Monday, November 26, 2012

Skillet Apple Pie

Thanksgiving.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  I know I had/have a lot to be thankful for.

I was responsible for the apple pie at our Thanksgiving celebration in Brookhaven, MS this year, which put the pressure on a bit.  Up north this is always something Grandma is in charge of and she always delivers; I guess I hold myself to this standard, too.  I mentioned this to a patient I was seeing on my family practice rotation and she had just the recipe for me - Easy Skillet Apple Pie.  After a short description, I was sold.  (Really, she had me at easy)

It turned out great and was equally delicious.  Pardon these terrible pictures of the process, but I was having too much fun being in the kitchen with my mama to be burdened with Instagram quality photos.    You'll get the jist.

I'm fairly sure this is where she got the recipe; she brought me in a copied page which doesn't say its source.  I made a few changes, but nothing dramatic.

Preheat oven to 350.  Peel apples and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges.  Toss apples with cinnamon and granulated sugar.


Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-ion skillet over medium heat; add brown sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.


Remove from heat and place 1 piecrust in skillet over brown sugar mixture. {Put your piecrust in the skillet to measure it before melting the butter and brown sugar, I could have rolled mine a bit bigger so that it came up higher on the sides.  It was tricky to pinch the two crusts together once it is filled with the apples.}  Spoon apple mixture over piecrust, and top with remaining piecrust.  Whisk egg white until foamy. Brush top of piecrust with egg white; sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Cut 4 or 5 slits in top for steam to escape.


Bake for 1 hour to 1hour 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly, shielding with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.  {I set my timer for 50 mins to remind me to add the foil if I needed, which I did, but just around the crust.  Then I baked it for another 10 mins.}  Cool on a wire rack 30 mins before serving.  Serve with butter-pecan ice cream.  {I made mine the day ahead and it still tasted great.  We're not fancy, so we had vanilla ice cream.}


What made this so yummy was how the brown sugar and butter caramelizes in the bottom and even seeped up on the top.  Its not overwhelming or too sweet, just enough. And, well, I love that you can make it and store in in your skillet.  I'm a Minnesota girl, so using my skillet still comes as a novelty to me.


Easy Skillet Apple Pie 
[make-ahead, party-perfect]

Makes: 8-10 servings
Hands-on time: 20 mins {um, yeah right, peeling and cutting the apples took forever}
Total Time: 1hr 50min 

Ingredients:
2 lb Granny Smith apples
2 lb Braeburn apples*
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 c butter
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 (14.1 oz) package refrigerated piecrusts
1 egg white
2 Tbsp granulated sugar**
Butter-pecan ice cream

*I could only find Granny Smith, so I used 4 lbs. of those and it tasted fine and we had some extra due to the piecrust 'issue' I mentioned above.  

**I only used about 1 Tbsp, which seemed to cover the crust enough.  Do as you wish.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Memphis Showered us with Love

Bo and I headed up to Memphis this weekend for a baby shower, one last trip out of Mississippi before Little Lady arrives.  It was great.  I really couldn't have asked for anything better - good company, good food, and lots of good memories.  Most notably, the running out of beer one hour into the festivities.  I did mention this was a baby shower, right?  I may have forgotten to mention this baby shower included a keg.  All in all, everything else ran quite smoothly and I was happy to see and visit with so many friends and family.  Bo and I are so lucky.

Our most gracious host, Ruth Ellen, opened her home to host the shower and with the help of my MIL, April and sister-in-law Emi it turned out amazingly.  Here are a few pictures of the fantastic food they prepared...



And the beautiful table centerpiece...




 Oh!  And the dessert table was not to be missed...




I must give much thanks to Jonathan Jerkins for taking all these fantastic pictures.  Thanks buddy.


Cheers to 34 weeks.  We're getting to the home stretch!



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Nursery News

The nursery is in the making!  Little Girl will be here before we know it and I'm still waiting for the walls to get painted!  Hopefully that will happen this week (fingers crossed, please).  Here's what we had to work with...

