Joe Biden...What a Guy!

So, this isn't a recent picture, and it's a little fuzzy, but it is of a great guy. This was taken the night before the Iowa Caucuses in January 2008. Biden was way down in the polls, I think he was at about 4% or so, but I tell you, the hall in Cedar Rapids was packed with people that had come out on a cold snowy evening to listen to Biden talk. Everyone knew that he wasn't going to win the Caucuses, but they were there anyway, just to listen to him and to ask him questions. (Biden also had the best line of the primaries, in my opinion, when he said of Rudy Giuliani, "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun, and a verb and 9/11.") He's a powerful, no bull-shit kind of guy, who has, as his presidential campaign in Iowa boasted, "Ears of Experience," as illustrated by thirty some-odd ears of corn, and I am so delighted that Obama has chosen him as his running mate. Go Obama-Biden!

The Pie Crust Queen of Johnson County, Iowa

After having watched one too many cooking contests on the Food Network and reading a forgettable book about a woman who won the Pillsbury Bake-Off, I decided to enter the pie contest in this year's county fair in Johnson County, Iowa. Now, I have always thought that I make a pretty mean pie, but I figured that by entering a pie contest in Iowa--the heart of the heartland--I'd have some pretty steep competition. That being the case, my strategy was to come up with something innovative. I kicked around a number of ideas before coming up with the two recipes: Jumbleberry Basil Pie (a delightful combination of blueberries and strawberries in a basil-infused syrup, with a cornmeal-basil crust) and Grandma Eleanor's Honey Almond Peach Pie (which was pretty much what it sounds like, but with the surprising addition of lavender in the crust).

The night before the contest I made the crusts and then the following morning whipped up the fillings. I have to say, the berry pie was fabulous--that is, until the crust on one edge fell off in the oven. I took one look at my poor Jumbleberry pie and decided there was no way I could enter it in the contest. So, into the fridge it went, and it made a yummy breakfast for a week thereafter.

The peach pie, however, fared better. It was delightful, nicely browned, and even had decorative stars on the top. My friend Amanda who delivered the pie to the Fair for me said the ladies taking the entries called it beautiful. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture. And, after the judging, the pies were auctioned off, so I didn't get it back to take a picture then.

What's worse is that I missed the entire contest itself. I made the pie, gave it to Amanda who delivered it, and then didn't make it back to the Fair until 5:30, an hour after the contest had ended. And, once I was there, I couldn't find anyone who could tell me what happened. I was so bummed. But, today, here in the mitten state, I got a surprise package at my door. Inside was an award certificate, a pie server, and a letter thanking me for my pie entry and congratulating me on winning "Best Crust!" It's official, I make the best pie crust in Johnson County, Iowa. Well, okay, that may be a bit of a stretch. But, I did make the best pie crust in the Johnson County Fair's 2008 Pie Contest.

After learning that I won, and whooping a bit, I did some Googling and found an article printed in the Iowa City Press Citizen about the contest (there's even an instructional video on how to make pie crust featuring my recipe). I have to say that even though I didn't win the best overall pie, I'm pretty excited that I won something as cool as "Best crust" in my first cooking contest ever. Pillsbury here I come!

And, here's the winning recipe:

Grandma Eleanor's Honey Almond Peach Pie

Crust

2 cups flour
1 cup ground almonds
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar, plus one teaspoon for dusting
2 teaspoons lavender
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon zest (from two lemons)
15 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 ½ tablespoons shortening
6-8 tablespoons ice water
1 egg white

Filling

7 cups of sliced peeled peaches
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon each, vanilla and almond extracts
juice of one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Prepare crust: Mix flour, ground almonds, salt, sugar, lemon zest, and lavender in food processor until combined, approximately 10 seconds. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture is pea size. Sprinkle mixture with vinegar and pulse once. Add water in tablespoon increment, while pulsing the food processor, until crust just comes together. Dived mixture into two balls, flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate.
3. Prepare filling: Toss peach slices, honey, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts, cinnamon, and tapioca in a medium bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.
4. Roll one ball of dough and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling dough around a rolling pin and unrolling over the pan. Turn peach mixture into the dough-lined pie plate. Roll out second ball of dough and place it over the filling. Crimp the edges of the pie and cut 4 slits in the dough top. Brush the egg white over the top of the crust and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar.
5. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake 40-55 minutes until the juices bubble and the crust is deep golden brown.

