Google, who I am normally very enamored with, is shutting down Google Reader on 1 July 2013, and to jump in with both feet, on 1 November 2013 it is also discontinuing iGoogle.
These are two services that I personally use on a regular basis, and it makes me a little sad to know that soon my home page will no longer have a banner of cupcakes across the top of it, my email, the weather, my feed reader, and a little pet turtle looking back at me. (Yeah, I have a pet turtle on my home page. So?) It’s been the opening page of my browser for years, and I’m going to miss it.
Google Reader has me at a little bit more at a loss than iGoogle because it has been an invaluable tool at keeping me organized with who’s been posting what and making sure I don’t miss too many posts by blogging buddies. The community of blogging has been one of the most rewarding parts of this little project, and I feel like by reading you get a little view into people’s lives (and kitchens) that you wouldn’t otherwise get to. I don’t want to fall into a situation where I miss out on events, stories and recipes because of the loss of this tool. If you use Google Reader for the feeds you read, remember it isn’t very long before this service disappears.
There are other feed readers out there, and I’ve transitioned over to blog lovin’ which I am so far enjoying and figuring out. This may be of little or great interest to you, but if you’re sitting in the same spot I was, where you know you are going to need to find a new tool to use and aren’t sure what to do, this is the feed reader that I would suggest.
Part of me feels like I’m jumping ship, that I should stick around until they are shut down. But I think maybe in this case it’s for the best to explore other options before needing other options.
I’ll miss you Google Reader. And you too iGoogle!
Chocolate always helps with a break up, have a slice!
Roll out the pie crust and use it to line a pie pan, trimming off or folding over the edges.
Set the oven to 350° F to preheat while you prepare the pie filling.
Stir together the sugar, cocoa and salt in a mixing bowl.
To the bowl, add the evaporated milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell, and pop in the oven to bake.
The pie is finished baking when the filling is set but still a little wobbly in the center, and has formed a deliciously crackly layer over top.
Let the pie cool before serving. It pairs well with ice cream if served warm, but on its own it’s at its best room temperature.
This is such a delicious, easy dessert. The best part is the crackly top that forms on the filling. Delectable, I love the texture! Much like another dessert that was featured here not too long ago, it is also assembled quite easily with a handful of ingredients that a person is likely to have hanging around in the pantry. Before this recipe I didn’t keep a can of evaporated milk in the house for just in case, but now I do. If someone stops by at random, I can make this pie without working up a sweat.
One thing I will note, though, is that this pie is pretty rich. Most pies I make I’ll cut into 8 pieces, but this one warrants getting cut into 12 for sure!
This year, at the Chateau de Funky Kitchen, Mr and I planted our first garden. He’s been involved with gardens before, as have I, but this one was the first one that we were solely responsible for nurturing. For the most part, it went well; the tomatoes grew like crazy, as did our peppers. The peas went into a poor location and yielded a total of two pods (or four peas, if you’re keeping count), which was a little disappointing. Making lunches by wandering to the back yard and picking lettuces for a salad was so much fun. I’m going to miss that.
My mint plant exploded into four mint bushes. My grandma was right, the marigolds kept the cats off the planters. Trooper the Wonder Puppy didn’t spend too much time digging in there, which was awesome because that puppy really loves to dig.
All in all, it was a good summer for a first garden. But last week it turned cold, frost threatened; it was time to take in our summer produce. We planted late, so none of our tomatoes were ready. Actually, that’s wrong, one tomato was vaguely threatening to be quasi orange.
There are pounds and pounds of green tomatoes in my dining room, hanging out leisurely waiting to ripen.
I’m excited to have fried green tomatoes in the future, but I think it might be best to be patient and do them up with the stubborn tomatoes that won’t turn red. It seems there are always a few in the bunch that just want to stay green.
There was a delectable green pie that made it’s way through my kitchen not too long ago; I made it for a going away party for my friend CC, who is now residing in Japan!
A grasshopper pie is ready to party! I’m not sure if the cocktail begat the pie, or the pie begat the cocktail, but whichever it was: if you’re going to bring a pie to a party, why not bring one that packs some alcohol in it? It’s only polite to bring libations to a celebration.
