My Doppelganger!

Beth Maldin, Adam Morgenthau

Unfortunately, there's no photo here...but one of my colleagues brought in a clip from the Sunday paper...and at first I didn't believe that she looked all that much like me...but she's been sitting here on my desk for awhile...and she's sort of starting to freak me out now!

Random Thoughts Galore!

So...I used to be completely obsessed with a candy bar - Take 5. It was quite literally one of the only things that would make me happy after a bad day at work sometimes (well...that or a stiff drink). I haven't actually had many Take 5s (or "taken five" as we used to say at my old job) since moving on to the new one, but I was at CVS this weekend and saw a peanut butter version. And it was on sale. I couldn't resist!

My verdict? Not bad...but the beauty of Take 5 is that it has a little bit of everything - pretzels, peanut butter, peanuts, caramel and chocolate. So, if you take away the chocolate...you lose a little something, methinks.

I have such fond memories of Take 5! I used to live in a horrible apartment in a horrible neighborhood with horrible (mostly) roommates...and we didn't have TV. So...apparently there used to be a Take 5 commercial back then with a Take 5 jingle that one of my coworkers would sing to me on occasion. (He is the same coworker who would eat anything from the vending machines. Aww...)

And...I totally forgot about this until now! On 05/05/05, there was a Take 5 Giveaway...which was almost exactly two years ago now! (Aww...)

I also intended to make good on my key lime promise this weekend...and totally intended to blog about how I usually find recipes on epicurious.com, but there's actually a key lime pie recipe in this cookbook my aunt compiled for me and my cousins a few Christmases ago (it's actually called "Lisa's Favorite Key Lime Pie" in this particular book) and so I was going to use that recipe...and since I don't use a lot of "family" recipes, it was my intention to print it right here in this blog! But, unfortunately, I cannot find it...admittedly, my recipe collection is somewhat chaotic...but my parents are in town and so I did a LOT of cleaning this weekend...and yet I still cannot find the missing page from my recipe book. So...I may have to resort to epicurious.com again.

Speaking of visiting parents (the feint of heart are advised to skip ahead to the next paragraph), I really was cleaning a lot this weekend and decided to even attack behind my oven...and discovered a LOT of flour from my pie-making days. (Aww...)

And...there was a Saturday Night Live sketch this weekend with the two women from the Bronx who have a talk show and Amy Poehler was going on about how her daughter drank an entire bottle of creme de menthe and was "puking green all over the place."

(If you recall, when *I* had to buy a bottle of creme de menthe, I could not find green and therefore my grasshopper pie was a strange color. Ergo, if I drank the whole bottle...)

(Interestingly enough, the host was Peyton Manning...who, if you also recall, was on the team I inadvertently supported during the bakeoff that started this entire blog...simply because there weren't any other Colts fans around and I felt sorry for them.)

I also felt bad because I made peanut butter pies for my colleague, but didn't bring whipped cream and they were kind of ugly without it (I offered him a free pie coupon this morning to make up for it)...and...my parents and I went to Peter Luger last night and I know I'm supposed to wax lyrical about the steak - which was certainly quite good, don't get me wrong - but I also really, really liked the cheesecake! And - here's my tie-in to the peanut butter pie sans whipped topping - when you order dessert there, they bring you a big ol' bowl of whipped cream. But they call it "schlag."

The most fun you can have with a candy dispenser?

I just saw an ad for a Poop Moose while I was checking my e-mail.

My parents actually have one of these suckers. But they live in Alaska...

(My parents use M&M's.)

I also missed...

This:

http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/RmFsdS1TcXVhLVBpZ2ctTG92ZS1NYWduLVplcm8=

(I got a free calendar from The Nature Conservancy though...so I can't complain too much.)

And I had no idea there was a Please Pass the Pie Campaign to vote for official state pies! This, of course, means that I need to think of an official state pie for New York (I know, I know...time well spent). Vermont has already taken apple (which, if memory serves, was one of the trivia questions at the pie contest). But...picking apple for the Big Apple is too easy, isn't it?

Hmm...I'm leaning toward chocolate cream...but I should probably have a better reason than "it was the first pie that came to mind." (I'm trying to come up with something along the lines of..."the juxtaposition of black and white in this particular pie reflects a certain sophistication seen in the state itself." THAT reminds me of a quote I saw recently while thumbing through an old yearbook. I went to school in Mississippi for a blip in time [What should the official state pie of 'Sippi be??]...and I went to a really small private school there. As such, the seniors got half a page each with their senior photo and baby pictures and a quote...and one of the quotes stood out to me this time. It's a Dave Barry: "Here is a tip on how to get good grades on your English papers: never say anything about a book that anybody with any common sense would say. So, in your paper, you say Moby Dick is actually the Republic of Ireland. Your teacher, who is sick to death of reading papers and never liked Moby Dick anyway, will think you are enormously creative. If you can regularly come up with lunatic interpretations of simple stories, you should major in English." This, of course, resonates with me on so many levels because I was an English major...and because I wrote Dave Barry in a moment of crisis when I was living in Fairbanks - his column was syndicated in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and I thought he had the perfect job - the ability to write about whatever you want on a daily basis...and he was kind enough to write me back about how "we all go through lean times." So...my sophisticated chocolate cream pie logic sort of parallels Moby Dick and the Republic of Ireland, no?)

(It seems as if my "readership" has expanded by leaps and bounds as of late...so apologies if my tone was somewhat - ahem - stifled...as I'm a little nervous with all these new eyes on it...!)

A Press Release from the Pie Contest!

http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/RW1wdC1IYWxmLU1hZ24tUHJvZi1NYWduLVplcm8=

Apparently there actually was a Mrs. Smith once. And she was feisty.

Back in the Saddle...

Last night I made a peanut butter pie for a colleague's girlfriend's nephew's first birthday this weekend. He's a BIG fan of whipped topping, so I have to find heavy cream tonight or my name is "Mud."

I also have a commission for a banana cream pie in about two weeks (a repeat customer!)...and I still owe another friend a key lime pie. So...I shall bake again!

I'm ballsy!

I had dinner with a friend last night who described my pie-contest-going as "ballsy."

How do you like them - ahem - apples??

Now What?

The day after the contest I realized how very much I must have been out of my league. But I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t know what I was up against because if I had, I probably wouldn’t have gone in the first place…and despite coming home without a Crisco gift basket, I’m really glad I went.

There’s a lot of good stuff that resulted from all of this…so I’m fairly certain it wasn’t just an expensive lesson in humility.

This has been such a wonderful project – something for me to really throw myself into and something that has given me a sense of purpose over the past few months. I think I’ve probably said this before, but it wasn’t until the night before judging (after my contest pies had been made) that I realized what a huge part of my life this had become.

