Baking

An Unexpected Twist on Classic Apple Pie

Emerald Thunder

I’m known for my apple pies. My father refuses to eat anyone else’s, and that’s saying something, because he eats any sort of sweets. I usually only make one a year, so it has to be the best. However, this one pie recipe had been nagging me for a while, and I knew I needed to make it soon. Goodbye classic apple pie, hello delicious substitution!

I found this pie recipe on An Epic Change and I knew I wanted to make it sometime, I just didn’t know when. Well, last week I had a burning desire to bake an apple pie, and I knew I wanted to do it before Thanksgiving, as I would be by myself this year, with no one to share the pie with.

Anything with sweetened condensed milk has got to be a winner, right? Right! This recipe is different in every way possible from my go-to pie, but I still loved it.

I started early in the morning and made the crust from scratch. My suitemates slowly came into the kitchen as time passed, asking what on earth I was doing so early in the morning on a weekend. Making pie for us, of course, sillies!

I still can’t believe I had the patience to make a lattice crust. I have never done that before, but I have to say I like the effect. It definitely won’t be for every two-crust pie I make, but it’s nice to know I’m capable of doing it.

The pie filling was a bit runny overall, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. If I do this again I might add a bit more cornstarch to soak up some more of the juices. Problem solved!

While there’s no picture of it, I made ice cream to accompany the pie. I’m seriously in love with how simple this ice cream process is. I’m not sure how many times I’ve made it now, but it’s in my recipe box to stay. I added an overload of vanilla extract, and I think I’ve finally found the right amount to add (a lot) so that it doesn’t just taste like sweetened condensed milk (not that that’s a bad thing).

Apple pie à la mode, good tv, and my suitemates. A wonderful end to a weekend, and a wonderful start to a three-day week! Thanksgiving’s right around the corner now!

Celtic Thunder

Celtic Thunder

Emerald Thunder

Warning: So much rambling ahead. This post is for my own mental benefit, nothing more.

I think it’s fitting I’m writing this entry on this particular weekend. In 2009 and 2010 I spent the day in Boston hoping to get autographs from or photos with the various members of Celtic Thunder. But not this year. This year the Boston date has already come and gone, and with none of that same excitement and anticipation of years past.

The tone of my Celtic Thunder adventures was entirely altered, and definitely not for the better. The weather was terrible and rainy. My internship kept me from hopping on an 8am bus to Boston to hang out around the venue all day. The nasty weather meant that my 1:30pm bus was an hour behind schedule, and so I did not arrive in Boston until 7:00pm. In the history of my going to these concerts I have never cut it that close. During the last hour or so of the bus ride I actually developed a knot in the pit of my stomach and I became very anxious. I did not know how far away we still were or if I would make it in time. Not a good feeling to have during what is supposed to be one of the most fun nights of the semester.

It did not in the least bit feel like a Celtic Thunder concert day. In fact, the days leading up to it did not even feel like they have in the past. I was not reading reviews and reactions to the shows online. I was not lurking in the ThunderPub (oh dear, that’s a whole other story with how different it is now). I was not squealing incoherently with excitement to my friends and roommates. Things were just . . . different. And I’m not entirely sure why. I mean sure, I have an idea, but the changes with CT should not have affected me as much as I seemed to have been affected.

Hearing and reading about all the changes occurring with the people involved is one thing, but seeing it (or not seeing it, as was the case) during the shows made it all truly hit me. It all came crashing down and hit me full force. That weekend was probably one of the most bittersweet times in my life. Not seeing Paul and Damian on that stage with the rest of the lads left me with a bit of an empty feeling, as melodramatic as that may sound. For some reason, missing them physically hurt. I haven’t been this affected by an absence in my life in a few years, and I have to say that I’m not too keen to revisit this feeling again any time soon. Also absent from CT were: Brendan, Dave Cooke, PHIL COULTER, the “Heartland” opening, Neil being on stage and playing for the whole time (plus his kilt!). Probably the thing I missed the most was not hearing Buachaill on Eirne. Oh Damo. . . .