My pie came out somewhat shockingly green, Hulk green if you will. When I followed the recipe and mixed in a few drops of coloring (or rather, a small splodge because I was working with gel color) nothing really happened. So I added a little more, and then a little more, and kept folding away until I found a pretty pale green that I was quite happy with. Giving the filling a final few stirs, though, I discovered that a fair amount of the gel color that I had added was hiding out at the bottom of the bowl! By the time it was all mixed in, the pie was pretty verdantly bright.
Lesson: when you’re folding in an ingredient, fold all the way from the bottom of the bowl so that everything gets mixed in. Also, gel color goes a long way!
1/4 Cup Creme de Menthe (preferably the green kind)
1/4 Cup Creme de Cacao blanc
1 1/2 Cups whipping cream
green food coloring, if you choose to use it
Directions
Melt the butter and the chocolate together, stirring until smooth.
Fork the butter and chocolate through the cookie crumbs until the mixture starts to form clumps.
Press the crumbs into the base and sides of your pie dish, forming the crust. Chill in the refrigerator until hard.
Set a saucepan over low heat, adding to it the mini marshmallows and milk. When the milk gets foamy, just before boiling, remove the saucepan from the heat and continue stirring until the marshmallows melt completely. Let cool to room temperature.
Whisk the Creme de Menthe and Creme de Cacao into the marshmallow mixture.
Whip the whipping cream into soft peaks and then fold it into the cooled marshmallow.
Fold in a few drops of food coloring, if using additional coloring.
Pour the pie filling into the chilled cookie crumb crust, giving the pie plate a few raps along the sides so that the filling settles evenly.
Chill in the fridge, or for a cooler treat, let the pie have a visit in the freezer.
First of all, it is hard to go wrong with a pie. A pie that offers: chocolate, mint, a fun and funky green color, and a joyously squidgy filling with texture akin to just melting ice cream is sure to be a party favorite. And Nigella, the minx, does something just magical to the cookie crumb crust by adding chocolate! Chocolate makes the cookie crumbs just that much more tasty, but it also helps the crust hold together more solidly during serving. What a smart cookie! This is definitely a pie I plan on making again.
As a fan of chocolate and mint in combination, Mr gives grasshopper pie two thumbs up!
Wash the dishes
Wash the dishes
The christmas dinner dishes
Three generations in the kitchen
All at once
Go and get a camera
And go and wake up grandpa
Three generations in the kitchen
All at once
Play a Christmas album
The Elvis Christmas album
Three generations sing Blue Christmas
All at once
Light another candle
Come sit near the piano
Three generations sing together
All at once
Put away the turkey
To make sandwiches tomorrow
And put away the bones to make soup for the winter
But not the wish bone
We’ll just put it on the counter
To let it dry out this week
In time to make a wish for New Years Eve
Take turns with the washing
And take turns with the drying
Three generations in the kitchen
All at once
Soak the tough ones ’til tomorrow
And save the suet for the sparrows
Three generations Merry Christmas
All at once
Put away the turkey
To make sandwiches tomorrow
And put away the bones to make soup for the winter
But not the wish bone
We’ll just put it on the counter
To let it dry out this week
In time to make a wish for New Years Eve
Put away the fancy dishes
Just to take them out next Christmas
Three generations are only together for so long
Telling stories of the good times
The bad times and the war time
Three generations
Are only together for so long
In a bowl, combine the prepared pears with the cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, orange zest and the egg.
Roll out your pastry to line a pie plate with.
Fill the pastry with the pear-cranberry filling.
Roll out the remaining pastry, and either cut into 1 inch strips for a lattice top, or cut out some fun shapes with cookie cutters for a slightly funkier one.
Bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is thickened.
Allow to cool before serving.
I really was impressed with this pie. It’s not too difficult to impress a pear addict with a pear pie, but what was really impressive is the way the filling held up. A too watery pie is a sad one, and I was worried that with the way pears can really go to mush when cooked that this pie would be runny, but the cornstarch as well as the egg kept the filling from spreading too much after being cut.
The flavor of the sweet pears and the tart cranberry came together well, and the orange zest really fragrantly permeated the pie. It was just the right thing to bring to Christmas dinner.
Mr was too full after dinner to have a piece, so I guess we’re going to have to wait until I make another pie to get his opinion.
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