snacks on snacks

New blog title, new layout, new post. The excitement never ends!

Last Thanksgiving, I managed to document the end-to-end creation of a pumpkin pie, complete with pumpkin roasting. This year, I didn't quite have the time to roast a pumpkin, so Libby's was called in as a substitute. I made two pies, called (in Gap-isms) the "LY Pie" (last year pie, aka Heidi Swanson's Spice-Kissed Pumpkin Pie made with coconut milk) and the "TY Pie" (this year pie, aka Bobby Flay's Throwdown pie with a graham cracker crust). I also didn't manage to take ANY pictures, so these "inspiration photos" will have to do until I can steal some from Rachel's blog.


They were both pretty good, but not my best work ever. LY Pie's crust wasn't baked thoroughly, and I don't think there was enough sugar in the pie to offset the coconutiness. Too coconutty. And TY Pie's crust wasn't baked enough either, though it definitely had the better filling. The addition of heavy cream helps in that regard.


But I blame these shortcomings entirely on my oven. While making the TY Pie, butter in the crust melted and dripped through the edges of the tart pan and onto the bottom of the oven, where it started smoking like crazy. I had a smoke-filled apartment within seconds. Did my smoke detector go off? Yes, about two hours later, after I had already aired out the whole apartment but was working on baking the second pie at a higher oven temperature. I wonder if it's more sensitive to heat than smoke? Either way, it's a little disconcerting.

This year's Friendsgiving was a runaway success. We had 90% of the crew from last year, minus Julie (who is now visiting a boy in London) plus some new friendly faces. I'd also say that the food overall was somehow impossibly BETTER than last year. The turkey was perfect (thanks Tenley!), and all the sides truly hit the spot. And after watching both Home Alone and Love, Actually, I now feel totally in the holiday spirit.


And how could I not, especially after participating in Black Friday?? Total insanity! Gap was running a 50% Off The Whole Store event until 10AM (when I arrived), and it looked like a tornado had swept through the flagship store. There were clothes everywhere, people trying things on in the aisles, and an hour-long line that wrapped around the entire first floor. Insanity. The best part, though, was that at this flagship store, by 11AM, we had already generated as much retail volume as the store did last year for the whole day! Go get 'em, Gap!


In other news...
I felt the need to document some of the successful recipes I've created in the past few weeks, at the very least so I can refer back to them later.

Homemade Oreos, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen, which my boyfriend deemed "the best cookies I've ever made"


Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad (courtesy of Bon Appetit) - a lovely vegetarian complete meal, quite tasty. I substituted butternut squash for pumpkin, and used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. Would anyone like to get me some cayenne pepper for Christmas?


Turkey Pesto Meatballs (c/o Bon Appetit) - brought these to a potluck last week... well, hang on. I met up with Tim and some friends before heading to the potluck, but the meatballs got devoured before we actually made it there. They're that good. I used a 50/50 turkey/beef ratio, and Newman's Own Tomato Pesto Sauce. The best part? From grocery store to table, this meal was complete in an hour.


Happy cooking!

Reading: Liar's Poker, Michael Lewis
Listening: Glee's cover of Teenage Dream