It’s Monday again, can you believe it?! (Tuesday by the time you read this most likely). I’ve deprived you of an *actual* post for an entire week yet again. How do you put up with me? In my defense, I have a good reason!

I’m moving! That’s right. I’ve been apartment hunting and have stumbled across something lovely, which means I’m packing up my kitchen and moving onto somewhere bigger and better (and with a dishwasher!). So, hopefully once I’m settled into my sunny new kitchen, I’ll be a wee bit more consistent with posts. In the meantime, settle for some memes (baking-related rap lyrics are strongly encouraged and welcomed in the comments section).

If you’ve been living under a rock and don’t have access to the internet, you’ve probably never seen a meme, let alone the slew of them that have been flooding facebook since someone got hold of a meme creator website and singlehandedly stole the meme from geeks everywhere and made them suddenly mainstream. Now everyone’s meme-in’ (yeah, I made it a verb) about everything, funny or not.

AND GUESS WHO’S GOT TWO THUMBS AND IS JUMPIN’ ON THE BANDWAGON?

…THIS GIRL.

That’s right, kids! As if my failed attempts at humorous writing weren’t enough, every week you can expect a new baking-related meme by me, about me, making fun of me! I know, I know! You’re thinking, “Wow! It’s like I’ve won a contest without even winning!” Well, sit tight because I can also promise you a contest is coming in the very near future with a super duper prize that you won’t want to miss…unless you hate prizes and fun things and you like my blog comment section to be empty.

And speaking of my comments section… leave homegirl some love, already!

I was destined to be a baker. My mom was due to have me on March 13th, but instead I decided to make my way into the world on the Ides of March (the 15th). Why does being born the day after Pi Day make me more inclined to love sweets? Well, I like to think that my wee little self had it perfectly planned out so that I would not only get to eat my fill of pies on the 14th, but I’d get to stretch out the sugary celebrations with birthday cake the next day. I couldn’t, after all, share my birthday with pie. It’s only fair that two great things each get their own day in the sun! [I'm so modest...]

Anyway, I’ve spent a good week wracking my brain thinking of ways to celebrate. Would I go the sweet route and stick with classics and old standbys?

Or would I shun my sweet tooth and make something savory instead?

A chicken pot pie maybe…

Or perhaps a quiche?

In the end, my sweet tooth won out, but flaky crusts did not. I went with graham cracker crusts, married them with Italian meringue, and took the combo in two totally different directions.

Meet the s’mores pie [recipe at the end of this post!]

And the key lime!

Please excuse the poor lighting and the chocolate smudge on my messy stove. Knowing that I’d vowed to eat pie and only pie on 3.14, I took to biking 15 miles after work and then going to an hour and a half long yoga class, meaning I was up until the wee hours of the night, kitchenaid whirring and cocoa powder flying. Needless to say, my kitchen was a hot mess (okay I was too, who are we kidding?) and the lighting isn’t the greatest at midnight…

Given my rush to get both pies done and my general end-of-the-day tiredness, I made a few blunders with both pies–adding too much meringue to the key lime and not enough to the s’mores pie, believing Bon Appetit when they suggested that Italian meringue would be a good substitute for marshmallow fluff…

Therefore, I give you my take on the s’mores pie with adjustments to how I’ll most likely make it next time.

S’mores Pie
Components:

1 graham cracker crust [pre-made or homemade--your call!]
1 batch chocolate pudding
enough marshmallow to cover the top of a pie [this depends on your own personal preference of course and whether you'd prefer to use a marshmallow recipe or just a can of fluff]

For the crust:
1 1/2 C crushed graham crackers [I intended to make my own and skip the cornstarch in the store-bought but alas, I was short on time! 1 1/2 C is approximately one package of graham crackers in a box of three]
5 T melted unsalted butter
1/4 C sugar

Crush gram crackers in food processor or place in a ziplock bag and take a rolling pin and your aggression out on the poor things. Aim for a fine crumb. No one likes a hunk of graham cracker distracting them in the middle of their pie-eating! Add sugar to crumbs to combine. Mix in butter thoroughly and press mixture into a 9″ pie plate. Bake in pre-heated 375 oven for 6 minutes.

