the garden store today. If you see me there, yell at me.

Friday Food Festival--You Ate WHAT? Edition

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:23:04 GMT

No baking this week. Too busy.

I did make something fun, though.

Yup. Soft shell crabs. Fried. Yum.

Theo was initially suspicious, and didn't go for the "eat it like a sandwich and you won't even know!" approach.

But he did like it once he tried it!

Yum, yum! Wouldn't you?

Isaac liked it, too. He especially liked posing for a silly picture.

Imagine that. Boys being silly at dinner. Who'd have thunk it?

Men Are From . . . Whatever

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:33:56 GMT

The Problem:

Mom's Solution:

Dad's solution:

Well, there we go. I prefer hardwoods, anyway.

(Note: No parsonages were unduly harmed in the production of this post. Closed course: do not attempt at home.)

AM this AM

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:40 GMT

Sorry, too busy to smile this morning.

AM this AM

Sat, 05 May 2012 13:26:19 GMT

Good morning!

Cheerio!

Friday Food Festival--KAF Edition

Fri, 04 May 2012 12:33:31 GMT

Classes are over, but the grading has just begun. (Well, no, but the obscene quantities of grading in an inappropriately short time period has just begun.)

So there may not be too terribly much baking in the coming week. But I did a little this week.

I finally collected all the ingredients for Moist Bran Muffins (p. 45):

They were . . . fine. I'm not necessarily a bran muffin fan, but these were tasty enough and, on the first day at least, moist.

But they were still bran muffins. They didn't get eaten quite so fast as, say, these.

Anybody wanna guess what this is?

Great guesses, all, folks!

It's Chocolate Zucchini Cake (p. 426).

Isn't that special? The zucchini is more or less undetectable, what with all the cocoa powder and the chocolate chips.

And also? There's this glaze?

Yum.