Relocation Woes

So, yes, it's been about 8 months since my last post. It's true. This also means, of course, that no one will actually read this one, but I'm writing it nevertheless. Perhaps it will get me started again.

The big news is that I'm no longer in Iowa. Earlier this week I made the drive from the Hawkeye state to the big mitten state, also known as Michigan. I'm now living in Ann Arbor and will be starting at UM in the fall. So far, the town seems lovely and the people quite friendly.

I'm living in a strange little community called the Village. I think that it seems like a collection of Hobbit houses, but it has a certain charm. The community was built in the early '40s to house workers from Ford's B24-Liberator aircraft factory, which was located between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Following the war, the Village became home to returning GIs and their families. So, the place certainly has an interesting history. And, the apartment itself isn't bad either. There's a basement, hard wood floors, high ceilings, and a little deck. The community also has a swimming pool and tennis courts. Weirdly, though, there seems to be a dearth of wildlife. I've seen very few birds, squirrels, rabbits, or other little beasties. It's odd.

I anticipate being quite busy with school and various jobs, but I'm going to try to be better about posting. In the meantime, here are some old ads for the Village, courtesy of the Ann Arbor District Library.

Here's the layout of my place:

And some advertisements from the 1960s:

OBAMAMANIA

So, we've just returned from our caucus and it looks like Obama is the winner-- and a strong finish at that. The statewide returns were mirrored at my local caucus where there were 315 attendees and you need 48 people to be viable. Obama got 4 delegates, Edwards 2, and Clinton 1. And, it's interesting to note that Clinton wasn't actually viable in the first round of balloting. Most of the Biden and Dodd folks went to Edwards, and while the Richardson folks were the last to fall, they split between the Obama and Edwards camps.

Now, some of you may ask, how am I feeling about this? Okay is the answer. I think that Obama is fantastic and I'd be happy to see him win the nomination. I'm a little worried about Edwards. Hillary has the money to continue in New Hampshire and beyond, but Edwards' financing is more tenuous. The next week or so will be telling.

Stay tuned.

New Year's Eve

Whoo hooo!!! It's New Year's Eve!!! Makes is sound like we're having a wild time, huh? Not so much. It's about 5:00 pm and I'm curled up under a quilt writing this blog entry, the Boyfriend is napping (though will be woken up soon by me if he doesn't rouse on his own), and it's snowing outside-- again. It seems that we've gotten snow at least once a week for the past month and I have to say, I'm getting a little tired of it. Sure, it's picturesque-- frosty trees, the snow cat in the neighbor's yard, snow capped campaign signs in front yards--but it's also cold and wet. And, we haven't seen the sun in ages. Ugh. But, the new year is upon us and the weather is supposed to warm in the next few days, so things are looking up.

In other news, I successfully took the GREs this morning. (Successfully meaning that I emerged in one piece unscathed by gnarly algebraic equations.) I took the GRE about seven years ago, but wouldn't you know that your scores are only good for five years, hence, my morning of test taking fun. The verbal section was a-okay, but no one is going to mistake me for a would-be mathematician or statician. That said, it's done and I feel fairly confident that I will never have to memorize quadratic equations ever again. And, after finishing the test by 11:30 am I was able to spend the rest of the day lounging on the couch and taking in a Law and Order marathon in between catnaps.

We're planning on a cozy evening in to welcome the new year, complete with a festive dinner of homemade calzones. We had these for Christmas Eve dinner and liked them so much that we decided to make them again. They are incredibly easy to make and taste fabulous. While you could make these with store bought dough, the dough is super easy to make at home if you use a mixer. I used a recipe from the Baking Illustrated cookbook and it was a snap.