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again, too: Pie People are really nice. When I registered on Saturday, a pregnant woman and her husband came into the room behind me. There were plenty of tables, so I was thinking to myself, “Please don’t put your pies down next to mine…” because, as I might have mentioned, social interaction is not my forte…but she did and she was super-nice and we chatted and it was just fine. (She was entering apple and sweet potato pies.) I kept running into this pregnant woman and her husband throughout the day…and, finally, right before the judging, she approached me and said, “Are you here by yourself?” and I had to admit that I was…so she asked, “Do you want to come stand with me and my husband?” and I did and they both were just so…nice. I tried to explain that I was from New York and so even though I had supporters back home, no one was able to make the trip with me…and she said they were from a small town about an hour away from Orlando. And even though I know very, very little about this pregnant woman and her husband from a small town an hour outside of Orlando, I couldn’t help but feel like under different circumstances, she and I would have been good friends. (I’ll be mortified if she Googles “Great American Pie Festival” and comes up with my blog and reads this and disagrees vehemently and says to her husband, “Hey – look – it’s that weird girl from the bake-off!”) My pregnant friend didn’t win anything either…and she said, “Well, we tried…” when the last Crisco gift basket had been handed out…so it’s just kind of neat that if it wasn’t for pie, I never would have met these people at all…(But it was a little embarrassing to think that they knew I came all that way and booked two separate hotels…seemingly for nothing. But that just further emphasizes that I have to write about it in some capacity or it’ll all be for naught…which makes a nice segue to another nice thing that resulted from all of this: now I have a writing project. And…I actually sketched out a children’s book awhile back on a similar theme – the new girl who makes a friend etc., etc. – so perhaps there’s potential there, too.)

And my friends and coworkers turned out to be a really nice support network…

And now I have more courage to experiment with recipes (I was making a lasagna on Sunday that called for no-bake noodles but then said to soak them before using them which I thought was ridiculous since the whole point of no-bake noodles is that you don’t have to put them in water, so I did it my way…I also couldn’t find the right kind of cheese, but forged bravely ahead with another…). And, while I was in Orlando, I submitted my Pillsbury Bakeoff recipe – which I created myself. I’ll hear back on or around September 30. And now that I am a seasoned bakeoff veteran…I have high hopes!

And, you know, I can’t possibly be too hard on myself for coming home without a prize since all of the women (and one man!) who won were a lifetime ahead of me: most of them were grandmothers…and most of them won prizes in multiple categories which leads me to believe most of them knew what they were doing. One woman won 1st place in two categories (among a slew of other second- and third-place finishes) and every time they announced her name, she started crying and her husband went nuts, standing up and jumping up and down cheering for her. It was really sweet…

I’m afraid I don’t remember the category, but one pie champ actually went by the name “Rain Goddess.” My pregnant friend’s husband said he remembered seeing her on the Food Network last year…so I guess I should bite my tongue as Rain must be one heck of a baker. (But…really? Could that possibly be her god-given name? Or a fluke of marriage??)

The grand prize went to a woman with a strawberry cream cheese concoction…but, again, the whole thing was kind of surreal and so I didn’t pay as much attention as I should have, I suppose…but hopefully the American Pie Council will update its website with the 2007 winners soon. (She looked genuinely shocked…it was also kind of sweet.)

As I was unpacking, I came across some of the free stuff I collected over the weekend, including recipe booklets, olive oil, nonstick cooking spray and some cards advertising the movie, “Waitress.” (Not surprisingly, they were pushing that movie – and its tag line, “If only life were as easy as pie” - pretty hard at the pie fest…there was even a free screening last night at the movie theater where I parked). One of the cards had a picture of a chocolate cream pie that had some sort of amorous connotation - “Falling in Love Chocolate Cream Pie,” perhaps. (I say this as if I don’t remember it verbatim…when in fact I obviously do.)

This will sound crazy, I’m sure, but I used to have a roommate who was really into feng shui and who explained to me that different parts in your home supposedly affect different parts of your life, including “love and marriage.” At the time, I had a framed autograph/photograph montage of my beloved Javier Lopez in the “love and marriage” section of my room and so this ex-roommate convinced me to move it elsewhere in order to prevent Javy from “stifling” my romantic future and blocking any suitors. She swore she just hung up some pictures of Paris in hers and a little blonde boy in her acting class was instantly smitten. But nothing ever happened despite my efforts to tweak the heck out of it (although, admittedly, I never used photos of Paris…) so I gave up eventually…but periodically I give it a go again…just in case. (Another friend was telling me [back when I lived in that old apartment] that it was bad to have my bed underneath a window because it means my soul goes out the window at night…and I said, “Wow, Peebs, I didn’t know you knew so much about feng shui.” His response? “It sounds like we’re on a bad first date.”)

So…long story short, the love and marriage section in my current apartment is actually my kitchen and so I had this picture of a pie – Falling in Love Chocolate Cream Pie - that’s supposed to be, you know, romantic, so as tacky as it sounds to put a movie card in your kitchen, I was trying to think of a way to somehow breezily incorporate it into the love and marriage section of my apartment – just in case…so I was holding it up…and then it somehow slipped out of my hand and slid under a crack between the wall and the cabinet and now it’s gone forever. So…I’m not sure if the universe will smile upon me and give me credit for it anyway…but, technically speaking, it is in the love and marriage section of my home even if it is not visible to the naked eye. But, then again, if moving Javier Lopez didn’t do it, I probably shouldn’t put too much stock in the power of Keri Russell’s new movie to prevent me from dying alone.

Another old roommate – in the same apartment as Feng Shui, actually – worked at the theater showcasing the Neil LaBute play, Fat Pig…which, you may recall, starred Ms. Russell and Pretty in Pink's Andrew McCarthy. This roommate got me an ushering gig one night so I got to see the show for free, but I had to show up super-early and I was standing in the aisle when Andrew McCarthy walked in with a baseball cap and said, “Hey – how’s it going?” And even though he’s a zillion years older than me and Molly Ringwald has the worst dress ever in that movie, it’s still such a sweet ending…so I swooned a little bit – “Andrew McCarthy said hi to me!” Sometimes I wonder whether or not New York is right for me…but that was one of those moments that made me really excited about being here.

I realize I’ve veered away from baking pretty substantially…but what exactly does one blog about post-4/21? Feng shui and Keri Russell apparently…

The Last Day

The past two days have been so full, I’m not quite sure where to begin to do them justice. But I guess the best place to start is always at the beginning…

Dropping off the pie on Saturday morning was a little nerve-wracking – it was, after all, the culmination of three months of baking and really the climax of my story. I arrived around 8:30 (remembering, of course, that bakers are known for getting up early and so perhaps the 6:30 registration time wasn’t so ridiculous after all)…which meant I was actually the very last “amateur baker” to receive a free pie plate upon registration. A very nice volunteer then helped me carry my spoils to a little room where I was given two American flag toothpicks with randomly assigned numbers to place in the middle of each pie (I was afraid piercing the crust would cause it to crack…but happily my crusts retained their shape). And…off they went to be judged.