I'll miss seeing Grandma's quilt everyday,
but she's making one for Little Girl - stay tuned!



You'll see our first DIY project above - the unfinished dresser - and I don't know if I'd wish this project on anyone.  I guess it was pretty painless, but we probably could have found one finished.  The motivation was that this was made in good old U-S-of-A out of [semi-local] North Carolina pine.  

The result was good, but painting sure is a chore!  And then there was the knob debacle.  The front panels of the drawers are made with two layers of wood so, I couldn't get the oh-so-adorable and oh-so-much-cheaper knobs from Hobby Lobby.  I guess the Martha Stewart ones from Lowe's will be fine...

Her's Bo doing a little preliminary sanding.
And the finished product! 
The crib bedding should be arriving this week (yay!) and my parents are shipping some IKEA shelving, which should arrive next week (double yay!).  So as stated above - keep your fingers crossed that we get some new paint this week and all should start to come together nicely.

Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!  
31 weeks and counting!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A second life for a new chair

Let the nesting begin.  There's been much back and forth about all the thrift store furniture in our house - keep it and recover? or scour the likes of Hattiesburg for something new?  Final decision?  We love it too much to get rid of it.  There's nothing like 1950s craftsmanship, right?

After [finally] finding an upholstery person in this [god-forsaken-deep-south-podunk] town, we started in our $12 mod-chair. (It was originally $25, but, alas, half-price day at the DAV on Summer in Memphis = score for the Brady's).  When you see the following picture, you may not believe I'd pay even $12 for it, but I promise you, it did not look so haggard pre-kitty living.


I'd always envisioned a houndstooth fabric to recover it with and found the perfect one at Calico Corner on a recent trip to Memphis.  I think the results are fantastic.  Our upholsterer removed all the old springs, replacing them with new foam.  The chair is so comfortable!!


Next up: Couch and chair, oh yeah, and the nursery....more Nesting Brady Style to come!

[Sidenote: here's what the chair looks like most of the time to avoid a repeat kitty disaster....Ha!]

Monday, September 17, 2012

Check you later Saint Andrews Fairway

We made a trip up to Memphis this weekend to bid farewell to the Brady Abode at 177 Saint Andrews Fairway.  It was bittersweet, but if I know the Brady Bunch, we'll have another great house to enjoy in the near future.

I indulged all my pregnancy cravings to the fullest this weekend - Muddy's Bakery, breakfast biscuit from Bryant's, Gibson's Doughnuts and this list goes on...what a joy that was - and without guilt.  Ha!

It was great to see everyone, why does it always go so fast?!?  Back to the grind, the surgery grind for another couple of weeks.  Happy Monday to all!

A little Nanu lovin' for baby to be.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

When Bo and I moved down to Hattiesburg, we acquired a Night Blooming Cereus from my MIL.  She'd been caring for it until I had a place to put it, which I finally did.  We couldn't have picked a better spot for this tropical plant to thrive.

You're probably Googling it right now or have closed this window due to lack of interest, but this plant has serious character.  Its story may remind some of you of the plant Mr. Wilson pours himself over in Dennis the Menace; and though they have similarities - they aren't quite the same. 

What makes it so special is the way it blooms.  The plant itself is pretty unattractive, large waxy leaves with tall stalks shooting out everywhere; a bit of an eyesore really.  So, back to the blooms.  They begin like this, coming straight out of the leaves:


They continue in this manner for about 23 days.  Like so:



Many thanks to my doting husband for these pictures.

You'll know the time is coming for the bloom because it will start to curl around itself in a horseshoe shape.  The craziest part about this little gem is that it only blooms once and this will only happen at night!  Starting at sunset, it begins to open.  Then fully baring its glory into the night.  The reason for this, you may be asking yourself?  It gets pollinated by bats and moths - creatures of the night.  And the smell -- its amazing.  It'll reach you from ten feet away!  

This thing is about the size of a small cantaloupe!

