I'm really concerned about how small the outfit is, even though the pattern I bought stated it's for newborns. I've just never actually held a newborn baby (maybe my brother, 30 years ago), and I have no concept of how small they can be. Well, if it doesn't fit the child, at least they'll have an outfit for a doll or stuffed animal.
**A special thank you goes to Pooh Bear, for stepping out of his comfort zone to model this for me**
Banana Cream PieTom gave it a 95 out of 100! His three criticisms: a little too rummy, no bananas on top, and it kind of started to melt in the heat. I don't recall ever having banana cream pie before, so I was expecting more banana flavor, but overall I thought it was good. And I didn't think it wasn't too rummy - but I drink a lot more than Tom does.
PastryFilling
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons apricot preserves, melted and strained
- 2 cups milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons light rum
- ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
- 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
- 3 ripe bananas, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 2 ounces chocolate curls
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. In a bowl, combine the heavy cream and vinegar; pour over the crumbs and pulse until moistened. On a floured surface, knead the pastry 2 or 3 times, just until it comes together. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Fit the round into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim the overhang to ½ inch and fold it under; crimp decoratively. Refrigerate until chilled.
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Prick the crust with a fork, line the pastry with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until set. Remove the foil and beans. Press down any air bubbles and bake for about 8 minutes, until the pastry is golden; transfer to a rack and brush the bottom and sides with the preserves. Let cool.
- In a bowl, mix ¼ cup of the milk, the egg yolks and vanilla. In a saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg. Add the remaining 1 ¾ cups of milk and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Add the butter and stir over moderate heat until thick and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk about half into the egg mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve set over a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the rum. Press a piece of wax paper on the custard; refrigerate until chilled.
- In a small glass bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water; let stand until softened. Microwave on high until melted, 15 seconds; cool. In a bowl, beat the cream with the superfine sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon of rum and the melted gelatin until soft peaks form. Arrange the bananas in overlapping layers on the crust and pour the custard on top. Tap the pie on the counter so the custard settles. Spread the whipped cream on top, and using the back of a spoon, make deep swirls. Refrigerate until firm, 4 hours. Garnish with the chocolate curls and serve.
What took so long to finish these? Last week I cut my thumb while preparing dinner, so I had to take it easy. Hopefully it's better now, even though my cut started to bleed a tiny bit towards the end.
Fire-Grilled SteakI thought it turned out well. The meat turned out well, as long as you realize it isn't the most tender piece of meat. Tom said it still had good flavor, which it did. The fennel (or maybe it was anise) was surprisingly good. It had a very mild licorice flavor, which was unexpected. And I enjoyed the viniagrette a lot. It reminded me a lot of bernaise sauce, which I just love. I think it was a successful meal, with new ingredients and flavors.
IngredientsDirections
- 1 (1-pound) beef flank steak
- Salt
- Pepper
- 5 teaspoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium bulbs fennel, cored, cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick slices
- 1 large red onion, cut into 1/3-inch-thick rounds
- ½ cup(s) fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup(s) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 3 tablespoon(s) red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon(s) capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 small clove garlic, crushed with press
- Prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling on medium. Sprinkle steak with ¼ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper to season both sides. Use 2 teaspoons oil to brush both sides of fennel and onion slices; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt.
- Grill steak, covered, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare or until desired doneness, turning over once. Grill onion alongside steak 7 to 9 minutes or until tender. Transfer steak to cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. Transfer onion to bowl.
- Meanwhile, finely chop mint and parsley; place in medium bowl with vinegar, capers, garlic, 1 tablespoon water, and remaining 3 teaspoons oil. Stir to blend.
- Place fennel on grill. Cover; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until browned, turning over once. Toss with onion.
- Thinly slice steak. Serve with fennel, onion, and vinaigrette.
I'm pleased with the way they turned out, and everyone who saw them thought they turned out great. Julie thinks that the bride will go crazy over them - I just hope she likes them.
I'd thought I'd only finish one of the squares, since I started crocheting after I got back from band practice, but Tom kept on watching TV, and the time went by so fast. When he finally decided to call it a night, I was almost finished with the last square, so I stayed up a little bit longer and finished it. I was a little bit iffy of this pattern to start with, the first couple of rounds didn't sit flat, but it worked itself out in subsequent rounds. I can't wait to get started on the squares for Week 5.
This is the first time I've made any kind of variation on a granny square (still being relatively new to the craft) and I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I guess my biggest disappointment is that the squares aren't laying flat. I'm sure there's a way to compensate for that, I just don't know what it is. Hopefully, when the afghan is put together, they'll flatten out a bit, and the random color choices will blend in with the rest of the project.
Things are coming along nicely, and I hope that this is a project that I'll be able to finish (which is a rarity for me for a project this size, and with no deadline).
We survived them, even with the reported 103° heat. I finally learned how long each of the parades were; Dundalk – 6 km (3.7 mi), Towson – 1.4 mi, Catonsville – 1.1 mi. We played “On the Mall” and “Swingin’ Doodle Dandy,” as well as the “Baltimore Fight Song.” I still didn’t have the music completely memorized, but sometimes, it was so hot, I forgot what little I did have memorized.
After I got home, I cooked a dish that I’d been planning on for about a week, Herbed Pork Medallions from the May 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping.
Herbed Pork MedallionsIt turned out really well. The pork needed to be cooked a little longer than the recipe called for, so that it would be more than medium, but that’s how I like it. The dish was really fresh tasting, and was great for a hot day, like today. It was also filling, it made four servings. Tom loved it, and said it was the best thing he’d ever tasted. He loved the different components; the crunch of the asparagus, the different way of cutting up the carrots, the fresh flavors. He wondered if maybe using a steak, instead of pork, would improve the dish, but I told him that the pork had such a mild flavor, that it was able to showcase the flavors. Either way, I’ll count it as a success.
IngredientsDirections
- ½ c. packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 pork tenderloin (12 oz.)
- 2 lg. carrots
- 1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch radishes, trimmed and cut into thin wedges
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pkg. (5 oz.) baby-greens-and-herbs mix
- ¼ c. balsamic vinegar
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat large saucepot of water to boiling on high.
- Finely chop one-third of parsley. Rub chopped parsley and rosemary all over tenderloin and let stand while oven heats.
- Fill large bowl with ice and water. Add carrots to boiling water. Cook 5 minutes. With tongs, transfer to ice water. When cool, remove with tongs to cutting board. Add asparagus to boiling water. Cook 3 minutes or until bright green and crisp-tender. Transfer to ice water. When cool, drain well.
- Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper all over pork. In 12-in. ovenproof skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil on medium-high. Add pork; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until evenly browned, turning. Transfer to oven. Roast 8 to 10 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 155°F; let rest 5 minutes.
- While pork cooks, cut carrots into 2-in.-long matchsticks. Cut asparagus into 2-in.-long pieces. In large bowl, toss carrots, asparagus, radishes, green onion, baby greens, and remaining parsley with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper as well as remaining tablespoon oil. Add balsamic vinegar; toss to combine. Divide salad among serving plates.
- Slice pork; arrange on top of salads.
I learned about it in week 7 of the summer-long project, where different size and style granny squares are crocheted each week. It sounded fun, and I think I’ll be able to catch up relatively quickly. I completed week 1 this evening, and so far, I’m pleased with the choices I made for colors.
Overall, it was a good day.