I milled around for a bit (there was a brunch upstairs in the “Kilimanjaro Room,” but I always feel awkward at events like that…so I skipped it). And I should confess...while Friday I was perfectly content by myself, Saturday would have been a nice day to have some company. The Great American Pie Festival didn’t begin until 11:00…which meant there was a lot of time to kill.

I went back to the front desk to see if I could check in again (I was returning from the hotel that had the oven…), but my front desk buddy, David from Brazil, said he didn’t have any rooms yet…so I had to find something else to do with myself.

Despite my anxiety, however, there were still some quirky little pie-themed moments that I enjoyed…

There was a man with a new grandson who had the baby’s face printed on a polo shirt and the words “Sweet as Pie” above.

(I saw my friend Linda the baker from the elevator …but she was wearing a risqué swimsuit and so I no longer felt we were kindred spirits…)

A few other observations: Pie People are really nice. (There was video loop in the baking/pie display room with a woman from the contest last year proclaiming, “These are my people! The Pie People!” There was also a woman in the video from Iowa who had her pie stuff shipped to the hotel…which I thought was pretty smart alternative to the 62-pound suitcase…)

There were a LOT of people from the Midwest. Especially Michigan (remember the Apple Queen?), Minnesota and, as I mentioned above, Iowa.

And…maybe if I had cable I would have recognized him, but there was a celebrity chef baking a meringue (Michael Something-or-Rather?), so I sort of watched him in action for awhile and tried to soak up some of his celebrity chef vibes.

But there’s only so much celebrity chef-gazing and pie-observing one can do in a given morning, I found…so I decided to head over to Celebration for the Great American Pie Festival as to not miss the opening ceremony. The program listed events every hour on the hour, so I assumed it was theoretically possible for me to spend all day at the Great American Pie Festival. (But, one such event was “Pie Flying Juggler, Kerry Silson,” and of Mr. Silson I was somewhat dubious.)

Celebration was an easy drive – just a straight shot on I-4 West - which was a good thing since I get so nervous driving around in foreign places (although I do really love driving around by myself listening to music I would never actually admit to listening to with anyone around…and I don’t get a chance to do that very often). I followed all the signs to Celebration but took a wrong turn once I arrived at the outskirts, so I went on a detour and got to see Celebration High School. Once I got back in the right direction, I saw a lot of new homes and electric cars. I wasn’t *exactly* sure where to find “Lakeside Park” (where all the festivities were taking place), but I assumed Celebration was a small enough place that eventually the park would present itself. Signs proclaiming, “Disney Liquidation Sale Straight Ahead!” made me laugh…but, sadly, there were no signs announcing the Great American Pie Festival in the same direction. I started getting worried when I reached what I presumed was the center of town and traffic was moving at a snail’s pace down one (Main?) street and there were no parking spaces and I didn’t know if I was going the right way or not…but then I turned down a random street - more out of fear of blowing right through Celebration than anything else - and fate smiled upon me and I saw a “Great American Pie Festival” banner. Then I got really, really lucky and found a parking space in the movie theater parking lot and made my way into the festival.

Lou Galterio, who was actually described as a “professional singer” in his festival intro, sang the national anthem and then took the honorary first bite of pie – which was key lime, of course.

Next came the baton twirlers and the little girls who did choreographed dance routines with pie tins – all to pie music. (Ever heard of Jay and the Techniques before? I hadn’t…but have to admit that “Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” song of theirs is awfully catchy…) I don’t know much about baton-twirling, so pardon my ignorance…but I also thought it was kind of funny when their leader began, “One thing I like about coaching baton…”

As I was actually participating in the bake-off, I received two complimentary tickets to the Never-Ending Pie Buffet…and it just so happens that there was also a luxury car show in Celebration on Saturday with lots of men milling about, getting their photos taken next to fancy cars and “DJ Joel” spinning family-friendly favorites. Since I wasn’t in New York anymore and the male-female ratio was presumably less out of whack, I was laughing to myself as I wandered through the car show about finding an attendee that struck my fancy and then luring him away with my extra ticket to the Never-Ending Pie Buffet (maybe one gets a little delirious when attending bake-offs alone?). But, no, I did not embarrass myself by trying to see if it was actually possible…and returned to the pie festival solo.

Food Network alum Dionna Hurt gave a presentation on how to make the perfect pie crust, but I found there was too much Crisco propaganda. She did have some good tips though: for instance, I didn’t actually realize that you don’t have to put flour on the silpat liner (she swears nothing will stick to it – ever); and I didn’t know the difference between convection and non-convection ovens…which explains why my pies cooked so much faster at the hotel. A convection oven, Hurt says, has heat that circulates and so pies will bake faster (my hotel oven had a convection oven). My oven at home, however, must be a non-convection oven that has heat that comes up from the bottom. She also talked about oven “personalities” which I totally blogged about before sitting in on her presentation – how about that? She was big on chilling dough and folding it in half and then half again before putting it into the pie pan…but I’m not sure if she made a believer out of me on those last two points.

The festival also had a pie-eating contest, pie-juggling (remember Kerry Silson?), and, yes, even pie-in-the-face.

Pie trivia included questions on the pie bird, National Pie Day…and which flavor pie can cure a headache (it’s cherry).

But soon it became clear that I was going to have a really hard time spending the rest of the afternoon marooned at the pie festival…and even though I was reluctant to give up that parking place at the movie theater, I decided to go back to the hotel to check in and then maybe check out one of the Orlando landmarks on my list before returning to Celebration for the awards ceremony at 6:45. My front desk buddy, David from Brazil, did actually have a room for me this time…but I was feeling kind of funny that afternoon and so I wasn’t able to keep up any semblance of witty banter with him. I’m not quite sure what was wrong with me – I guess I was a little bit lonely and a little bit sad that this project was almost over and a little bit uncertain about what to do with myself…both that afternoon and upon my return to New York sans pie project.

So…I called my mother and got a little pep talk and then drove to that mall with the birthday tiles because it was pretty close and I was nervous about not being able to find parking in Celebration again, so I wanted to allow plenty of time, etc., etc. But, since my birthday is not divisible by 5, the birthday tiles were kind of a disappointment. Had I been born a day earlier (or four days later), it might have been ever so slightly more thrilling. I wandered around the mall…but it was mostly some pretty highbrow stores and so I left empty-handed, ready to return to Celebration to finally find out if I had what it takes to be a pie champ.

Quick Update...

I started to "blog" about my experiences this weekend, but it turned into a 5000-word manifesto...so I need to break it down into bite-sized chunks as I don't honestly believe anyone will indulge me that much.

Suffice it to say that the contest was pretty intense and I was wholly and completely out of my league. I'm really glad I went though - and I probably wouldn't have gone had I known what I was getting myself into. But I met a lot of really nice people and I have a TON of material to write about...so I think I can still make good use of this experience.