Of course, mine decided to bloom for the first time ever while I'm stationed ninety miles away in Meridian, MS.  But at last look, we have five more buds - keep your fingers crossed I'll get to enjoy more than the photos this next time around.

Here's a pretty cool youtube link of a bloom opening.

Hope all is well with y'all out there!  I sure am enjoying being out of the classroom and on rotations - last count: 10 babies delivered!  Missing my little honey down in Hattiesburg, but only one more week and I'll be home sweet home again (and ready to start nesting already!).  As many of you have been asking, here is the latest 'belly pic' - sorry for the poor quality...

22 weeks


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Well, today was the big reveal day at the obstetrician.  I wanted a surprise, Bo had to know...so in the end we found out we have a healthy baby with all the necessary parts and....drumroll, please.....


This came as a shock to both of us, as we'd been thinking - boy, boy, BOY all along.  Grandparents were in a 3 to 1 vote for girl, so I guess we should always listen to our elders.  Of course, we are so thrilled to be having a girl.  Now, the topic is who she will be more like.  My vote is for more like Bo and with her low heartbeat recordings we're on track to making that happen, i.e. very mellow.

What did y'all think we'd have?  Are you as shocked as we were?!

I leave you with one, and only one, ultrasound picture of our little lady.


Tuesday, July 31, 2012

This is the best darn salmon recipe.  Its from the chef who prepared meals on Air Force One, you can read the Commercial Appeal article about him here
(BTW: the meatloaf is pretty fabulous as well.)


Bo and I decided to have it as "our last meal together" before I head up to Meridian, MS to begin my first clinical rotation.  As usual, it tasted wonderful.  Of course, I'm wasn't on top of things so I only have  an after picture, but here's how we prepare it (I'm inevitable always missing at least one ingredient, but it never seems to matter).

Several hours ahead of time, soak a cedar plank in water.  If you don't have one, you can put the salmon on tin foil, but make sure to spray it with a non-stick spray to make removing the grilled salmon easier.  I do recommend the cedar plank, it gives the salmon a rich, smokey flavor. You can pick some up here or here.  They say single use, but we use those puppies until they are charred to a crisp; just store them in a plastic bag.

About a half hour ahead to time, put the salmon, about 2 lbs, in a gallon Ziplock bag with the salmon marinade:

1c soy sauce
2T brown sugar
1T minced garlic 
1/4tsp minced ginger

We did our marinade on the fly last night, leaving it in there for a bout 10mins.  Not ideal, but it still tasted great.  I also don't measure out the soy sauce, just make sure the salmon is good and coated.  Also, I never have the fresh ginger, which is good, but hardly worth a trip to the store if you don't have it.

At this point, ask your faithful Grill Master to fire up the grill to medium-high. Also, place the cedar plank on the grill, its ready to go when it starts smoking.  
While this is going on, you can prepare the glaze:

2T brown sugar
2T honey
1T dijon mustard

Once the plank is smoking, place the salmon on it with salt, pepper and a few sprigs of rosemary on top.  Again, I never have rosemary on hand, but those of you with those gigantic bushes in your yard will be in luck!

Grill the salmon for 20 minutes.  
During the last minute, spread the glaze on the salmon.  

Enjoy!  


                 




Monday, July 9, 2012

Fear not, loyal readers (all five of you), I have not abandoned you yet!  T-minus seven days until the big day of reckoning, i.e. COMLEX 1.  Hopefully, I'll be able to surface a little more often after that.  I'll leave you with a few pictures of Our Summer Vacation 2011, currently my place of calm and meditation: 

Jasper, British Columbia

Yoho National Park, British Columbia

Bowman Lake, Polebridge, Montana 

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Today is our 2nd Anniversary, though it's been almost a decade since I met this fine fellow.  A young skater that I would quickly fall in love with, though I claim he only kept me around in the beginning for a free place to stay in Vail.  Whatever works, ya know?  
We've made quite a life together, across many miles and milestones.  
I love you more than words can express, Bo Brady.

  In the beginning, a little snap shot from 2003.  Don't we look young?!