For the pudding:
[I used a recipe found on Smitten Kitchen with some adjustments as I could only get my hands on a 'semi-sweet' chocolate candy bar and it just didn't taste right]

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces 62% semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Hershey’s Special Dark and had to adjust the flavor with 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder, but if you’re not)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate (if you’re using sub-par chocolate like I did, the time for the supplemental cocoa is now! Add the sub-par chocolate first. Once it’s melted, add the cocoa powder). Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

2. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (I skipped this step. I’m lazy and had no lumps in my puddin’) and into the pre-baked graham cracker crust. You’ll most likely have extra pudding, so you can either grab a spoon [DON'T JUDGE ME!] or put the rest in ramekins, to which I will say, “OH YOU FANCY, HUH?”

For the topping 

Top with the marshmallow goodness of your choice: good ol’ fluff, Italian meringue, or a layer of homemade marshmallow. I would recommend filling a piping bag with whatever marshmallow you choose (the latter choice especially) and a fancy tip (I used an Ateco 869 for the key lime) and making the top pretty. Then you can either get out your kitchen blow torch [muahahaha] or stick your pie under the broiler til things look just golden brown and if you burn it, tell everyone you were trying to capture that authentic camp-fire burnt marshmallow experience…riiight.

Valentine’s Day can’t seem to catch a break. In one camp, there’s the single, heartbroken and even some coupled folk who write off February 14th as a ‘Hallmark holiday’ and rebuke the shiny red hearts of chocolates bedecked with bows and scoff at the overpriced flower ads that spam their inboxes. And then there are those who embrace the holiday, calling for reservations weeks in advance, spending money on flowers, chocolates and gifts because, well, how else do you celebrate Valentine’s Day with the one you love [or maybe just like a whole lot]?

Despite being unattached, I’m not bitter about Valentine’s Day. In fact, I unabashedly love Valentine’s Day. Rather than spending tons of money trying to woo over someone or donning black and drowning my sorrows in chocolates and Ryan Gosling [I call that 'Friday night'... I kid! sort of.], I like to do a little something different…

It’s no mystery that Valentine’s Day can be tough when you’re single, even if you’re normally happy about it. It can be a challenge to get through an episode of The Office without being inundated with jewelry ads or hearing your Pandora cut out to talk about ‘the most romantic time of your life’ every other song. Not to mention that a trip to CVS can make you feel like you’re suffocated by red cellophane, oversized teddy bears and greeting cards the size of Texas. So, I’m sure you’re wondering: if all of this makes people feel rotten, then what’s to love about February 14th?

I love Valentine’s Day because it’s like a giant post-it note on my calendar reminding me to take notice of the people in my life who bring me laughter, give me a kick in the ass when I need it, post snarky videos on my facebook wall when I’m having a rough day and who bring a boatload of joy to my life and to everyone who is lucky enough to know them. I know that commercialism isn’t the measure of love and, heck, I’m not a great gift giver anyhow. So, on that heart-filled day in February, I show love the best way that I can: by baking care packages for my single friends, to show them that even though they may not have anyone doting on them this year, it doesn’t mean they don’t sweeten up the lives of those around them :)

And, after 3 years of sending off baked love, I’ve learned a few things I’d like to share with you:

1. You don’t have to wait until Valentine’s Day to show your loved ones you care. My family came the week after, and I made my first creme brulee ever for my sister [it got her stamp of approval which is the highest praise I could ever hope to get. She makes it her mission to knock down my ego, especially with regard to my baking] and raspberry scones for my mom [her favorite].

2. When mailing Valentine’s Day items to friends in Canada, you may want to mail them a few weeks in advance to make sure they get through customs and arrive on time. This is especially important when you want said friends to know how appreciated they are for all the sweet things they do!

3. Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to show yourself some love! As my pal Tom Haverford would say, Treat. Yo. Self. Whether it be sleeping late and making yourself breakfast (heart shaped pancakes with lemon curd mmm) or treating yourself to something sweet and letting someone else do the work (thank you Barbuzzo for your salted caramel budino!), go ahead and thank you for being you!