I also have some photos to upload...and as soon as I find a place to do that (perhaps covertly at work later today?), I will pass those as long as well. So...stay tuned!

I also have to figure out what to blog about now that pies are in the past...

This time it counts, folks...

My first pie is in the oven (or at least it was when I started writing this)...so now I have a little breathing room.

Since I registered too late to snatch up a coveted oven time and had to book a hotel room with a kitchen elsewhere, I decided to make the most of my Friday in Orlando by doing a little sightseeing. I'm sure I've mentioned the list of "207 Things to do in Orlando" that I dug up...and I highlighted a few that seemed interesting and plausible alone (as much as I wanted to "experience the thrill of stampeding buffalo at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner & Show," it's just not something I'm brave enough to do by myself). I actually really wanted to see manatees at Blue Spring State Park, but I understand the manatees have left for the season...so I settled on Gatorland, the self-proclaimed "Alligator Capital of the World," and finding my birthday in the tile floor at The Mall at Millenia. (I also thought getting a psychic reading at the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp sounded kind of quirky and fun...but the website scared me off.)

However, when I went downstairs this morning, the hotel was abuzz with professional bakers and that really made me feel like it would be foolish to waste my day with alligators and shopping. It's funny - seeing women with bags of aluminum foil inspired a strange mixture of terror (competitiveness?) and a notion that I finally found my place. I was actually in the elevator with another Linda who bakes pies...and at first I was completely intimidated by her...but she started up a conversation with me and was super-nice.

I even saw the Michigan Apple Queen! One of my coworkers (I could call him Chris and resurrect an old joke, but I fear that time has passed...) had asked me to take a picture with my phone if I saw anything really great so I could send it to him right away. I briefly contemplated snapping her photo...but her dad was there and even though a couple of guys approached her to have their photos taken, I feared somehow it would be too weird if I asked to have my photo taken (or perhaps worse - to just be a random stranger on the sidelines taking a picture of them taking pictures?) , so I waited until everyone was listening to the chairman of the American Pie Council talk about judging...and snapped a picture of the crowd - back of the Michigan Apple Queen, included. (Perhaps if you zoom in, you can see her tiara.)

My mother had suggested I call the hotel with the oven to see if I could perhaps check in early...and that's just what I did. They said they had a room, so I merrily made my way to the Residence Inn. On the way, I spotted a Winn-Dixie and was feeling quite content, indeed.

I stood in line...approached the front desk...and initiated the check-in process. Then, just in case, I said, "I'm participating in a pie-baking competition. There's an oven in this room, right?"

And, to my horror, the woman said, "No, ma'am, just a stovetop. The only rooms that have ovens are my two-bedrooms...and I'm afraid I don't have any of those available."

I had a tiny heart attack. "But the woman assured me when I booked this that there was, in fact, an oven," I pleaded.

"I'm sorry, I don't have anything available," she said.

BUT...before I could freak out completely, the man behind me said, "You will soon. I'm checking out."

"Yes, but all the rooms are booked again," she said.

His response? "We were booked through Tuesday. But friends of ours had a baby, so we have to head back."

My heart soared! Another sign that this was meant to be!

(He said his name was Matthew while he was checking out...and even though I already told him he saved my life...one more time: wherever you are, Matthew, thank you! And congratulations on the baby!)

So...I made my way to my new hotel room (with oven!) and unpacked my pie-baking materials.

Then I went to Winn-Dixie (not freaking out about directions because I knew exactly where it was...and feeling practically like I'd lived in Orlando for ages). I looked for apricots, but couldn't find any fresh ones, so I settled on the canned variety I already had (which means my suitcase might be a tiny bit lighter going home)...Winn-Dixie did, however, come through with flour, sugar, cornstarch, Crisco, butter and a bag o' party ice. (I remember taking the bucket to the ice machine was one of the first things we used to do at hotels when I vacationed with my mother and grandmother as a kid...but I was worried I wouldn't be able to find the ice machine or some such drama would come to pass...and I know without a shadow of a doubt that one of my aunt's pie-making secrets is to use ICE water...so I didn't want to take any chances. Then as I hauled in my groceries and my bag of party ice, I thought how it would be too bad if any of my neighbors saw me in that moment as they might think I was a young punk planning a big to-do with my party ice. Sadly, no...just crust-making.)

I threw a dishtowel over my shoulder (I always cook with a dishtowel over my right shoulder) and was ready to begin. And I was thinking...maybe it's for the best that I'm doing this by myself. If one of my friends had actually come with me, I'd be worried about them having a good time...and it's also hard for me to be myself around - well - anyone really...and I've never really baked in plain view of anyone...so perhaps the pressure of baking in front of a friend who traveled a long way with me for my debut in the pie industry would have been too much to bear. (And this way I can blog and blog...although my mother advised I go swimming or take a walk or something to blow off some steam...she's probably right...but I may wait until all the kiddos vacate the pool...)

One good thing about baking in a hotel is cable. I had the Food Network on the entire time!

You've likely already read me freaking out about my first crust...I was able to regroup and put on my game face and create a crust that did the job. (I even found myself channeling my inner football player with a big, intimidating pre-game grunt toward the end of my pep talk to myself - see? Another reason it was good I was by myself...) In the end, my first crust wasn't perfect exactly...but it was good enough...and there was even a little dough left over to patch some of the more imperfect parts. (Perhaps there's a lesson in there somewhere...)

Luckily, the Residence Inn provides cutting boards as that's the one thing that was not in my 62-pound suitcase.

And...as I was placing foil on the baking sheet (both of which, for the record, I brought from home), I remembered another one of my aunt's tips: shiny side down. That's because the shiny part of foil attracts the heat (I think) and the other side deflects it. I don't have to remember that rule so much now that I have my pie crust shield (she's still something of a die hard and still puts foil around the edges), but...just in case, I put the foil on the baking sheet shiny side down.

As soon as Pie #1 went into the oven, I was terrified the fire alarm was going to go off and the entire hotel would have to be evacuated. That might sound a *bit* paranoid, but I've definitely set off fire alarms before and firemen have definitely showed up on my doorstep and I have definitely had to very apologetically explain that it was all a big mistake. The firemen in Brooklyn were very nice about it...I don't know if firemen in Orlando would be the same way. (Can you imagine all the guests at the Residence Inn out in the parking lot...?)

Two things surprised me: the apple pie (Pie #1) did not leak; and I think it was done in under an hour. I probably kept it in a little too long just because it was hard for me to believe that a pie could be done in under an hour...then I remembered I don't really "know" the oven I'm using and it's a big'un, so it's probably a little more powerful than the tiny, trusty one in my beloved Brooklyn studio.

I was also perplexed by the amount of water I had to add to the crust. Usually I don't use all of the water that the recipe calls for...usually it comes together with plenty to spare. So...perhaps this is kind of like the time I thought my cat was static-y because I was feeding him wet food, but the only thing I could think of was maybe the weather (or the altitude??) is different here and that would affect how much water I need in a crust? Either that or I was totally paranoid about creating a sticky crust and subconsciously wanted to use less water than usual.

