Day 28: If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch...
I made this pie yesterday for an oscar party. For my first apple pie, I thought it turned out pretty good. Unfortunately I couldn't get a photo of it until it was already half gone...
Here's my recipe: Apple PieIngredients:-1 pie crust (frozen or homemade)For the filling:
-6 apples of any variety (I used a combination of braeburn and fuji)
-1 Tbsp of flour
-1 Tbsp sugar
-1 tsp of cinnamon
-1 Tbsp of butter
-2 tsp of lemon juiceFor the topping:
-1/3 c. sugar
-3/4 c. flour
-1 stick cold butter
-pinch of cinnamon
Instructions:1.) Invent universe 2.)Wash, peel, and core the apples, Cut them into thin slices and place in a large mixing bowl.3.)Mix in with the apples the rest of the ingredients under "filling" (the flour, sugar, cinnamon, butter, and lemon juice) 4.)Pour apple mixture into chilled pie crust. Pile the apples a couple inches higher than the edge of the pan, as they will shrink when baked. 5.) With a pastry cutter (or fork), mix together the ingredients for the crumbly topping (the sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon) in a small mixing bowl. You want to mix until there are no longer any chunks of butter and small crumbs have formed. 6.)Spread the crumbs on top of the pie7. Loosely cover the pie in tin foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 50 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the top starts turning brown (mine got a little overdone, so be careful) Enjoy:)
Day 27: It's a bird eat bird world
**Note: Due to classes, I'm a week behind on posting, and don't remember which day I made what. To keep it simple, everything will be written as if it were made today**
This was an expansion on yesterdays project. I thought it would be funny to have a bird feeder shaped like a bird. Not sure why, but the idea of a bird eating from this makes me smile:)
Day 26: Heart shaped bird feeder
**Note: Due to classes, I'm a week behind on posting, and don't remember which day I made what. To keep it simple, everything will be written as if it were made today**
When I was little I used to make bird feeders out of pine cones, peanut butter, and bird seed. It occurred to me that I could use forms of other shapes as well, which led to this:
It was made from a cardboard form with spread with peanut butter with birdseed stuck to it. I hung it at a park by my apartment for others to enjoy. I also added it to the flickr group A World in Love.
Day 25: Seatbelt belt for safety at all times
**Note: Due to classes, I'm a week behind on posting, and don't remember which day I made what. To keep it simple, everything will be written as if it were made today**
While I technically made this last year, some of the stitching did come out the other day, so I had to repair it. The belt is made from the seatbelt that I scavenged from an old Park Avenue. When I first made it I thought it would be rather uncomfortable due to the large belt buckle, but it actually doesn't bug me at all.
Day 24: Tap Wrench part 1
**Note: Due to classes, I'm a week behind on posting, and don't remember which day I made what. To keep it simple, everything will be written as if it were made today**
Today I machined the body of a tap wrench I'm making for my Design and Manufacturing class. It only took a few minutes on the metal lathe to round out the chamfers and steps. I still have to mill the groove, attach the handle, and thread part of the body.
Day 23: Yogurt
**Note: Due to classes, I'm a week behind on posting, and don't remember which day I made what. To keep it simple, everything will be written as if it were made today**
I ran out of yogurt today, so I made some more. It's a lot easier than it sounds, especially with a yogurt maker to take care of the incubation process. All you need is 2 tablespoons of old yogurt to act as a starter. Delicious:)
Day 22: Box 'o Spontaneity
**Note: Due to classes, I'm a week behind on posting, and don't remember which day I made what. To keep it simple, everything will be written as if it were made today**
Sometimes I get bored, and sometimes I have no ideas of what to do. That's what the Box 'o Spontaneity is for: it's around 200 ideas of things to do. Whenever I'm bored I can draw a card at random and do something spontaneous.
Day 21: Taking down the man one loaf at a time
Focaccia Bread: Ingredients:
6 3/4 tsps dry yeast
2 c. lukewarm water
4 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. olive oil
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp dry rosemary
1 tsp garlic powderoptional: grated parmesan or swiss cheese Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of the lukewarm water. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir to blend. Set aside the sponge until doubled in bulk (apprx 1 hour)Add the rest of the water to the sponge, and stir to blend. Then add the olive oil, and rosemary. Add more of the flour until the dough becomes too stiff to handle. Turn out on a floured board and knead in the rest of the flour. Continue kneading for a few more minutes until dough achieves uniform, elastic texture. Put dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside until double in bulk (apprx 1.5 hours). Punch down and divide into two balls. Roll each dough into an oval around half an inch thick. Place on greased cookie sheets and set aside until double in bulk (around .5 hour). If you want to add the cheese, sprinkle it on top now. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown.When the dough has risen, brush down with the melted butter and dimple the surface (push down firmly with your fingers until they hit the bottom, creating an even patter of holes an inch apart).
Day 20: Tea and Crumpets anyone???
1/2 cup boiling water (I added another 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water later)
1/2 cup milk
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup white bread flour, and 1 cup all purpose flour)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
greased crumpet rings
1) Combine milk and boiling water in a large bowl. Cool until lukewarm. Add yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until bubbly. 2) Mix salt with flour. Add to yeast mixture and beat with a spoon for several minutes. Let batter rise until doubled in bulk and slightly bubbly. 3) Beat dissolved soda into batter. (Add extra water here. You want the batter to be thicker than pancake batter, but thinner than biscuit batter. You want it to be thick enough that it doesn't run out of the rings, but thin enough that forms bubbles right away) Let rise again until doubled in bulk. 4) Heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Position buttered ring(s) in pan. Spoon batter into rings to a depth of about 1/2-inch. Cook until dry and bubbly on top, around 6 or 7 minutes. Remove rings, turn crumpets and brown lightly on the other side. Transfer to a rack to cool. (You may want to test first with one crumpet. If bubbles don't form on the surface immediately after hitting the pan, you need to add more water.) 5) Toast and butter to serve. Enjoy!Yield: 8 to 10 crumpets
The trick with crumpets is cooking them long enough that you get a gazillion little holes, but not too long so the bottom doesn't burn. My first couple got burnt (I was only doing them one at a time), but by the end I was achieving crumpet perfection. If you find you're burning them before the top cooks through, try turning the heat down, and making thinner crumpets.
Day 19: Snow!!! :)
