F2: Dutch Babies

Welcome again to Friday's Feast. Today I'll be talking about making Dutch Babies. If you don't know what Friday's Feast is all about, please read the Friday's Feast page for a more detailed explanation. If you want to join in on the feast— be sure to leave a comment and include the URL to your post so I and others can know of your contribution. Also, if you want to see a particular topic— feel free to suggest it as well (I'm always looking for new inspirations).

Participants in this weeks Feast are as follows:

• Daisy @ Compost Happens
  The post that prompted me to write this post in the first place.

---

With inspirations from JC and Mrs. Mackinac

My wife loves these and likes to order them in a resturant if they are available. Since the resturant we usually order it from no longer carried it, we found a recipe for them by Julia Child and have been making it ourselves ever since.

Dutch Babies:

4 beaten egg yolks

2 T Cornstarch

1/4 C Lukewarm milk

1/4 C Lukewarm water

3/4 t Salt

1 T Sugar

Grated rind of 1 lemon

4-5 egg whites

2 T Butter

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Combine egg yolks, cornstarch, milk, water, salt, sugar and lemon rind together in a mixing bowl.
   

   The mixture from step 2.
3. Beat the egg whites until stiff.
4. Fold egg whites into the mixture from step 2.
   

   Folding the egg whites into the mixture.
5. In an iron skillet, melt the butter.
6. Pour the batter from step 4 into the skillet.
   

   The batter in the skillet.
7. Once set, place the skillet into the oven for 5 minutes.
   

   The finished product fresh out of the oven.
8. Serve with powdered sugar, lemon juice, or any jam or jelly you prefer.
9. Enjoy.

---

Next weeks topic is Groceries.

Do you shop for groceries, or does someone shop for you? Are there particular grocery stores that you like to shop at? How do you maintain your grocery list? Paper or Plastic?

So… if you have anything that relates to this topic, be sure to leave a comment and include the URL so I can include you in next weeks feast. Even if you have already posted on this topic in the past— your links are always welcome.

---

WW: Kiddieland… no more

While waiting to ride the train at Kiddieland I took the following photo:

I rather like the fact that the barbed wire shows up in front of the sign— gives it a sense of ominousness. Are there any nostalgic places that you remember as a child that are no longer around?

F2: Pie Pie Pie

Welcome again to Friday's Feast. Today I'll be talking about pie crust magic. If you don't know what Friday's Feast is all about, please read the Friday's Feast page for a more detailed explanation. If you want to join in on the feast— be sure to leave a comment and include the URL to your post so I and others can know of your contribution. Also, if you want to see a particular topic— feel free to suggest it as well (I'm always looking for new inspirations).

Participants in this weeks Feast are as follows:

• Liz @ Eternal Lizdom
  Her byline says it all: "Come, Sit. Enjoy some Lizdom and maybe some pie".

---

Three little kittens, they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,

Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear
That we have lost our mittens.

What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
You shall have no pie.

The three little kittens, they found their mittens,
And they began to cry,

Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,
Our mittens we have found.

Put on your mittens, you silly kittens,
And you shall have some pie.
Pie, Pie, Pie[1],
Oh, let us have some pie.

The three little kittens, put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie;

Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear
That we have soiled our mittens

What! Soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
They began to sigh.

The three little kittens, they washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry;

Oh! mother dear, do you not hear
That we have washed our mittens?

What! Washed your mittens, then you’re such good kittens.
But I smell a rat close by
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
We smell a rat close by.[2]

---

With inspirations from m²I

They say: "The secret is in the crust". So, rather than talk about how to make this pie or that pie, I decided that I would give you my secret to perfect pie crust. Makes two 9 inch crusts.

Perfect Pie Crust:

1 Stick of butter

6 T Vegetable shortening

2 ½ C Flower

3-6 T Cold water

1. Place the butter and shortening in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Add the flower.
3. Cut in the flower with the butter and shortening until well mixed.
   If you do not have a pastry cutter, use two butter knives cutting like you do when cutting up lettuce in a bowl.
4. With one hand, add the water about a tablespoon at a time.
5. With the other hand mix using a gentle squeezing motion.
   The secret here (shh… don't tell anybody) is to continue adding the water and mix until the dough feels like Play-dough.
6. Ball up the dough in the bowl and chill for 30 minutes in the refridgerator.
7. Cut in half and roll both halves for your favorite pie.

---

¹ Originally is "Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r"— but I changed it to be "Pie, Pie, Pie" because that is how I remembered hearing it.

² "Three Little Kittens" — first published in Eliza Follen's book:
New Nursery Songs for All Good Children in 1853.

---

Next weeks topic is breakfast. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"— I would hope that everybody has something to say about breakfast. Perhaps you have a favorite restaurant that you love eating breakfast at, or have a fond memory of breakfast as a child. Even talking about the latest children's cereal that you and/or your kids can't get enough of is fair game. So… if you have anything that relates to this topic, be sure to leave a comment and include the URL so I can include you in next weeks feast. Even if you have already posted on this topic in the past— your links are always welcome.

---

Be careful what you wish for…

The first sign of mental illness is hair on the toes
The second sign is looking for it.

