The Snuggie taken to the logical conclusion
Cooking With TechyDad: Apple Pie
It’s been way too long since I’ve done a Cooking With TechyDad segment. It’s not that I haven’t been cooking. I’ve just been sticking to tried and true (and somewhat boring) recipes. Picking 39 pounds of apples gives me the perfect excuse to try something new. We had some frozen pie crust in our freezer so I figured this would be the perfect time to try making an apple pie.
First, I collected my ingredients: apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt.
Next, I peeled and sliced the apples.
After this, I added the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
After mixing, I had my pie filling.
My pie crust had been defrosting during this, so I put the apples into the shell and topped it with another defrosted crust.
It didn’t look the best, but I knew that looks only matter so much. I made a few slits on the top and into the oven it went. Before long, the pie was done. I was actually surprised at how good it looked.
Our mouths were watering. Just look at that delicious crust.
After the pie cooled, I sliced into it and… disaster! The apples had released their juices, flooded the pie, and soaked the bottom crust.
Taking the first slice out, the slice fell apart.
Obviously, I needed some kind of thickening agent in the filling. Something to bind or thicken the juices so they didn’t just flood the pie. The pie tasted terrific, don’t get me wrong, but next time I try this, I’ll tweak the recipe a bit to improve the results. And, with over 15 pounds of apples left, I will definitely have the chance to try this again.
Have you ever made an apple pie? How did you avoid a pie flood?
The Other Woman In Our Bed
There’s another woman in our lives and her name is Kimberly. We met Kimberly just eleven short days ago and she’s already turned our routine upside down. Before Kimberly, B used to knit or browse on her computer at night until she fell asleep. Lately, when it comes time for bed, B snuggles under the covers with Kimberly until she (B, that is) falls asleep. I will find them there laying side by side and I will need to move Kimberly out of the way before I can get into bed. I get a bit of time with Kimberly also, but mostly B has claimed her for herself.
In many ways, I just can’t compete with Kimberly. She’s much thinner than I am. Than I’ll ever be. And the stories she tells! I have about ten stories I can tell. Ask me to tell more and I begin to repeat myself. Kimberly, last time I counted, had over fifty. She’s pretty decent at games too.
So who is this invader of our home and our bed? What does she look like? Here’s a photo:
This, ladies and gentlemen, is Kimberly Kindle.
See how thin she is? We’ve already loaded her up with 50 eBooks and a few games like Jigsaw Words.
But why name an electronic device? B started it by saying she wanted to come up with a name for our video camera. I agreed that it needed a female’s name. I had my reasoning. (Let’s just say that I argued that the cheap, Flip-style camera we also had needed a male name.)
Meanwhile, I had won a Kindle Keyboard and we both took to it. Except B seemed to claim it as her own. With the video camera getting a name, it seemed only natural to give the Kindle one as well. And as I’m a fan of alliteration, Kimberly seemed to fit perfectly.
And that’s how Kimberly Kindle invaded our lives. Maybe tonight, I’ll change things up by laying down on the couch with Kimberly and having some fun… reading Peter and Wendy, that is!
Do you have a Kimberly Kindle (or perhaps her cousin Nancy Nook) in your life?
Review: Hot Wheels Custom Cars
My boys are big toy car fans, especially Hot Wheels cars. Heading down the toy car aisle is a dangerous affair as the kids will want “just one more car.” (Never mind the giant car bin in the house.)
The boys were eager to design a Hot Wheels Custom car featuring themselves. First, we needed a photo. This would have meant a long search through our photo archives, so I decided to take a new one. Here are the boys posing:
Those two smiling faces would soon be on a car. We chose the car type and decided on a name for vehicle. There is a character limit (21, if I recall correctly), but we came up with a good one. We even got to choose the cardboard backing.
After ordering, we just needed to sit back and wait. Then, the cars (see disclaimer below) came and the boys were eager to rip right into them. Here’s where we ran into a problem. The cars looked so nice in their packages that I didn’t want to open them. Here before me was a Hot Wheels car with my boys on it. I didn’t want that banged around and tossed in the box along with all the other Hot Wheels toys!
(Click to enlarge. The pixilated text on the car is from my photo editing since I don’t typically post NHL or JSL’s real names online.)
Luckily, the boys were easily distracted and the cars “disappeared.” They will be put away and given to the boys in the future. For now, I’m enjoying them in “mint” condition.
Although I didn’t open the boxes (yet), much is apparent through the packaging. The cars look just like they were purchased from a store. If that store stocked cars with your custom photo, name and cardboard backing. The photo quality is great as is the text on the side. It all looks exceptional.
Price-wise, it is more expensive than your average Hot Wheels car, but this is to be expected. Given the price of your typical custom photo product, the $7.99 (plus shipping and handling) isn’t too pricey. This would definitely be something I would recommend to give to someone as a gift (or get for a gift for yourself).
Disclaimer: Thanks to MomSelect, I was given a code for a free Hot Wheels Customs car and free shipping. The free shipping actually covered the cost of shipping two cars, so we decided to buy (and pay for) a second car.
Best Part Of Slow Cooker Apple Sauce? Hot Slow Cooker Apple Juice!