Creating a "pretty" crust was also a battle. Normally I'm giving pies to people who will sing my praises no matter what and who couldn't possibly tell me that my crust is ugly. This time, however, I had to create at least a top crust that was visually appealing. In the end, I went through an entire 5-pound bag of flour and another mini tub of Crisco...

The apricot crust proved particularly troublesome. I finally came up with one that was round(-ish), but I must have put the slits in weird places because I ended up with two gaping holes...and then tried to patch them with scraps of crust (water acts like glue!), but that gave it a very patchwork-quilt-kind-of-feel and I had a sneaking suspicion the judges were looking for something a bit more - oh, I don't know - perfect...so I made another crust with the very last cup-and-a-half of flour that I had...and I think I thought about it less as I was doing it the last time because it was actually round and it did actually go on top more of less without a hitch.

I imagine apple will be by far the most popular choice tomorrow...and so perhaps I have less to worry about with apricot as there is less competition...but I still feel less comfortable with apricot. My aunt's recipe says "1 to 2 cups of sugar" and "1/4 to 1/2 cup of corn starch" and I just haven't made enough apricot pies to know how much sugar is good and how much corn starch is sufficient. So I had to give it my best guess. And...apple requires bits of butter throughout - is the same true of apricot? I had seen Paula Deen on the Food Network earlier in the afternoon - she added a tablespoon or two of butter to something just for the heck of it and so I figured, "Eh, butter's never a bad idea, is it?" and added bits of butter to my apricot pie, too.

And, again, I was terrified the pie was going to leak all over and so I was obsessively watching it, peeking in at 15-minute intervals (or less!)...and it, too, seemed to have browned quickly...so I took it out in less than an hour as well. I hope this doesn't mean the innards will be raw tomorrow...

I also had the vent on the entire time, so as far as I can tell, the room does not have much of a fresh-baked pie smell.

Argh. Now I have to do the dishes. And it's almost 11:00 (although I think the time stamp shows what time I started the entry...which was a long, long time ago...). And tomorrow's an early day.
Registration begins at 6:30AM! But it goes on until 9...and the pie brunch doesn't start until 10. I don't know what to expect...do I just drop off my pies in that two-and-a-half hour window and return at 6:45 to hear whether or not they passed muster? Or will I have to stand around and defend my pies?? I guess I should probably go to the pie festival at Lakeside Park - wherever that is... - so that will certainly keep me out of trouble.

One last worry: I didn't really realize until tonight what a big part of my life April 20 has been for the past few months. And I'm not really sure what I'm going to do now that it's almost over. Sure, I can pitch stories...and continue to make desserts for my coworkers...but I guess I've just put a lot of stock in tomorrow changing my life and I'm not quite sure what I'm going to when midnight strikes and everything goes back to normal...

My first Liveblog!

Unfortunately, it's about nerves...(and I still haven't written about this morning, but I don't have time for it now!)

I just tried my first crust! It didn't work! I was really nervous about adding too much water...and then I was nervous about working with the dough too much so it'd be tough...and then I tried to roll out half of it ...and it wasn't round at all - it looked kind of like Germany...which means the bottom wouldn't completely cover the pie pan which means it would leak which means it would be a disaster.

I tried to add more water to the other half (I think the problem was that the first dough I rolled out wasn't sticky enough...I'm also nervous about getting flour on the carpet...which isn't exactly a problem when I bake at home), but the second half kind of split in two. So...I've tossed both halves aside into a bowl and am going to start over. (I know! Such waste! But maybe I can cover them with cinnamon and sugar and bake them like my aunt used to do...and eat 'em as a midnight snack).

So...I'm sending this out into the universe...and saying that I let my nerves get the best of me the first time around...but the second time is going to be better. I've made countless pies over the past few months. I can practically make crusts in my sleep! I'm going to go now and make two PERFECT crusts!

- Insert Don McLean Joke Here -

I wanted to write this up last night - while it was fresh in my mind - but, unfortunately, the pie bake-off hotel only offers wireless in-room access...and, well, I had trouble. But I took copious notes!

My adventures started shortly after my trip began - while I was waiting at the gate at the airport, I noticed two women in lime green polo shirts and black pants who were pushing cat carriers. Inside one of them, I could see a little animal running around...which I initially assumed was a tiny version of one of those hairless cats. Therefore, I assumed I saw before me two examples of the crazy cat show woman my mother threatens to become if I don't have children soon. But then a curious gentleman sidled up next to them and they said that they were from Sea World (fun fact: Shamu and I have the same birthday) and that it was actually a bush baby and they had been on the Martha Stewart show that morning. (It wasn't until I landed that I learned there was a baby emu in the other carrier.) These women and the bush baby sat just one row ahead of me...and if I hadn't overheard them talking to that guy, I never would have known there was a bush baby underneath the seat in front of one of them all that time.

I, on the other hand, was sitting next to a guy who kind of reminded me of that actor who played the mean ex-boyfriend in Music and Lyrics. I was trying to haul an awful lot of stuff onto the plane (but partially because I wanted to be able to liveblog!) and so I was a *little* nervous about one of the flight attendants catching me with two carry-on bags and a personal item, so I wanted to just sit down and stuff my stuff under the seat in front of me and sit quietly for the remainder of the flight. But, as soon as I sat down with all of my bags on my lap it became abundantly clear that all my stuff was not going to fit under the seat in front of me, so Campbell Scott asked me if I wanted him to put something in the overhead bin for me and I think I responded a little too enthusiastically and so I felt a little bit like a freakshow and then he said to remind him to get it down when we landed because it was in front of some stuff and would likely fall if someone else opened it...and I spent the rest of the flight thinking, "Don't forget to say something...but don't say it so overexcited next time..."

When we did actually land (but before we were at the gate and it was time for me to remind Campbell Scott to help me get my bag), I was thinking that I haven't been to Orlando in a really long time. I went once with my mother, but my stepfather wasn't in tow, so that means it's been at least 17 years. And I remember my mom bought a whole bunch of little presents and I got to open one an hour so that I would be continuously entertained...so I was young enough to warrant that. (On this flight I felt like Campbell Scott and I were sitting among a lot of loud young people...but I am not sure I am old enough to say stuff like that.)

I was really nervous about driving...and it was dark and hard to read my MapQuest printout, but I made it without getting horribly lost which then makes me feel like I really can do anything. On the way, I saw a lot of familiar Southern restaurants...well, okay, only Waffle House and Shoney's, but such eating establishments take me back (and everyone knows I'll OD on nostalgia someday). I'm not from the South...but I lived there in an important time in my life and it therefore resonates on a certain level and sorta feels like "home" in a certain capacity.