Speaking of Damo, as I’m thinking more and more about it, I think The Glee Project was just absolutely cruel. I had to sit through episode after episode to see if Damo would be in the tour this fall, and waiting more than two months to find out he’d be moving on was absolutely inhuman. I couldn’t think of a worse form of torture if I tried. It was the polar opposite of just ripping the Band-Aid off. Way to prolong the pain, Ryan Murphy. I hate you even more now. Especially since I saw Damo’s outfit for his first episode. Just . . . no. And “Pot-‘O-Gold” for the title? Seriously? *sigh*

I read in a CT blog comment that someone did not like the choice of “Friends in Low Places” for Ryan because he couldn’t reach the really low notes. And to this person I just want to say “eff you,” because to so many people (and I’m sure to Ryan as well) this song was not about him performing it perfectly. It was about assuring us that Ryan would “be okay” after all the hell he’s been through since May. I have to admit that tears were shed when the rest of the lads came on stage to since the last bit of the song with him.

During the shows I could not exactly pinpoint it, but something was just off. After some thought, I realized that the sound was entirely different now. I love wee Danny, but I he just changes the sound. His little soprano voice does not blend with the rest of the lads, and as a result the group sound loses its deep, manly quality. I miss that. Damo, please come back and round it out again. Please? Also, please don’t sing a falsetto song on Glee. Please?

After that first Boston show I finally had to admit that this truly was the end of an era. I adore the CT lads as they are now, but it doesn’t change the fact that so many things are irreversibly different now. What I thought stood a chance at being a constant in my life proved me wrong, but it was also wrong of me to want things to remain the same forever in the first place. I guess I can look at all of this as a lesson in coping and going with the flow when something hits me on a personal level.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m growing up and things are going to change. Who knows where I’ll be come next fall. Will I still be in New York? Will I be in close proximity to a CT show? How about the Boston show, will I be able to continue the tradition of going with my friend? I don’t know the answers to any of those questions, and I absolutely hate it. This part of my life used to be concrete. Buy the concert tickets as soon as they went on sale (and of course get two for Boston) and eagerly wait for fall. But now, will I be able to get them as soon as they are available? I just don’t know. And I hate that.

Baking

Mini Oreo and Peanut Butter Pies

Emerald Thunder

A few days ago my roommate suggested we bake these delicious mini pies. She didn’t know where she found the original recipe, but my insane baking blog following skills helped me track the recipe down on Picky Palate. I had seen them a few weeks before she suggested making them, and I’m glad she reminded me about them.

These were certainly a team effort, as myself, my roommate, and one of our suitemates sat around the kitchen table in a little assembly line. I cut out the pie crust, my suitemate put together the peanut butter Oreos, and my roommate did the lattice-work.

These mini pies turned out so yummy. I think adding a bit more peanut butter couldn’t have hurt, though, but I don’t have any complaints about the pies we all literally inhaled. The 12 we made barely lasted 24 hours, but that’s to be expected with four college girls and late-night sweet cravings. I was lucky to have this one left to photograph this morning.

Baking

Gooey Butter Cake

Emerald Thunder

This gooey butter cake was an entirely spur-of-the-moment “OMG I need to bake NOW” thing. Some rather stressful events that were entirely beyond my control unfolded last night, and the only way I wouldn’t go insane was by baking this morning. Thankfully everything worked itself out by the afternoon, but I never want these same events to ever happen again.

The only solution I saw for late night and early morning stress was butter and sugar. Lots of butter and sugar. I had seen the post from How Sweet It Is for Gooey Butter Cake and bookmarked it for future baking endeavors, and this proved to be the perfect opportunity with my fully stocked fridge.

This cake was so rich and sweet that a small piece was more than enough. The strawberry was absolutely necessary to make me feel like I wasn’t just eating pure butter and sugar on a yummy soft crust.

You also can’t go wrong with a giant glass of skim milk alongside this cake. Anything with a higher fat content and you’ll be in a food coma after three bites. No lie.

 

Baking

Butter Lane Cupcakes

Emerald Thunder

One of the new year events in my dorm involved going up to Butter Lane Cupcakes for a baking class. For the low, low price of $10 plus subway fare, 15 of us got to bake five different kinds of cupcakes with six kinds of frosting. We made vanilla, chocolate, banana, vanilla/chocolate marble, and banana/chocolate marble cupcakes with vanilla, chocolate, cream cheese, chocolate peanut butter, raspberry, and cinnamon buttercream, plus assorted sprinkles and jimmies.