Here are a few pictures, from mixing to eating:

Mixing the dough in the mixer using the dough hook.

The dough resting in an oiled bowl, pre-rise.

Post-rise-- two hours later.

I divided the dough into six sections, two of which are resting here on the baking sheet waiting for us to shape into tonight's calzones.

The Boyfriend, pictured here, closes his calzone filled with vegan ricotta (homemade!), vegan mozzarella, vegan sausage, red peppers, and roasted garlic tomato sauce.

The Boyfriend and my calzones, stuffed, shaped, and ready for the oven.

Fifteen minutes later. Mine is on the left.

A peek inside the inside of my calzone-- ooey gooey with peppers, ricotta, and mozzarella. Yum!

Six Days and Counting...

With caucus night nearly upon us, just six days away-five if you count caucus night itself-Iowa Democrats are getting ready to decide who they want to choose as their presidential nominee. With Clinton, Edwards, and Obama in a virtual dead heat here in the state, it's anybody's guess what will happen on caucus night. Although I've been a loyal Edwards supporter for months now, I went to an Obama event this morning at Northwest Junior High School in Coralville. I got there early enough to sit in the second row (hence the pictures of the senator looking directly at me) which not only meant that I had a great view and was able to make eye contact with the senator, but also that I was able to meet Obama after his speech and shake his hand. And, to be honest, I found him incredibly inspiring. There is just something about the man-- not just what he says in a well honed stump speech, but what he makes you believe is possible about America. I realize this sounds a little hokey, but he truly does make you think that change is possible and the country can be a better place. I'm not saying that I'm abandoning Edwards, but I am carefully (re)considering my options and the candidates. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, here are a few other pictures from the Obama event today and a Hillary Clinton event I attended in Mount Pleasant, Iowa earlier this week.

Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack introduces Senator Barack Obama at a campaign event at Northwestern Junior High School in Coralville on Friday, December 28th.

Senator Barack Obama telling Iowans that it's time to "Stand for Change." And, stand they did at the end of his speech.

Former President Bill Clinton introduces Senator Hillary Clinton at Mount Pleasant High School on Wednesday, December 26th.

The Rooster Bride

My apologies to my three readers for being so delinquent in my posting. In the past week or so the Boyfriend and I traveled to New York for the wedding of my dear friend (see the picture of the bride to the left) and hosted the folks for a little visit to Iowa City. The wedding trip was delightful, but was notable for the little car mishap we had at about 2:00 a.m. along I-80. Apparently the alternator belt is an important thing to have checked before a car trip. I had the oil changed, but, alas, that wasn't enough. Thankfully, though, the friendly folks at Rick's 66 in South Bend, Indiana were able to fix the car and get us back on the road again without too much hassle. And, while the excursion to South Bend was unplanned, I did have what might be the best cheese danish I've ever eaten at the Country Bake Shop while we were waiting for the mechanics to finish up their work on the car.

After returning home, we had a little visit from Susan and Don. We ate at home on Thursday night. I zipped home from work to make sauteed kale with toasted pine nuts, roasted butternut squash, and apple sausage and sage cassoulet, with baked pears with brown sugar and hazelnuts for dessert. On Friday, Susan and Don treated to us to dinner at the Red Avocado. They had to leave on Saturday, but not before the four of us took a walk through the Raptor Rehabilitation Center at the Macbride Nature and Recreation Area. Devoted to rehabilitating sick and injured raptors, the Raptor Project cares for roughly 150 to 200 birds a year. At any one time, a dozen or so of their wards are on view for the public to visit and learn about. While I found many of the birds fascinating, my favorites were the Barred Owl, the Turkey Vulture, and the rather cantankerous Bald Eagle, Spirit.

Here are a couple of pictures from our little nature walk:

The Boyfriend skipping stones on Lake Macbride.

Don and Susan looking at fossils.