In any event, seeing the Waffle House reminded me of the time my family from Wisconsin was visiting us in Georgia (it must have been for my high school graduation because I don't think they came down any other time - coincidentally, I saw a high school sports team at the airport and some of them were wearing "Class of '07" t-shirts and I thought, "Omigosh - I'm almost ten years older than you...") and we all went out for breakfast before going our separate ways. The "kids" were going to go to Six Flags Over Georgia (and I think I made them see the Big Chicken, too). My parents and my aunt and uncle were probably going to go to Stone Mountain or the like. (I went to the laser show before I moved. Big disappointment. A cartoon on the mountain? What??) So...we all placed our orders and my sister got up to go to the bathroom. And I think it speaks VOLUMES about her that when she didn't return for 15 or 20 minutes, no one thought that anything was amiss - in other words, it's totally in character for her to get up and go do her own thing...so we didn't think anything of it. Finally, our food came and we were eating and I was getting a little antsy because we had a whole day of theme-parking to do, I guess...so I knocked on the door and started to say, "Christine, the food's here...you might want to finish up because we're probably going to go pretty soon..." when she said, "I'm STUCK!"

I ran after a Waffle House waitress and said, "Excuse me - my sister's locked in the bathroom..." and without looking up at me, she said, "Tell her to keep jigglin'."

So...I returned to the ladies' room and said, "Christine? The waitress said to keep jigglin'..."

And my distraught sister bellowed, "I AM JIGGLIN'!"

But...the Waffle House waitress was right: moments later, the door popped open and we were on our merry way.

But, back in Orlando in the present day...the pie contest hotel is literally right across the street from Disney World and so there are gigantic souvenir shops as far as the eye can see. And when I finally saw the Sheraton sign up ahead and made a right-hand turn into the drive, part of me was a little thrilled to see "Welcome American Pie Council" below it.

The man at the front counter told me he'd upgrade my room when I checked in (and it was perfectly nice...but my view consisted of said souvenir shops and an Olive Garden). He was wearing a "Pie Festival" button. And as I was checking in, two women approached the counter, saw his button, and said, "Whoohoo, pie!"

There were few parking places left at that point, so I saw these women again at the back of the parking lot. "Are you here for pie?" one of them asked.

"Yes!" I said.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Now...my response might sound silly, but I wasn't sure if she was looking for my actual name or my credentials, i.e., "I'm the 2007 New York State Lattice Crust Champion!" (I'm not actually the 2007 New York State Lattice Crust Champion.) So...I said, "You mean my name?" (She did.) And then I thought it would be ridiculous that she'd know who I am, so I just said, "Lisa." And yet when I said, "Lisa," she totally knew my last name without me having to say anything further.

I asked if she was baking, too, but she introduced herself (Linda) and said she's running the competition. She asked if I was baking at the hotel the next day (sadly, I registered too late for an oven time) and she wished me luck. So...imagine that - running into the woman who's running the entire competition in the parking lot. But it does beg the question: if she knew my name, does that mean that she's really good with names or that there are just very few contestants? (I guess I'll know tomorrow.)

That's about it for April 19. I actually have a lot more to write about regarding the events of April 20 thus far...but I have to get baking! But as soon as Pie #1 is in the oven, I'll blog my little heart out - LIVE! - once more.

Last Minute Thoughts...

This is it - "crunch time," "go time" - let the sports metaphors abound...

Exciting news - I am bringing a laptop with me so I will be able to blog while baking tomorrow! I've wanted to liveblog ever since January 23 (National Pie Day! When this all started!).

I went to Whole Foods last night looking for apricots for Aunt Jan's Favorite Apricot Pie...but they didn't have any fresh apricots. Only canned. So I now have four cans of Whole Foods apricots in my million-pound suitcase. Also in there? Bowls, measuring spoons, measuring cups, cooling racks, a baking sheet, a pie crust shield, a crust mat, a rolling pin, a peeler, an apple corer, Crisco, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, foil, saran wrap, dish towels, potholders...I couldn't believe how heavy it was this morning!

I've never been one to travel light per se (fond memories of my dad's "So...you remembered to pack your bowling ball..."- and/or "So...you remembered to pack your bricks..."-jokes come rushing back), but - seriously - my clothes and hair-straightening implements are taking up very, very little room in my over sized suitcase this time around (I'm so totally going to get slapped with an excessive baggage fee).

I panicked a little bit when it was ready to leave this morning and thought, "There's no way I can carry this on the Subway!" so I called a local car service, but the wait was too long...so I bravely set out for the F train. Everything was fine - I waited for a relatively empty one and resigned myself to just not getting to work on time (which added a certain zen-like aura to my commute)...until I got to 42nd Street and climb up all those stairs. And two nice men were nice enough to help me...but both couldn't believe how heavy it was and thought I was a stupid girl with suitcase stuffed to the gills with hair gel and a zillion pairs of shoes. Sadly, I did not have enough time to explain to them why my suitcase is stuffed with pie-baking implements...

I booked a car to pick me up at work though...so my suitcase travails are over (I think). It was funny - I've heard a lot of comments about my name in my day (mostly of the movie star/lusty lady variety...) but when I told the car service guy my name last night, he said, "You know what? If you owned a ranch, you could call it the Double L and you could brand all your cattle with a circle with two Ls in it!"

Perhaps on some cosmic level, that conversation was meant to be...and I should use the "circle with two Ls in it" as my signature vent??

Maybe it's a Sign!

I'm leaving for the pie contest today...

...on the very same day the Times runs this: Looking for Solace in a Slice of Pie.

The Gravitational Conundrum Explained...

My mother says my aunt was able to twirl her pies around "because she was such an aficionado that she had very little excess crust, i.e. less weight to pull it down."

She also says, "I know exactly what you’re talking about—the same thing happened to me—I’d have these really pretty crimped edges and they’d flatten out."

So...a good thing to know before the contest! I will NOT twirl my contest pies!

The last pre-contest pie has been made...

Last night I made one last apple pie before the contest. I have to admit, it went smoothly - even for me. (I'm still a little scared of the apple corer as I've cut myself a couple of times...and while I *did* struggle to extract the cores from it, I was able to do so without incident this time around...)

My mother reminded me that she gave me one of those pie crust roll-out sheets for Christmas a year or two ago (I'm pretty sure it came from The Pampered Chef, but I can't find anything comparable online). True confession: when I received it, I thought it was some sort of protective sheet that you were supposed to cut up to line your pans and so I've never actually used it before now. It has concentric circles with measurements (as well as a pie crust recipe that calls for a combination of lard and butter, but I've come too far with my Crisco-only crust to change things now...) and, perhaps it was just a coincidence, but it seemed a lot easier to roll out the crusts (you know, instead of eyeballing it...and never being completely sure my top crust is going to be adequate). Crimping the edges was a breeze (although I'm still not entirely satisfied with my "vents" - it seems like I should be able to come up with something more creative...I really like the concept of a standard "L" design...but thus far I have struggled to bring it to life)...although when I took a knife to the excess hangy-down bits, I ended up losing a lot of the crust I had crimped, too...which meant parts looked a bit shoddy. I guess I'll freak out about that more on Friday if it actually happens. (And will perhaps make an entirely new top crust as I've been working toward this moment since January 23??) Perhaps holding up the entire pie is a bad idea? I just remember my aunt just holding it up on one hand and spinning it while slicing the edges in one smooth movement with a knife in her other hand. I've always tried to do it this way myself. Gravity, however, seemed to play against me last night.

