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On Thursday, Badge, Riley, Spike and I hustled over to Mira Mesa to watch Avatar on IMAX 3D. Thinking we were slick, we arrived an hour early, only to discover 60 people already waiting in line to enter the theater. Seriously? It's a noon showing people! Go home! At least, we picked up some grub from Panera to nibble on while we waited. Once the movie started, I got a little dizzy from the 3D effects but my eyes adjusted quickly. The movie itself was great. Straightforward plot, kick ass action scenes, amazing eye candy. What else could you ask for? I would definitely recommend seeing it in IMAX though. It's quite an experience.
We emerged from the movie a bit dazed (the movie was a little under 3 hours long), but had enough energy to stop by Whole Foods for some NYE grocery shopping. Once home, I whisked up a key lime pie (Riley's favorite) and made dough for the apple pie. Amazingly, the key lime pie recipe I found was very easy and used few ingredients. It came highly rated so I knew it'd turn out well. The pie crust recipe I found on Pioneer Woman's site. I've never been particularly satisfied with any pie crust recipe I've tried but PW hasn't let me down yet. Unfortunately I didn't have vinegar so I went without. I also might have incorporated the flour and crisco too much as my dough was wetter that I anticipated.
By the time I threw the dough into the fridge to chill, it was 5pm and the three of us were starving. We decided to eat our last meal of 2009 at Buga, a delicious Korean bbq restaurant in Clairemont. We ordered several sushi rolls and our usual bbq fare of bulgogi and galbee. Riley, who had never eaten Korean food before, found the meal tasty though he was no fan of the kimchi (Badge and I went to town on the kimchi). After dinner, I finished making the apple pie - the filling recipe came from Monkey - just in time to welcome the Gordon clan for our NYE gathering. That night, we played poker, snacked, ate pizza and pie, drank champagne and welcomed the new year. Happy new year everyone!
Key lime pie, topped with whipped cream and impromptu lime design (recipe at end of post). Was a hit with the family.
Apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Pie crust came out great!
Intense poker playing.
Badge taking the pot.
Grandkids with grandparents.
Kimbo and Sophie.
On the first day of 2010, we went to the park with the Geraghtys to throw the ol' pigskin around. I did some yoga on the side while the boys ran around. Sophie generally wandered towards the action, occasionally getting hit by the soccer ball but never crying because she's a badass. No seriously, she's the toughest toddler I've ever seen.
Riley throwing a Hail Mary.
Badge flexing his muscles. What a champ.
Best picture of the day.
Sophie wearing the Taiwan tshirt we got her. Too goddamn cute.
Sophie supervising Kris and I in downward dog.
That afternoon, we squeezed in some shopping and a quick settlers game. I won, making that 5 times in a row. Badge was very angry at me and sulked in the corner. Now I know how Monkey felt when I obsessed about beating her. At some point, we watched Rocky IV, my favorite. How awesome is the Hearts on Fire training montage? Doesn't it inspire you to just get out there and fight a genetically engineered Russian? Trivia: Dolph Lundgren (the Russian) went to MIT for a bit before dropping out to pursue acting.
For dinner, we met up with everyone again (Dog and Luna included) at Cozymel's, followed by ice cream at Ben & Jerry's.
On Saturday, Badge and Si went to play soccer in Point Loma. We met up afterwards and hit up In & Out for Riley's final CA meal of the trip. Then it was off to the airport where we said our farewells. Till next time, Riley!
More pictures available here
Key Lime Pie
Courtesy of AllRecipes.com
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
3 cups sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup key lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream if desired.
Graham Cracker Crust
Courtesy of AllRecipes.com
1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and cinnamon until well blended . Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7 minutes. Cool. If recipe calls for unbaked pie shell, just chill for about 1 hour.
Apple Pie
Courtesy of Monkey
filling:
6 golden delicious apples (i used 6 granny smiths and i think i like that better)
2/3 cup sugar (bc grannies are more tart, i upped the sugar to 1 cup)
cinnamon (i just shake the cinnamon about. maybe 2 tsp? 1 tbs? this is flexible but don't overdo it)
dash nutmeg (i shake it a couple of times)
3 tbs flour
peel and slice apples (~ 1/2 inch slices is fine). combine all ingredients together in a big bowl. lay out your crust and put the apples in (mound in center). put the other half of pie crust on, crimp edges and cut 4 big slits in. shake more sugar on top of the pie.
the original recipe said to bake for 40-45 min at 350. cook's illustrated said to bake for 25 min at 425 and then lower temp to 375 and bake for 30 more min. i followed the cook's illustrated baking time but my edges got a bit burnt so next time i will do the 350. probably doesn't matter too much.
Sylvia’s Perfect Pie Crust
Courtesy of Pioneer Woman
1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1 whole Egg
5 Tablespoons Cold Water
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt
In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.
Love the new layout and the post with all the pics. Yeah, I changed my layout, but it went something like this: "You wanna new template?" asks Sis. "Sure, but not one with pink," I respond. "This one's ok?" she inquires. "Do it."