Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Impossible Pie!

Hello, everybody! I'm baaaaaack! I've got a recipe my sister told me about. I wasn't too thrilled about the title because I already have enough trouble with the POSSIBLE recipes. But, I decided to give it a whirl.
 Photo credit: allrecipes.com
Here's the recipe I used at allrecipes. I should have read the reviews first, because after I got started, I read that almost everyone who was thrilled with the pie added MORE coconut and FEWER eggs. But it turned out all right.
(Frankenstein, Universal Studios, 1931)
Before everyone who is dieting grabs their pitchforks, lights the bonfire, and ties me to the stake- let me just say this pie is supposed to be healthy. Wait, that's not right. It's supposed to be low calories. No... wait, still not it. I think the deal is that the sugar and the protein are balanced, and therefore your body doesn't grab all the sugar and run wild with it. (Did I get that right, Susie?)

  The original recipe is:
 2 cups milk
1 cup coconut
4 eggs
6 TBS margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg

But you know me (or you should by now) and I made a few changes... not because I'm overly confident in the kitchen and think I know better, but because I didn't have nutmeg or vanilla. (I KNOW! What on earth happened in my pantry?? The vanilla and nutmeg sprites came by and cleaned me out.)

 So, I substituted a little cinnamon for the nutmeg and maple for the vanilla. (Hey, my options were cloves and peppermint.)  You throw all these ingredients into the blender. Really, just lob them in.  Hit the button. Then pour it into the pie pan.
                                       
(Good heavens. This is the point where I almost gave up. Two pans? Three? Down the drain?)
 I doubled the recipe because I'm deep-down an optimistic person and if it's a winning recipe, I wan there to be TWO delicious pies! Unfortunately, as I was pouring the mix into the pans, I started thinking about those eggs. Don't eggs fluff up? Won't these spill over? Am I dooming my nice, clean oven? I put them in, put a cookie sheet underneath (WHERE ARE THE COOKIE SHEETS?) and hoped for the best. As usual, I've realized it's Tuesday at the very end of Tuesday, specifically coming back from the library where I was working on edits.
 So, I couldn't wait around to see if the pies were going to go all Mt. Vesuvius on my oven. I had little kids to put in bed, since it was already an hour past their bedtime.
There... Done. Small people tucked in. Now for the great "pie watch".
While we wait, we can just chat. Pull up a chair, I'll make some coffee. We can talk about... life.
  Is it just me, or do you guys ever get the sense that we're all just a few steps behind? (Or for me, a whole day behind.) I just read an article where a psychologist and a physicist declared we were actually living in the past, perpetually, with no chance of escape. How? You see, we  process the world around us a fraction of a second after something has happened, so we never do live in the present... ever.
 It made me feel better. I will NEVER CATCH UP so I'm just going to stop trying! I love science.
Speaking of other wonderful things, don't you love this art by Kristy Zink? I gave away a picture like this on my blog, and she sent me one, too! I think these Austen girls are soooo cute! Now I have to find the perfect frame!
Well, that went fast. Maybe because we got lost on etsy... But the oven timer went off and I peeked... afraid of what I would see! Some reviews said it took almost 2 hours to cook, and they were still liquid in the center. Mine look... not too bad! I think I'll take them out to cool. And miracle, the oven did not get the Mt. Vesuvius treatment!

But getting it out of the pan proved difficult, even after waiting about half an hour. I think this is one of those dishes where we need to distract the guests with a pretty tea cup or two.
All in all, definitely not an "Impossible Pie" in terms of difficulty and it was delicious tasting... but not great for presentation. I would give it a 5 if there was a Pie scale universally used in the cooking world.
  So, I say if you're ever in the mood to make a pie in a blender, this here's your recipe! Or, if you're weighing carbs against sugar, this is a good way to go. Otherwise, a fruit pie, a flan, or even a coconut pie might be a better choice.
 Maybe it will be better after a night in the fridge? I'll let you know after I have a piece for breakfast!
Until next time!

15 comments:

  1. hey at least it didn't run all over the place! and I've had plenty of pies that look like 10s but didn't taste so good. I'll take taste! hey you need to crouch down like you did on the last pic when you take pics of the bowls LOL! can't see all the design!
    trying to stay up tonight so I can sleep for 2 more night shifts...so thought I'd do dishes but darn remembered I was gonna run this dishwasher cleaner stuff first so guess I have to wait...which means internet goof-off time...
    Susanna

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  2. heehee! I'll be sure to do that next time! I was having trouble with the shadows on the pictures because the light in the kitchen has three bulbs and one burned out. So, it's bright only on one side... It's always better if I can take pictures during the day, but that means I must plan ahead!

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    1. I never plan ahead so I'd never have pics! beautiful teacup!
      that dishwasher stuff smelled pretty good - now to see how well this load of dishes comes out!
      I hear you on the light bulbs - the only time I've ever had all 4 on was when I changed them all at the same time :-( drives me nuts - hate changing them esp the one in the stairway - that one requires a step stool thingy and I hate heights(yes even 2 steps up I feel woozy)!
      Susanna

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  3. I think it sounds tasty!! And I LOVE your tea set!! I love china. I've got mine and some of my grandmother's. Now, if only I would pull it out and use it more often!

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  4. This is just fine cup and saucer. I snag them from yard sales just for moments like thus... and I think you put up a picture of your china? Or was that someone else? Very pretty pieces on display in the rack? If not, we must see!!

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    1. Ha! One not 'fine'. I should never comment on the phone!

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    2. I don't think I ever shared mine. Will do that! And may actually eat on it while we're at it. (after washing it first). :)

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    3. You should! I love tea sets but we just don't have the space for a china cabinet, so I've just contented myself with a few pieces.

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  5. Looks tasty to me!!!

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  6. We used this recipe all the time as Tupperware ladies A LONG TIME AGO. Like about the time they invented the rubber injection mold and Tupperware was taking over the world. We would give away blenders to hostesses who got to X sales + 2 bookings.... and this recipe was PERFECT, Virginia. I'd make the pie before my spiel and then we'd serve it warm from the oven afterwords. There were several variations, and I sold a lot of plastic based on that pie, LOL!

    I've always loved the science of recipes that "separate" on their own, it's so slightly evil-scientisty, to have things self-layer as heat is applied....

    And yes, that is how my brain works, God spare my children, because they got drummed on the science of pretty much everything. This could be why half of them live Very Far Away.

    #smartkids

    Love this, Virginia! I haven't made it in forever.... And I'm extremely bummed by how clean your oven is, because mine self cleans if I just remember to do it... so how awful am I???? THAT I DON'T TAKE THE TIME TO TURN THE KNOB....

    Oy.

    Shame on me.

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    1. I must say that the oven is clean because it is new. :D As in, several months new. And it, too, can self clean but I have no idea how. Hopefully I will never have to figure it out. :D

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  7. I love having a few pretties around just to expose the children to something different from our everyday plastic.... this way when they spy a tablecloth in a fancy restaurant or home, they don't grab it and say, "What's this thing???" Or use it as a napkin.... And we have all learned to put our pinky properly to the side when drinking from fancy cups, just because it's what you do with fancy cups.... and we have "fancy glass Wednesday" mornings, where we all drink out of the fancy glass cupboard while doing math sheets... math makes everything better... oh, wait, it might be that fancy glasses make everything better.... Either way, I love a little "fancy" in my life!

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    1. Ruthy, you make even math sound fun!

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    2. That is great! When I teach math, I make them put on the hair shirts and then I snap them with wet towels while they do jumping jacks and recite their multiplication tables.
      Just doing my part to make more artists, not engineers. We have enough engineers in this family.

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