Zombie Chickens

I'd like to thank The Academy....

I have dreamt and dreamt and Dreamt of the day when the People of the Universe would Applaud my Efforts and spread word throughout the Cosmos of my Amazingness.  Friends, that day is finally here.  And it has come in the rather Unlikely Guise of the Zombie Chicken Award.  Speaking for the Universe as a whole, Svedie Pie has presented me with this rare and wonderful award.

So, what does this mean, exactly?  I mean, for me?  And for you, my Dear Readers?  Here are some possibilities:

1. I am a Zombie Chicken.
2. You are Zombie Chickens.
3. We all have the power to turn chickens into zombies.
4. The more I type zombie, the less it sounds like a Real Word.
5. If you read this blog, you will slowly be turned into a Zombie Chicken.  You might even be one now and not realize it.
6. I had no idea I am so Powerful.  Sorry about that.

Enough speculation.  According to Spokesperson for the Universe Svedie Pie, here’s what the award means:

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken– excellence, grace, and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words.

Thanks, Svedie Pie and the Universe, for thinking my content is remarkable and that I am Excellent and Graceful and Persistent.  I choose to be the eye of the Zombie Chicken Hurricane.  Here you will find shelter.  Here you will find hope.  Here you will find PMAT.

The Rules of ZC state that I need to pass this on to at least 5 other bloggers or I shall be Pecked to Death.  Rudeness.  Rudeness has no place in the Eye of the Hurricane, however.  Plus, I’m not a fan of Rules.  So, I am going to write down Things I have Learned from other bloggers; things for which I would indeed weather a Zombie Apocalypse:

1. A little fish sauce brings deep flavor without fishiness to so many things.  Thanks to Marc at No Recipes and to Todd and Diane over at White on Rice Couple for this amazing tip.
2. Potatoes bear fruit.  They look kind of like little tomatoes.  Don’t eat them–they are poisonous.  Thanks to Aoife over at The Daily Spud for this tip.
3. We can honor both globalization and eating locally by using local ingredients to reinterpret “exotic” fare.  Thanks to Tracey over at Tangled Noodle, for her insight, her research and her passion.
4. There is no limit on interpretation when it comes to the Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  Just ask Shane over at Imagine a Different World of Grilled Cheese.
5. Leftover pain au chocolat makes an excellent base for French Toast.  Camille from Croque Camille, who is Evil in the Best Way, gave me this little piece of information.
6. There are more flavors of ice cream to be made than there are stars in the sky.  Go see Anna from Very Small Anna if you don’t believe me.  Browse through her ice cream and sorbet posts for inspiration.

If you have been Pecked or Scratched by a Zombie Chicken on your way over here, I sincerely apologize.

Yay, A Ward! And the World Needs More Wards.

Don’t you think First, Make a Roux is a lovely blog title?  I rather do.  It’s the perfect name for someone from Louisiana.  The first time I wandered over there, I even said so in the comments section.   I went over there this morning to find that I have been awarded A Ward.  An award!  Nice!  It is called Honest Scrap.  I don’t know why it’s called that, but it’s orange, and there’s a hammer, so that’s cool.  Regardless, I am happy to be the recipient of Such a Thing.  Go check out First, Make a Roux; it’s nice over there.  Plus, she likes chick peas, which makes me like her even more.  I do enjoy a good chick pea.

At any rate, back to the award.  I am supposed to tag folks and then tell 10 honest things about myself.  I guess that’s where part of the Honest Scrap comes from.  Since I would never tell you anything dishonestly, I’m going to bend the rules and tell you my Ten Favorite Pastry Tips/Tricks, etc.

