Peanut Brittle Pie

Sometimes I make a baking choice based on the ingredients I have on hand. Last week I had a pie shell and corn syrup and casually asked Google what I could make. I then spent an hour surfing through recipes (so much fun!) and finally decided on Southern Peanut Butter Pie.

The recipe is pretty similar to a pecan pie (but with peanuts) and there is some peanut butter mixed in it as well. 

It is a simple recipe: beat together corn syrup, peanut butter, sugar, salt, and eggs. Fold in peanuts and pour into a pie shell.

The recipe said to bake at 375°F for 40 - 50 minutes, and by 20 minutes in it was already really browned. If I was to try this recipe again, I would probably start it on a lower temperature. The pie was really wobbly at 40 minutes, so I turned it down to 325°F and kept cooking, checking every five minutes. I overcooked it, I'm sure, but at least it set.

This pie ended up tasting a lot like peanut brittle. The first bite almost tastes a little too peanutty, but then it kinda evens out for the rest of the slice. Not sure if I would make this one again, but for the next few days I will enjoy it.

Giant Unexpected Cupcakes #FoodPicFriday

One of our neighbours is a retired baker, and over the weekend she sent over some cupcakes for us to enjoy. They were big. They were marble. There was so much thick, beautiful, chocolate icing, that it was impossible to eat without getting chocolate on my face. Absolutely fantastic.

Breaking Blog...

Well this is where a blog would go, if I hadn't started marathoning season one of Breaking Bad.

I'm sick with a cold, and sometimes the right cure is watching an excessive amount of a single TV show. Once, while sick with the flu, I watched a record 23 episodes of Golden Girls. In a row.

I'd only ever seen a handful of Breaking Bad eps, and John has repeatedly suggested I watch it from the beginning...and thanks to this cold, now I finally am.

I'd write more, but the couch and the tv are calling my name...

On Repeat: The Hobbit Extended Edition

I've been sick this week with a head cold and even though I know it could be worse, it is still no fun. I have had more energy than I normally do with colds, but I have been forced to take it easy which is way less fun than choosing to take it easy.

Keeping me company as I recover on the couch is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey extended edition. I have seen this movie about twenty times and I just seem to always have it on, especially this week. It is the comfort I need to just be still and feel better. I've also worked my way through all the bonus features/documentaries and I actually love the movie even more now. Which means it might be staying on repeat even after my cold has passed.

Southern Fried Chicken and Wedges

Big jugs of oil were on sale last week, so we got one with the idea that we would plan an elaborate deep fried dinner night. Maybe do onion rings, some vegetable tempura, a heap of french fries, and have a go at southern fried chicken. Well, the oil wasn't in the house 24 hours before John got good and excited about deep fry dinner. We let go of our elaborate plans and just had impromptu southern fried chicken and french fries. We have some oil left, so at some point we'll plan it properly and do "the works".

John worked his magic in the kitchen, first seasoning the chicken thighs and legs.

Then he marinated them in a buttermilk mixture.

And then coated them in flour and various spices.

He deep fried them to get them crispy, then continued cooking them in the oven until done.

He also deep fried a whole bunch of crispy and delicious potato wedges.

Impromptu deep fried dinner was a success! I think I could have eaten ten helpings of the wedges. They were really amazing. Why does deep fry have to taste so good!?!