Hey love!

Im doing a life consolidation. So both this and my 365 blog are being mended in with my main blog.

Tip of internet organization: Unless you’re a schizophrenic, never make more than one blog. Its a silly stress.

I spent my holidays with my family of friends…and their friends…and their sisters. Point is, it was a big pot luck feast where we didn’t sit down and pass the gravy, but we all made a delicious finger food, set it on the table, and plucked at them through out the day.

So instead of making a big messy pie, I made pie pops!

First off, I made three fillings. Blueberry, Apple, and Pumpkin. Sooooo easy!

Blueberry:

• 1 package of fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbs cornstarch

1. mix blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a small pot on medium heat until the berries are softened
2. bash them into a jam like paste with a fork
3. turn off heat and mix in cornstarch
4. pour mixture into a bowl and let it cool and thicken

Apple:

• 4 apples; peeled and diced(I chose 2 Gala and 2 Fuji but any apples will do)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tbs cinnamon
• 1 tbs nutmeg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbs cornstarch

1. mix apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla into a small pot on medium heat until the apples are slightly softened
2. turn off heat and mix in cornstarch
3. pour mixture into a bowl and let it cool and thicken

Pumpkin:

• 1 can of puree’ pumpkin
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tbs cinnamon

• 1 tbs nutmeg
• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1 tbs cornstarch

1. mix blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a small pot on medium heat until the berries are softened
2. turn off heat and mix in cornstarch
3. pour mixture into a bowl and let it cool and thicken

Now, I’m not usually a big fan of crusts but the Vodka Pie Crust I made was pretty unreal.

The keys to perfecting this dough:

Vodka: the vodka adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation since gluten doesn’t form in ethanol. This means a flakier tender crust

Adding cold ingredients: The fats should be melted together in the oven. Not in the mixing bowl.

Keeping it cold!: Because this recipe makes the dough gooier than your average crust, its important to roll it out right out of the fridge. This (and some flour) will stop it from sticking to the table and the rolling pin.

I used shot glasses to gauge and cut my pie disks.

Place the pies on parchment paper lined baking sheet

Go over them with a egg white wash

Sprinkle some sugar over them

Pop them into an oven that has been preheated to 350

Take them out when the crusts look slightly browned (30-45 minutes)

ta-da!

I live in a loft (no storage space) with another lovely little cook (twice the cooking supplies). So I recently had to get a little crafty with how to tuck away some of our supplies.

Wanna see whats cookin’ in my kitchen?

I got these stackable tins at a thrift store for 5 bucks, replaced the labels the indicated that they were previously used to store craft supplies, and now they hold tea bags, shot glasses, bottle openers, and other small kitchen items

By turning a crate to its side and hanging it to some screws in the wall, I created a space for our cookbooks and ascetically pleasing perishables

The Dust Buster is nicely tucked behind the large table. Keeping its germs away from the foods while still being easy to access.

The suitcases did a nice job at holding extra paper towels and kitchen rags as well as conceal things that are just too big to fit anywhere else. Like my wok.

These thin cardboard Ikea boxes with metal edges have been doing a fine job at temporarily replacing my urge for those more pricey sliding kitchen shelves.

Coffee mugs are usually a collection that builds up and although I love them all individually, they are a bit sore on the eyes, as a pack. So I like them to be tucked away.

Ikea sold me an extravigant amount of tea lights for an unbelieible small amount of money!
I grabbed a steamer that was about 5 bucks in Chinatown, and loaded it up! Now they sit in the bathroom waiting for the end of a day that calls for a candle lit bath.

Bring in the sexy song!

I’m not much of a garderer but I recently felt that my apartment could use some greenery beyond my plasitic Ikea plants. So I went to the farmers market and picked up a pot of dill, rosemary, and basil.

Came home only to realize I had nothing to put them in. So I grabbed some old cups, filled the bottom with mulch for my snakes cage for drainage (marbles would have worked too). Split the plants up and put the directly into the cups!

Its been working suprisingly well. With the exception of the one time I over did it on the water for the basil and ended up drowning one root. (r.i.p. basil buddy)

I don’t recall ever being a huge fan of brownies, growing up. Probably because growing up with a less than domestic mother, I always assumed that the kind I made from the box were just how they were supposed to taste. It was kind of like eating a texture-less soggy chocolate cake.

So when I began to learn about baking a bit more, I thought that there had to be a reason WHY people eat this stuff. I realized through my “ottering“* technique of eating that I only really cared for the top layer. That minuet layer between the papery flakey top and the gooey center. The upper crust, if you will.

Apparently, that thick layer of crunchy sugary goodness that clings to the dense warm gooey layer of chocolate is just a meringue*! So basically my idea of the perfect brownie is a meringue half-breed! The secret to that upper crust is this:

The longer you beat the eggs and sugar in the first step, the thicker your crust will get.

(ottering: When Chloe dissects her food into sections and pieces, eating the most delicious parts and discarding the rest)

(meringue: a light starchy cookie made by beating egg whites and sugar)

I followed a Martha Stewart recipe that required 10 minutes of egg beating. I don’t have the longest attention span, and I used a hand mixer. Hence, I only mixed for about 5-7 minutes before moving forward but they came out fantastic, anyway.

Here is how I made them:ingredients:

1. 1 cup of unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2. 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3. 5 large eggs
4. 3 1/2 cups sugar
5. 2 teaspoons instant espresso
6. 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
7. 1 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; set aside.

Combine chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler. Set over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate mixture has melted. Remove from heat; set aside.

Add sugar, eggs, and instant espresso to a bowl

n the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs, sugar, and espresso at high speed, 10 minutes.

Reduce speed to low, and add melted-chocolate mixture and the vanilla; beat until combined.

Slowly add flour and salt; beat just until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan

Bake until edges are dry but center is still soft, about 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut and inhale.

Handy idea brought to you by Post Punk Kitchen.

Grind:

• Should be fine enough to allow water to pass through coffee grounds without overflow.
• If you’re able to access a proper coffee shop, just ask them to ground it for whatever coffee chachkaa you use. (meletia cup, drip, french press, ect)

Measure:

• Start with two level tablespoons for every 6 oz cup; adjust to your taste

Water:

• Water should be sweet, without excessive minerals or salt. Use spring water, if you’re not sure.

Temperature:

• 190 Fahrenheit
• The water should never be brought to a boil, because it’ll burn the coffee.

Storing:

• Good coffee will stay fresh for 2 weeks if kept air tight and away from moisture condensation.
• Those waxy paper bags with the twist tie on top, that the coffee usually comes in? yeah. those work just dandy just as long as you squeeze out all excess air. and tightly close it.