1. Rolling dough out between parchment is one of the best tricks ever.  It’s a great way to roll out gingerbread, graham crackers, and chocolate wafer cookie dough,too.  Since your rolling pin doesn’t stick, you don’t need to add more flour, and this equals a more tender end product.
2. Leaving cookie dough in the fridge for a day or two equals better cookies.  Hard to do, I know, but it’s true.
3. Use metal bowls for ice baths.  Metal will conduct the heat out of whatever you’re cooling quickly.  Glass, on the other hand, is an insulator.
4. Quick and dirty chocolate sauce:  equal parts corn syrup and cream heated to just below a boil.  Whisk in excellent quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate until the mixture coats your finger spoon.
5. To thicken standard buttercream made with 10X and butter, don’t keep adding sugar.  Sugar will just attract moisture and you’ll end up with soupy icing.  Thicken by adding a bit more butter and refrigerating, instead.
6. The lower you can bake a custard, the creamier and wonderful-er it will be.  If you have the time, try 200F in a water bath.  It’ll take forever, but the Reward will be Great.
7. The cookbook writer has no idea how hot your oven runs.  Use your senses to let you know when the cake is done.
8. Even though baking is a precise science, you have some room to play:  change up spices, add some herbs, stir in some dried fruit, add some citrus zest, substitute extracts.  Just a couple of pinches of nutmeg in a yellow cake make a huge difference.
9. Plastic wrap stretched over a pot on the stove will give you a very tight seal–much tighter than the lid.  Poke a hole in the center for steam to escape.
10. Steep herbs, spices, ground nuts or citrus zest in cream overnight and then strain, pressing down on the solids.  You now have a flavored cream for making custard or panna cotta.  Steep herbs or spices in ice cream base overnight, strain and spin for subtly flavored ice cream.

Blogs I Enjoy or Bloggers I Appreciate

So, the second part of this award is that I am supposed to pass this on to seven other blogs.   All of us are out here doing our part to provide Honest Scraps, in one form or another.  If this describes you, take this award with my blessing and pass it along, if you’d like.  I’m sharing this with all of you Scrappily Honest/Honestly Scrappy bloggers out there.  You know who you are.

I Am Officially Fabulous!

It's Official! I'm fabulous!

It’s official!  I have received my first blog award from my Irish potato-lovin’ friend over at The Daily Spud!  Yay!  I didn’t have anything prepared for my acceptance speech, so I will just say:  1)thank you very much.  2)Hi, Mom.  3)I’m goin’ to Disneyland. 4) Thank you for noticing my fabulousness.

Along with this award come rules.  The rules state that I must pass this award on to five other fabulous blogs and that I must speak to you of my addictions.  I’m not sure I’m ready to admit that I have any addictions, so I might not be ready for Bloggers Anonymous, but we’ll see how I feel after I flutter about and pass this along.  First, though–thanks to The Daily Spud.  I can’t hand this award back, because that’s not how it works, but I really think it’s pretty fabulous over there.  OK, let me commence to fluttering:

• To Joe at Joe Pastry who writes about the minutiae of pastry in a really entertaining way.  His posts are informative and detailed and wonderful.  And, he’s a stickler for correct pronunciation.  I appreciate that in a person.
• To Albert over at Pizza Therapy.  Wonderful pizza-y goodness awaits.  Information, vidoes, and yes, a blog.  All things pizza.  Plus pizza puns at no extra charge.
• To Chris at Beyond Ramen for a)finding a shortcut name meaning college-student-who-wants-to-eat-way-better-than-what-my-station-implies and for b) taking amazing pictures of amazing food.  He’s in Singapore right now–go see. (edit:  he’s home, now.  Go see, anyway).
• To Rosie and Jude at FiftyFourFoodMiles.  One is in Brighton, one is in London.  Fifty-four miles apart.  Get it?  It’s like Thelma and Louise.  Without guns.  And with good food.
• To Life’s Too Short for Mediocre Chocolate, because, well…it is.  Blogging about cooking and baking with real food.  Pretty sure they take a dim view of Cool Whip there, too.

And now, on to the bare-my-soul, True Confessions portion of the show.  The addictions.

Hello.  My name is Jenni, and I am addicted to (NOT in order of seriousness of addiction):

1. reading–I used to read on the back of my friend’s bicycle as she “drove” us home from elementary school.
2. cheese–I have never met a cheese I didn’t like.
3. email, facebook and other computer-related time sinks
4. the reality show marathon–It doesn’t matter what the show is, if it’s a marathon, I cannot look away.
5. tea–It is essential.  Right now, it’s cranberry green tea.

And there you have it.  I have been awarded a Fabulous Award by a Fabulous person.  I have now passed it on to five Fabulous People and have bared my soul.  Whew.

The beloved and I will be entertaining house guests for the next couple of days.  I will try to get in and write, partly because it is #6 on my addiction list, and partly because I’ve had some pretty compelling comments to my last couple of posts and want to address them.  Plus, Chris wants to know what kind of fruit he should put in his tarts.