I hope you all had an amazing Valentine’s Day!

xoxo

Chocolate Covered Orange-Chocolate Orange Cream-filled Shortbread Cookies [phew! that's a mouthful!] shortbread adapted from Epicurious.com

Cookies: ASSEMBLE!

Once the cookie shells are cool, take one heart, spread it with a layer of orange cream and top with another chocolate orange shortbread heart. How much cream you add is a matter of personal preference, so like any good baker, I would recommend that the first cookie be sacrificed to the greater good for you to determine whether you’ve added enough cream :) Continue assembling cookie sandwiches until you’ve used up all the shells.

And now for the best part… the chocolate dipping!

Chocolate is all a matter of personal preference. You could easily coat these little guys in white, milk, dark or bittersweet chocolate. Heck, you could even add a little bit of orange oil (not juice!!–your chocolate will seize and it will be bad news!) to your chocolate to make it even more orangey. Whatever chocolate you’re using, simply melt that (in the microwave, over a double boiler, whichever way you prefer), dip your cookies into the chocolate with a fork, extrude and place on a sheet of wax paper to harden. (If it’s a warm day, you may want to put the finished cookies in the freezer to harden.) Feel free to top with sprinkles, edible glitter (I’ve been on a kick lately!) or, as in this case, royal icing hearts. Happy baking!

I’m a New Englander in almost every way. I love that I can drive an hour and a half in any direction from my house and either hit the ocean or another state. I know that there are 3 kinds of clam chowder, though Rhode Island and New England are my favorites (probably because they’re products of NE). In fact I’ll eat a clam any way it can be served–steamed, fried, baked, stuffed, and [my favorite] raw on the half shell with a little cider vinegar. I can say without hesitation that New England is hard to beat when it comes to fall foliage–nobody does leaves like us [especially VT--and can we talk about their maple syrup? heavens me. Mrs. Butterwho?] And it’s pretty nifty that when I turn on the television in any part of the country, the newscaster will speak like I do.

But, while I take immense pride in my region, pride is not all a New Englander makes!

Where I fall short of earning the full-on New England badge is in my sports loyalties. I’m from smack-dab-in-the-middle central CT, which means that our stores have to sell equal parts Yankees and Red Sox paraphernalia. On this front, I’d like to say that I’m neutral, but if I had to choose, I’d go Yanks over Sox. This doesn’t lose me my NE card, however. See, while my part of the Nutmeg State may be divided when it comes to baseball, we’re less divided when it comes to football. Sure, you may find some Giants or Jets fans, or some Steelers (hi Katherine!) or Cowboys (hi Casey!) fans, but, for the most part, the Pats have a hold on the majority of the state. My dad, a huge Packers fan, will root for the Patriots because, as he says, ‘I’m from New England and they’re our team.’ I guess despite our baseball differences, New Englanders like to unify under the holy banner of the pigskin.

Me? I’ll take the maple flavored anything, apple harvest festivals, coffee milk, lobster rolls two ways (mayo or just simply butter, but always on a toasted buttered hot dog roll, thank you), Ben and Jerry’s and drive up 91 in autumn, but I will kindly pass on Tom Brady and his Patriots. I don’t really have a good reason; I’ve just never liked them and didn’t see a point in jumping on the bandwagon when we got a good looking quarterback.

So, when the Giants won last night, I wanted to decorate the chocolate cupcakes with silky peanut butter SMBC I had just baked and use only Giants logos. I was plotting to post them to facebook to taunt the sad stream of Pats fans on my newsfeed, but I thought better of it. I made cupcakes for both teams. So, in keeping with the divided tradition of my part of the state, I put aside my anti-Pats feelings and send congratulations to my friends who are NY fans and condolences to (most of) New England (well, except maybe Tom Brady. He goes home to Gisele; does he really need condolences?).

[just some of my favorites]

As I sat down to write this post, I wanted to talk about the past year in a way that wouldn’t ignore the downfalls, but still highlighted all of the huge accomplishments and change that happened this year. And, next to that, I intended to talk about what a major role food had in shaping my year. After deleting a few really wordy attempts at the start of a post, it clicked in my head that food and ‘everything else’ weren’t mutually exclusive.