Otherwise...I'm still not sure how to transport all the pie stuff I'm going to need. I'm pretty sure the apartment-like hotel where I'll be baking comes with silverware, but what about actual pie ingredients like flour and butter? It seems like they would be difficult to transport (especially butter). But will I have time to track down an Orlando-area grocery store? (Have I mentioned that my first actual job was at the Publix bakery in Marietta, Georgia? Perhaps returning to Publix would somehow be poignant?)

And...what about the fruit? Is it crazy to carry on apples and apricots with me? Should I buy them in Orlando as to not be jeered by airport security? I worry apricots will be really hard to find...would canned apricots do in a pinch? Dried?

What if I forget something really important (like, I don't know - a peeler) that might be hard to track down in a strange city?

And, as I mentioned, the apple-corer is kind of sharp - if I put it in my suitcase with my rolling pins and pie crust shields and rolling-out mats, will I get in trouble when they x-ray my suitcase?

And what if they lose my luggage?? I think I would have a nervous breakdown.

I became a lifetime member of the American Pie Council today.

It's cheaper for APC members to enter pies in the contest and so now that I'm entering TWO pies, it made sense to pony up the $35 to permanently join the APC.

I didn't actually take any notes while baking this weekend, so this could be very stream of consciousness:

Brace yourself - I didn't bake pies this weekend. (Although I went out into the rain to buy 8 Granny Smith apples so I can head straight home and bake for the baby shower tonight.) Funny - one would *think* that I would have taken better advantage of my last pre-APC Crisco National Pie Championships weekend.

I did, however, make empanadas and an as-of-yet unnamed concoction I hope I can enter in the Pillsbury Bake-Off next year. And it's funny - last night I was having these delusions of grandeur, thinking about winning the $1 million grand prize and how I could buy an apartment and pay off student loans and I wouldn't have to worry about how to support myself, so I could focus on baking and freelancing full-time - what a magical turn of events it would be. Although perhaps I am getting *ever so* slightly ahead of myself. (I also wonder what I would do if I won one of the lesser prizes, i.e. GE kitchen appliances. I guess it would be a nice problem to have...)

This concoction of mine has several layers (one of which was necessitated by that damned List A!) and so I tried to do vary it a little in terms of how long I cooked each particular layer and so on and so forth...but then I baked them (two cheesecakes, for all practical purposes) at the same time and forgot which one was which...and one was definitely prettier than the other one...but I have no idea which one it was...and I'm definitely not going to have time to try this experiment again before Orlando. I was actually up until 1 AM, waiting for these suckers to finally set...and then I was tired and didn't care anymore...so they went in my fridge whether they were ready to or not. So, who knows.

I tried to enter an apricot pie at the last minute...

But I don't know whether or not I succeeded...

I had an epiphany while straightening my hair this morning (which was sort of preempted by a conversation last night) that if I'm going to go all the way to Orlando, I might as well try my luck at more than one pie...

But I seem to be at the mercy of the American Pie Council now...

Wear a Tie for the Pie...

I have confirmation from one current and one former colleague that they will wear ties next Friday as a subtle nod to me baking in Orlando.

Perhaps kind of like when athletes in high school have to dress up on game days??

Hallelujah!

I found an oven in Orlando...

...trying to fight off visions of me setting off the fire alarm at a Residence Inn...

...running out into the street, explaining to the firemen that I flew all the way from New York for a bakeoff...

Kismet?

There was a sponsored link in my Gmail account just now for the cake pan lady.

Not sure if I'm crazy about any of the available pictures though...

I'm not very good at having my photo taken...

So, consider this a promo for the band.

If you're ever in the market for a wedding cake in San Francisco...

My aunt seems to know the drill:

She says, "Here is the bakery all the Italians use: Dianda's Italian American Pastry, 2883 Mission at 24th Street, SF....(415) 647-5469 website www.citysearch.com/sfo/diandas."

Apparently the cake that my cousin favors is called "Millefiori" cake which is like a Napolean pastry (layers of flaky crust with custard inside). The cake is frosted and you can write things or decorate it...she had it for her Christening and for her Engagement cake...

There is also a bakery the Italians all use called Victoria Pastry in North Beach, 1362 Stockton Street, (415) 781-2015 website www.victoriapastry.com. My aunt says they are famous for the "St. Honore" cake which has little cream puffs on it that are filled with rum flavored cream. (I couldn't find the "St. Honore Princess Cake" she mentioned, but some of those wedding cakes are certainly worth a gander.)

Then there is The Cake Gallery which is famous for their "Adult Cakes" but they also do portraits, 3-D (remember the barbie doll cakes with the huge skirts???), or pretty much anything you want - they are extremely creative. Their web site is www.thecakegallerysf.com... they are South of Market, 290 - 9th Street at Folsom, (415) 861-2253.

My aunt says, "We used to use them for when I worked in hotels (the gay guys LOVED this place - guess what was their favorite cake shape????????)"

I forgot the best part!

I had jury duty yesterday...and while I was sitting in the little room in the courthouse building, I realized that I forgot the best part about Peeps pie. (Apologies to those of you who have heard this story every Easter since it happened...)

Because my aunt is such a HUGE Peeps fan, her friend signed her up for the Peeps Fan Club for her birthday one year. (In fact, to this day, my aunt carries around a membership card in her wallet that is signed by the Mayor of Peepsville.) But shortly after signing my aunt up for the Peeps Fan Club, my aunt's friend noticed something was amiss on her credit card statement and...long story short, it turns out that whoever was on the other line at the Peeps Fan Club was committing credit card fraud.

And...I was also thumbing through Bon Appetit in the juror room and found a cardoon reference!

Next Stop: Hazelnuts??

From today's Simple Pleasure, American Style:

"Chocolate, a perfectly delicious food, is now saddled with this heavy-breathing reputation. For the home cook, this means built-in performance anxiety. In search of chocolate desserts new and astonishing I have peeled hazelnuts, strained custards, whipped egg whites, and attacked innocent bars of chocolate with a chisel. "

The only thing I haven't done is peel hazelnuts!

I even strained custard last night!

Happy belated Easter...

Well, first things first, I am officially registered for the pie contest. So...Orlando or bust.

This wasn't really a traditionally pie-heavy weekend. I think next weekend I will crank out a few apple pies just to make sure I'm on top of my game (and to fulfill my quota for the baby shower) and then I've sort of done all I can to prepare for this wild and crazy adventure...