Monday, June 18, 2012

The Brady Backyard is in full swing, with lots of rain and sunshine, we're hoping for a plentiful crop this summer.  I picked our first ripe tomatoes this week, though I'm sure we've had a few more - I'm currently at odds with the squirrels, birds and caterpillars.  Any advice for getting rid of my pests? I've tried this and some sort of spray that promised to get rid of caterpillars of all kinds.


This is my first attempt a peppers other than jalapenos, though it's supposed to be a yellow pepper - stay tuned. We also have red peppers, but that were the first attack of the caterpillars and aren't looking too good at the moment. 
I'm also trying cucumbers this year.  I've managed to keep them contained in our little 4'x4' garden, for fear the lawn guys will have their way should a loose vine slip out.  So far, so good.  Bo tasted our first one a couple weeks ago and said it was delicious.  A little to fragrant for my liking at the time, this was still during my morning-alternating-with-night-time-sickness.  Oh, the good times of my first trimester.


As a Minnesota girl, I'd never heard of okra until moving to Memphis where I learned from a master, my mother-in-law has a great backyard garden filled will all kinds of goodies throughout the year.  I loved watching the okra bloom from our upstairs window in the backhouse when we stayed [ok, lived] there for a couple months.  They are so fun to watch because they grow so fast!  I still really only like eating fried okra; I just can't get past that slimy-when-steamed thing they've go going on.


I'm thankful to have this little backyard escape.  Something to tend to and nurture, good practice for the upcoming future?  Maybe.  Mostly, I think we all need a little something in our lives that we can take pride in and learn from.  Like, don't plant the jalapenos in between the okra and the tomatoes - they won't get enough sun... 



Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Now that summer is in full swing, here are a few little applicable tidbits from my last pharmacology lecture [good riddance to the lecture hall!!]:


SPF.  Do you know what it stands for?  To be honest, I'd never thought about it.  I just grab the least smelly, highest number I can find.  It stands for Sunscreen Protection Factor and is a measure of the effectiveness in absorbing erythrogenic (in non-medical speak this means red-skin-making) UV light.  


We all know to buy the sunscreens that say UVA and UVB absorbing, but why you may wonder?  Well, UVB coverage will take care of most of the sunburns, but the UVA protection is what all the ladies want - protection from skin aging and the dreaded cancer.


Here are a few fun facts (well, I'm a med school dork, so I think they are interesting) about sunscreen:

  • Max SPF coverage stops at SPF 50, anything more will not give you more protection - i.e. avoid paying more for SPF 1001
  • You should be using at least SPF 15, which will protect you from sunburn, early aging and skin cancer; for all you using less than that...well...that's just plain silly.
  • If it says 'water resistant', this only means for water resistant for 40-80 minutes and then you have to re-apply - I know, I know, this is the sucky part, where you get full of sand and no one wants to do your back. Alas, a solution, they have this crazy new sunscreen invention - the aerosol.  Have you tried it?? Bo is a huge fan of Bullfrog Marathon Mist.
As I step off my student-doctor pedestal, I'll leave you with a few pics from Bo and my most recent trip to the beach.  One last hoo-rah before I hunker down in a quiet hole for five weeks to study for The Boards.

A nice little spot under the umbrella with my [virgin] strawberry-mango daiquiri.



I love how Bo's Shadow looks like he's wearing a loin cloth.  Ha.

The water was the most clear and clam I've seen in Sandestin, it was such a treat.  Normally, I'm a chicken when the waves are too big, i.e. I'm at the pool.

*Apologies for the Instagram repeats*

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Well, I'm blogging. Who'd have ever thought?  I sit here faced with one last final pharmacology exam, first step of medical boards looming ahead and we're having a baby.  I guess there is no better time to start this blog then when I can't possibly fit anything else in this packed schedule.  You only live once.


I cannot say what this blog will amount to.  Honestly, I'm getting a bit tired of Facebook and now that Instagram is following suit - I'm diving headfirst into the blog-o-sphere.  Leslie, I'm following in your footsteps...