I got to use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for the first time in my life, and boy if I didn’t want one badly before, I REALLY want one of those babies now. Normally I don’t have the patience to properly cream together butter and sugar, but with this it’s no problem! I was coveting the light pink one they had stashed under one of the baking stations.

My group was charged with making the vanilla cupcakes and vanilla buttercream. I wasn’t terribly thrilled about this at the start–mostly because I wanted the chocolate ones–but I ended up liking my group and our final products well enough.

We all took turns adding the different ingredients, and thankfully we didn’t mess anything up too badly, unlike the chocolate group behind us. One of the guys (of course it was a guy, haha) poured the entire cupful of water directly into the batter without measuring out the proper amount. Now, I’ve done that a few times in my life with buttermilk, but at least that was in the privacy of my own kitchen and not in front of 14 other people and a professional pastry chef! Needless to say, this poor boy’s actions did not escape unnoticed and he was promptly called out on them and received a good ribbing from the rest of us.

All the cupcakes went into the oven and baked up. While they were doing their thing, we sampled some of the bakery’s products. Wow did they look good. I didn’t taste anything at the time, but I didn’t mind. More room for me to eat my own creations!

Then came the delicious buttercream. We even got to use a real vanilla bean in it. Now not only do I want a Kichen Aid stand mixer, but I’m dying to use real vanilla beans!

Before we added the powdered sugar to the butter and cream cheese, one of my own group mates wanted to taste the powdered sugar, but the girl who passed him the tasting stick stuck it into the butter/cream cheese instead. He then decided he would taste the two together, and so he dunked another tasting stick into the sugar and attempted to sprinkle the sugar on top of the butter/cream cheese stick. You should have seen the look on the woman’s face who was instructing us. It was hilarious.

This resulted in the dreaded cinnamon challenge. Him, another group mate, and the water boy all came forward for a secret challenge the woman put forth, since they seemed so eager to eat weird things. She lined them up against the wall and gave them each a tablespoon of cinnamon. The person who ate it all first won. As soon as the cinnamon passed each of their lips, puffs of cinnamon immediately spurt forth from their mouths as they tried not to choke or die. It was absolutely HILARIOUS. I got video of it, and myself and my roommate relived those moments when we got home.

After we finished the cinnamon challenge and making the buttercream, we had a frosting competition. By this time the frosting was in sore shape because it was melting due to the room’s temperature and the amount of times we’d handled it. The butter just wasn’t holding up as well as I hoped it would.

Our instructor showed us how they frost them in the bakery and then let us try our hand at doing the same. Sadly, most peoples’ didn’t even come close, but we all had lots of fun trying. However, I wasn’t just in it for the fun. I was in it to win the prize, and I did! I had the best cupcake of the bunch, and for that I won a gift certificate for a free half-dozen cupcakes! I’m not sure when I’m going to go back and claim them–possibly for a special occasion for myself and my suitemates. It doesn’t expire for a year, so I have plenty of time to decide.

We made SO MANY cupcakes. Each batch yielded 36 cupcakes, and we made three batches. We ended up with 108 cupcakes to frost and split among the 15 of us. I think a lot of us got overwhelmed while we were frosting them, because the pace definitely slowed down about halfway through.

We frosted, decorated, and boxed up our creations to take home. Since I went with my roommate, we took home 18 cupcakes because each box held 9. I don’t know how the four of us are going to finish them all; we might have to go knock on some doors in the hallway to pass some out before they get stale. It would be a pity to waste them.

All in all, this was a great trip and I’m glad I went. Originally I wasn’t going to go because I didn’t think I could swing the co-pay, but I’m glad I went. It was a good bonding experience, I met some new people, and I brought home bunches of cupcakes.

The buttercream really didn’t hold up very well. It’s melty and all over the place. I wish we could have stuck it in the fridge for a few minutes. Oh well.

Most importantly, though, for once I didn’t have to clean up my own mess. That alone was worth the cost.