Anonymous

When I was in 8th grade I was sitting along the gym wall at the start of gym class with the rest of the guys in class waiting to go outside for class. For some reason I noticed my lack of hair on my legs whereas others in my class had hair on their legs and wished I had more hair. Being an October child I should have known that my lack of hair was due to the fact that I was younger than my class and hadn't caught up in the hairy leg department yet. Of course being at that fragile age when you always want to be better than your peers, you tend to wish for things that you really have no control over. I'm sure that many of you have done the same— if not for hairy legs, then something else.

Fast forward six years…
By the time I was in college I realized that I was a "hairy man". I had hair everywhere— even on my toes (boy was I a hobbit). Probably due to this excess of hair, I wished again. This time I wished that I didn't have so much hair.

Fast forward to today…
One would think that hair loss would be maternal/paternal and that I should have the full set of hair my grandfather on my mother's side had— boy was I wrong. I have been thinning ever since I graduated from college (I tend to blame it on my crazy wish). This doesn't stop my first wish from still being true in more ways than one. I still have hair in unexpected places. It's as if all the hair I used to have on my head was now transplanted to strange places such as my ears and eyebrows.

I mentioned this to a co-worker to which they told me that I better be glad that all my hair wasn't summed up in one follicle. Imagine if all your hair was in one hair follicle coming out the top of your head. You would have to weave it into your head, eyebrows, etc. Gives new meaning to having a weave doesn't it…

F2: Favorites

Welcome again to Friday's Feast. Today I'll be talking about favorites. If you don't know what Friday's Feast is all about, please read the Friday's Feast page for a more detailed explanation. If you want to join in on the feast— be sure to leave a comment and include the URL to your post so I and others can know of your contribution.

Participants in this weeks Feast are as follows:

• m²I @ Ca-Joh
  One of my favorite places to eat.

---

I am the kind of person who cannot be locked down to a given taste. Not that my tastes change frequently, but I tend to not want to go with whatever is popular at the moment. What I have noticed is that a lot of my favorites tend to be ahead of their time and that those things I like soon become popular.

My wife and I have recently been watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network channel. Every time we watch it we have to ask each other what is our favorite this or favorite that. So… these are a few of my favorite things:¹

Favorite Burger

My favorite Burger was at Uncle Dan's in Woodstock Illinois. Unfortunately that restaurant no longer exists— so you'll have to trust my word.²

Favorite Calamari

My favorite Calamari was at The Daily Bar and Grill in Chicago. Unfortunately the owners have changed on this restaurant and they no longer serve this dish.²

Favorite Hot Dog

My favorite Hot Dog was at Hot Doug's in Chicago. Even though I had to wait over two hours, it was worth the wait.

Favorite Ice Cream

My favorite ice cream is Rocky Road served at Baskin Robbins. I have other favorite flavors as well, but have liked Rocky Road the longest.

Favorite Pizza

My favorite Pizza was at Uno's in Chicago. I will have to agree with Duff on this one.

Favorite Steak

I must admit that my favorite steak was at Mo's…A Place for Steaks in Milwaukee. I had their Fillet Minion and it was tender and suculant.

I am sure that there are other favorites I have as well— but figured I would let you share what favorites you have in order to whet my appetite a bit further.

---

¹ My apologies for making you think of the song from Sound of Music.

² I'll save talking about discontinued restaurants for another post.

---

Next weeks topic is Pie. Perhaps you have a memory of your first slice of pie, or you have a restaurant that you always order the pie at. Perhaps you have some secret way of cooking a pie so that it turns out just right. So… if you have anything that relates to this topic, be sure to leave a comment and include the URL so I can include you in next weeks feast. Even if you have already posted on this topic in the past— your links are always welcome.

---

Rhyming Wednesday: Fear

In honor of Otin's Rhyming Wednesday I am contributing one of my poems inspired by a picture.

---

One day when I was doodling topographical lines in the shape of an island (yes, I'm geeky like that)… I noticed that the lines resembled a face. After drawing one of the eyes in, I noticed that there was another face showing as well. When I was finished… I had the following picture:

If you look at the picture it looks like there is a sinister face that is making the other face recoil in fear. After looking at this picture, I was inspired to write the following poem:

Fear… of what may I ask?
of being in or out of task;
or being with or without pass.

Passing through the door of fear
is like passing into another world;
it can be so strange at times to make you curled.

Curled up so much, that only you can see your fears
others try, but can only guess at where.

Where, it's only possibly yourself.

So get going, get out of the grip of fear;
which may last for years
And years.

cj81'

---

I rather like the way in which I take the last line of the previous phrase and use it in the next line. I have used this technique in future poems that I have written as well. I do not think that any of my other poems are inspired by a drawing or photo. Perhaps I should do this type of poem more often.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

My apologies for quoting David Bowie's Changes song.

For those who read my posts through a reader you probably do not see any difference— but for those who visit my web site clearly see something different. I got a bit tired of the rounders template I had and decided to use a different blogger template. To quote a line from a recent Old Navy™ campaign: "I need a new pair of Jeans"… so I chose Denim.

I hope you like it.