Sort of a curious situation at work today...we have a new employee...which is nice...but it turns out that she's from Alaska and she bakes pies...so, you know, I'm feeling a bit...dispensable. But, then again, that's sort of how Pants and I became friends - she declared herself my baking nemesis...so no more worrying about that for now.

I had numerous baking projects to keep me out of trouble this Easter Sunday. The first were those muffins I mentioned. They're not exactly light and fluffy...but they're probably really good for you. The recipe called for light brown sugar, but I only had dark (does it really make a difference? I've used them interchangeably for awhile...)...and I actually let the butter melt instead of merely softening it, so that might have screwed up the texture, too? I don't think I have ever purchased oat bran before and I was a little scared of the "hot cereal" label on the box, but there was a recipe for bran muffins on the back, so I assumed I was safe (I was tempted to get wheat germ initially...I have no idea what that would have done to these muffins...).

I was talking to my mother about Easter-y stuff and she mentioned making lamb with mint - a Rachael Ray concoction. She also talked about her new found respect for dill. The only time I've ever really used dill was when I tried out a recipe in the Culinarytherapy book from my aunt and made this food facial that was supposed to really boost your spirits and then doubled as a dip when you added cumin, salt and dill to the remnants (presumably not to the goop you put on your face...). But, it turned out a little watery and so most of my cucumber goop turned into dip.

My second baking project this weekend was a cobbler - a super-easy dessert. I was excited to find a new use for my pastry blender - blending the flour, butter and sugar that went on top of the peaches...and I mildly freaked out because I was using frozen peaches and was worried that I either had way too many (or not nearly enough) for the cornstarch, lemon and sugar that was supposed to be tossed with them. The recipe also swears that the dough you drop on top of the fruit will spread during baking, but I'm always somewhat dubious and tempted to double the recipe, just in case...

...which leads me to my third Easter weekend baking project: Peeps pie. (I doubled the crust for this one.) A little background: I have an aunt who loves Peeps. They are unequivocally her favorite candy. She puts them in the freezer - she likes them a bit stale - and she calls herself a Peeps "purist" - meaning she will only eat yellow chicks. So...last year, my mother heard a story on NPR about Peeps pie and immediately thought of my aunt. I tried the pie on for size last year and thought it was a LOT of fun, so I've decided to sort of make it my own little Easter tradition. I absolutely LOVE the fake grass - there's something about the coconut and food coloring that quite literally makes my heart dance and sing.

But, as per usual, there were some bumps in the road: I bought three packages of Peeps - yellow, blue and pink - whereas I should have purchased two packages of yellow as the pie innards are basically just melted down Peeps...and any other color would be off-putting, wouldn't it? But I needed 30 Peeps total, so I had to throw in some blue and pink ones. For the record, three rows of yellow, two rows of pink, and one row of blue Peeps yields a pretty blase tan color that turns almost completely white when you add whipped cream. It was pretty watery - so I was worried - but then I chilled it and all was well. You're also supposed to cut baker's chocolate into chunks and then freeze it, but I was lazy so it was more like shaved chocolate that then melted in the goop. I do sort of fear that this pie is more for decor...and that I should have a real humdinger of a pie to show the new girl what I can really do...but, alas, that was not the hand that I was dealt.

Looking on the bright side, though, the added bonus of grass is that it prevents a custard pie from getting smushed during transport on the Subway.

I'm afraid that's all I have time for tonight...but you'll certainly hear from me again before the contest next week!

Perhaps All is Not Lost!

By some sort of happy accident, I just stumbled upon the Pillsbury Bake-Off website and see that the deadline for submitting recipes for the 43rd annual contest is April 22. I'm going to give it a go!

Oh no!

I just checked the APC website, and it says that at this time, all oven times have been filled!

This means I will miss out on baking at the hotel!

Is it even possible to carry a pie on a plane?

What am I going to do??

In case the pie contest leaves me with some time on my hands...

207 Things to do in Orlando in 2007

Thanks for your input!

A smattering of potential pie names:

Tasty Lacy’s Abundantly Apple Alaskan Amusement

One Baaaaad Apple Pie

Mom’s Apple Pie

Apple of Your Pie

"The Big Apple” Pie

"How Do You Like Them Apples”-Pie

“Adam & Eve's Apple Love”-Pie (or “Eat It Bitch!”-Pie)

Crazy Cat Lady Apple Pie

Flamingo Pie

Appily Ever After

Drip Dry Apple Pie

By-and-By Apple Pie

Do or Die Apple Pie

LL's My My Apple Pie

The registration form is due Monday...so decisions have to be made soon!

Pimp My Ride?

Or...Pimp That Snack?

I think my favorites are the Twix and the Cadbury Creme Egg. (And I'm not just saying that because Easter is right around the corner...)

Thanks to one of my favorite tech guys for sending the link!

It's Happening.

I officially just booked a plane ticket and a car and three nights at a Sheraton in order to participate in the pie contest.

I can't believe how much money I just spent.

Fingers crossed this isn't the biggest mistake I've ever made!

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

My new gym buddy requested nonfat bran muffins, so I was poking around on Cooking Light this morning and found two recipes that seem to fit the bill. She apparently prefers oat bran, but that recipe required too many ingredients like flaxseed that I don't already have on hand, so she's getting Double Apple Bran Muffins whether she likes it or not. Interestingly enough, the Double Apple Bran Muffin recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of turbinado sugar. I have never in my life heard of turbinado sugar, but a quick little Google search pulls up this from Sugar In The Raw: "Sugar In The Raw Premium Hawaiian Turbinado Sugar is made using 100% pure Hawaiian cane sugar from the initial pressing of the cane, allowing the natural molasses to remain in the crystals. The flavor is sweet and rich. The color is natural amber."

If you do a little more poking around on the website, you find that there is actually a Sugar In The Raw Festival of Sweets.

And...on Friday I met a guy who really, really likes banana bread. I assured him that banana bread is super-easy to make and that I have a foolproof recipe at home. My philosophy? I like green bananas...and so banana bread is a great way to get rid of bananas once they have yellowed too much. However, when I looked through the cookbook of family recipes my aunt compiled four Christmases ago, I couldn't find banana bread. I did find zucchini bread...and I *think* you can basically just substitute bananas for the zucchini.

Here she blows:

3 eggs
1 c. oil
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 c. raw, grated zucchini (or smushed-up bananas that are not green enough to eat anymore, if you so desire...)
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

Beat eggs; add sugar, oil and zucchini (or bananas!). Sift all ingredients together and add; mix well. (True confession? I never sift.) Add vanilla and nuts. Pour into 2 greased, floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool on racks 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.

And...my baby shower commissioner (making me the commissionee?) said his wife likes chocolate and Coke...so my mother dug up two cake recipes. There's the Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake...and the Cola Cake.