Monthly Archives: September 2010

Another rules question

Well, it was bound to happen that we’d have another question to throw out to our readers. (We’ve discussed amongst ourselves, but wanted to throw it out to any readers we have as well.)

We have both “_How to Cook Everything_”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764578650?ie=UTF8&tag=metaco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764578650 and “_How to Cook Everything Vegetarian_”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764524836?ie=UTF8&tag=metaco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764524836, and it’s beginning to look like there’s a not insignificant amount of overlap in the two books. I suspect more recipes are not overlapping than are, but there’s definite overlap.

So, is it cheating to use the same recipe twice, if it’s out of two different books? What if we take anything we learned from the last time around/last book and apply it to the new time around?

Basically, I want pancakes, and to eventually buy another cookbook. What if I make Bittman’s “Everyday Pancakes” again out of “_How to Cook Everything Vegetarian_”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764524836?ie=UTF8&tag=metaco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764524836?… Continue reading →

[37] Peaches & Crème Brûlée French Toast

Cover of Virginia Bed and Breakfast Cookbook by Melissa Craven

Did I mention I love peaches at any point on this blog? I’m sure I haven’t.

Oh, man, peaches. Peaches, peaches, peaches.

Unfortunately, the farmers at the farmers’ market tell me that peach season has basically ended. I might see another week of them, but I probably will not unless I go to a market tomorrow or Tuesday (basically, markets I don’t normally go to). So, I have some peaches I’ve frozen and a few fresh ones left with which to make this recipe again.

Which is good, because this recipe is a winner. Probably. It actually hasn’t quite worked out in my kitchen yet, but it’s getting there. We’ve made it twice, and both times it was quite tasty, but the texture left something to be desired.… Continue reading →

Cherry Pie (For Michelle)

This is the final pie we made for the rehearsal dinner. Dad specifically wanted cherry pie, so we made cherry pie. Frankly, as the father of the bride, he’d done a lot of work and had a lot of stress (and helped mom bake a LOT of cookies), so there wasn’t a chance we’d say no to any pie he wanted at this point. If he’d asked for the Zucchini-Apple Pie in the Pie Town Cookbook, he’d have gotten it.

Luckily, he asked for cherry pie. Lots of people (myself included) love cherry pie. And, assuming you do not decide it’s imperative to pit the cherries yourself, it’s also dead easy.

h2. Ingredients

2 pie crusts for a 9″ pie
2 cans cherry pie filling

1 egg white, beaten (Man, this is TOTALLY optional)

h2.… Continue reading →

[36] Peach Crumb Pie (pg 170)

I love peaches.

I love them straight, I love them in jam, I love them in pies, I love them in crumble, I love them in cobbler, I love them in main course meals.

I don’t think I could love peaches more if I had the Platonic Ideal of “peach” in my hand right now. But I’d try.

Also, my Grandmother L. loves peaches (in fact, we had a peach canning session days before this pie occurred). My mother’s favorite pie is peach pie.

Hence, making a peach pie was a no-brainer. (Actually, I was going to make two peach pies, but the peaches I had didn’t ripen fast enough, and then we ran out of pie crust dough, and we said, “Four pies is enough!”)… Continue reading →

[35] Blueberry Pie (pg 132)

The awesome thing about being the pie boss? You get to pick the pies for the day!

Blueberry is probably my second favorite kind of pie, so it definitely made the list of pies to make for the rehearsal dinner. I also chose it because of the simplicity of the recipe (yes, that’ll be a running theme), and the fact that I suspect many people like blueberry pie.

You guys have to understand. I was making pie for a bunch of people, some of whom I barely knew. Then there was the groom’s family!

Okay, I’m just joshing. I know most of my own family fairly well, but not their pie preferences, oddly enough. Of the groom’s family, I mostly knew him. I’d met his mother and brother once each, and we did not discuss pie amongst the three of us (a tragic failing of our conversation, I can see now).… Continue reading →