January – April was a field exam fog. I had no posts for the majority of February, March and April, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t surrounded by food. I spent late nights crouched over 19th century non-canonical Irish literature eating aged stilton on crackers. When I was too stressed to sleep, I found comfort in the whirring of my kitchenaid or a stroll through the farmer’s market the next morning. I conquered my anxiety over having people over for dinner and found myself cooking for friends more frequently. In a way, the fact that I have no posts during all of this speaks to the way that while my brain was always occupied with my grad assistantship or my exam or looming graduation, food became so much a part of my life that I didn’t need to think about it. My kitchen was a safe space to think and create without needing to talk or write about it. I could simply eat and enjoy or pass along my creations to my ever-hungry and always grateful friends.

Somewhere along the way, I subconsciously realized how important food had become to me and wanted to do more with it. I registered for Eat, Write, Retreat, a food blogging conference in DC, with the naive assumption that I would leave and it would magically motivate me to consistently blog and I’d somehow gain a huge following and life would be ducky. Instead, I was challenged in ways I had never imagined and I learned more about myself than I had expected to at a food-focused conference. I’m thankful that my passion for food pushed me out of my comfort zone and onto a Megabus, headed for a conference where I knew absolutely no one and came out with a head full of ideas, a heightened interest in food photography and several new blogs to read and friends to follow!

I wish I could say that life slowed down post-graduation, or that I blogged as often as I wanted to. For a little while, I was able to focus on blogging and really dive into food photography. I built two versions of a lightbox and started reading up on food styling techniques. Life quickly caught up to me again and I spent my summer working full time, planning an event I had never attended all while trying to apply for jobs and figure out whether I was staying in Pennsylvania or moving back home to New England. It was a lot of stress to face, but I kept my head afloat and kept my kitchenaid going.

As silly as it may sound, I’m thankful that I have this crazy passion for food because it’s been the background to celebrations like graduation and getting a new job. It’s also given me normalcy in times of uncertainty. I take incredible solace in knowing that when I feel overwhelmed by things breaking or people sucking, I can turn on my kitchen light and get completely engrossed in a culinary project like making mozzarella cheese by hand or developing a recipe for chocolate Guiness whoopie pies with Baileys swiss meringue buttercream filling. When I look back at 2011, I’m not sad that I didn’t post more or take more beautiful pictures. I don’t want to be the best blogger in the universe. I’m happy just recognizing the gift I have in this crazy talent of mine and that no matter what happens in 2011, I’ll be able to get through it, just so long as I’m able to bake.

Here’s wishing you, dear readers, a 2012 filled with delicious food and the foresight to stop and be thankful for blessings that get you through all that life has to throw at you! Happy New Year!

The beauty of memory is that it can take something seemingly insignificant and conjure up something or someone important to our own personal histories.

Yesterday, my coworker Jeff and I ventured out for coffee. Jeff is always in tune with what’s going on in the Philly food scene, whether it be free food promos or great food trucks. So, when he asked me to get coffee from Rival Brothers Coffee, I was expecting a great cup of joe, a trip away from my desk and not much else.

There’s a lot to like about Rival Bros. Their prices aren’t steep, the quality is great, they take credit card and they have a step to help shorter folks reach the cream and sugar.

The best part of my Rival Bros. experience was the foam. The thick cloud of beautifully aerated milk took my mind racing to memories of a dear friend who passed three years ago.

Joao was not only my manager at Starbucks, but he was a great friend. He listened to my boy troubles, teased me when I needed to laugh, sang Christmas songs loudly and off key, and knew exactly which of my buttons to push. Most importantly, he believed in me way before I believed in myself. On days when my job as an administrative assistant left me feeling under appreciated, he reminded me how intelligent, hardworking and capable I was. He pushed me to go to grad school. When I would come visit him on my days off, he’d greet me with a cup of soy foam and a smile that lit up his face. Joao made the best foam. So much so that I stopped getting lattes, skipped the espresso and just ordered foam with a spoon. Yes, it’s probably weird, but Joao never seemed to mind. I haven’t ordered it since he passed, so I’m extra thankful for my latte yesterday. A tiny caffeinated cup of foam not only provided the chance to remember Joao, but it also made me realize that I finally see things about myself that he saw years ago. I hope he’s proud :)