Pie

I been blessed with one amazing gift in life...and it is pie.

I make killer pie.

Fruit pie, custard pie, savory pie, if I make it, it is good. I know it is very un-midwesternly of me to say it but, even I think it is delicious-really good, and in fact, I want to eat a whole one myself. I think the secret is my crust - which is light and flaky and deliciously flavorful.

I'm not telling you the secret ingredient in my crust, because, obviously, it's a secret. I will however tell you my pie crust tricks.

1. DO NOT OVERMIX. Do not overmix the crust. This is paramount. The best pie crusts have striations of fat that are visible like the marbling on grade A beef. Have faith. It may not look pretty but it will probably be good. If you saw most of my crusts coming out of the mixer you would probably be shocked. Plus if you mix it too much you start to develop the gluten in the flour and your crust becomes tough and not tasty. Yuck.

2. Keep it COLD. Make sure you have chilled your pie crust before you roll it out. It will be three times as difficult to roll out and turn out twice as bad if it is warm. It is far more likely to fall apart and will be very difficult to handle if you skip the chilling step. I like to chill my crust in the freezer for months...or at least 2 hours before I roll it out.

3. FLOUR. Use a lot as you roll it out. Don't believe what they say about lightly coating the surface with flour, heavily coat it - in fact load it up with flour. You are probably not going to get too much unless you're balling it up and re-rolling it more than three times and if you're doing that you probably haven't done either of the above. Stop. Stick the dough in the fridge and then try again.

4. As you roll out your crust FLIP IT. Especially at the beginning. Flip it a lot. I flip it every couple of swipes with a rolling pin, or if you see it start to catch as you roll it. Do this by rolling the far edge over the rolling pin and back towards you - use the rolling pin as sort of a frame to brace the dough on.And make sure you keep your surface well floured. If you do this you coat the surface with a good layer of flour making it very easy to handle and unlikely to pull apart or stick to your work surface.

There you have it. My pie wisdom. Minus my secret ingredient of course. :)
Happy making!!

North Coaster

It says a lot about my spring that I have graduated to knitting coasters. Drink coasters to protect my new end tables. They're quite fashionable, in a lovely hue, made out of terribly itchy yarn that I won't wear. They also require absolutely no thought, in fact I can mostly make them without looking which is nice. It's taking my love for small simple projects to a new level, maybe not a great level but a new level.

What's causing this obsession with simplicity and mindless ease? Fatigue, stress, cabin fever. Not the worst things that could happen to a person, but enough to make me not want to try to figure out which pattern row I'm on and which decrease to do in the lacy sweater-vest I'm making for myself.

I pretty much just feel like I need a vacation...for like, six months. Or maybe only a part time job. Since I can't have either of those things right now I must resort to knitting coasters. And drinking wine. It works.

Sometimes...

...I think I might be a boy. Not in a sexual identity sort of way but in a stuff I do and like sort of way. Here's why:

1. I work with all dudes so I am immersed in testosterone and guy culture all day long. And I like it. Guys are straightforward, if they have a conflict they address it without playing games. They don't mince words and if they don't like someone they just don't talk to them. (As always there are plenty of exceptions but I'm just speaking about the dudes I work with.)

2. Every time I go out to lunch the restaurant is 95% guys. I don't understand this one. Is it because, I'm generally eating cheeseburgers or bbq? Is it because guys, statistically, eat out more? Women aren't hungry? Not sure, but if lunch is an indicator I am a boy.

3. I like beer. Now, I know a lot of girls who like beer but judging by the way beer dudes react we are the exception to the rule. I went to the beer supply store the other day to buy kit to brew and when the guy helping me found out that I was the brewer he lost his mind. It was an all caps reaction, "WHOA! THAT'S SO COOL! WE NEED MORE FEMALE BREWERS!" I was amused and a little flattered by the extent of the positive reaction, but I have heard stories of more offensive beer dudes, like when my friend was asked if her husband told her which beer to buy. Like number 2 above, I don't really understand this one, beer is tasty, much like cheeseburgers and bbq, so why don't the ladies like it as much as the gents? I guess I won't ever know the answers to these questions. I'm just going to be thankful that I get to enjoy good things and use the same philosophy my grandma used when I didn't want to eat my dinner as a kid - all the more for me.

Over and done...for 2012

Wow. This Christmas season seemed crazier than usual -sick baby, work stress, changing plans, trying to fit it all in, sick me - it was not the relaxing respite I remember it being before I had all of this grown up responsibility. And now I'm more tired than I was before.

But I still made another pair of mittens. They're great! I got the yarn for Christmas from my mom and they knitted up so quickly. Super soft bulky yarn is my new favorite thing. From start to the last palm decrease was one movie (that's how I measure the time it takes for me to knit things, movie lengths). The thumbs of both and the sewing in ends was another movie. Super fast. Super sweet. For comparison my other mittens took me many many movies, I think I'd put it in the range of six, maybe more.

I can't believe 2012 is over. It feels like just yesterday it began. All of those plans and undone things are now done and history...well maybe not so done, just history. All I want for this year is to hold steady on the same course and keep all of the people I care about with me on the journey.

...And maybe lose a few pounds. ;)