6 posts tagged “pie”
One of the few drawbacks to having a rich and active imagination is that reality often fails to live up to the grandiose portraits I paint in my mind.
This happens so often that it becomes a real treat when something or someplace actually exceeds my wildest expectations. Before last weekend, the last time it had happened was when I visited the Great Pyramid of Giza in Cairo (well Giza, actually, natch). As excited as I was to visit the last surviving wonder of the ancient world, the edifice itself far outstripped my expectations, and that was before I got to see it from the back of a camel.
Last weekend, I was privileged to make a new entry on my short list of things that exceed my high expectations. I humbly present...The Pie Shake.
If there was one minor disappointment regarding the pie shake, it is that it can only be had in vanilla varieties. You can pick whatever sort of pie you like, but chocolate ice cream is not on the menu. Still, no matter, since I was more-or-less set on a vanilla-and-blueberry-pie combo before my plane even left DC.
The pie shake is served in a frosty steel tumbler with two spoons (obviously my waiter had never met anyone who tried to take a bite of my dessert) and a comically useless straw. The first thing that strikes me about the shake is its remarkable thickness. The pie is blended almost completely into the ice cream, but not so thoroughly as to eliminate the large, ice-cream drenched pieces of flaky crust that float throughout the dessert, and make straw usage such a losing proposition.
Instead, I'll just say that my the damage at the scale was well worth it to experience this exceptional, world-beating dessert.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't just the teensiest bit of a coastal elitist.
There was a time, not terribly long ago, when I routinely got all of the land-locked states that started with vowels confused (is Idaho potatoes? or corn? or is it white supremacists? So confusing). But I've lately begun to (sort of) reform my ways, thanks in no small part to being affianced to one CarrieNation, a proud daughter of Iowa's shores (wait, they don't have shores do they? Whatever, you get the point).
So tomorrow, I strike out for my first trip to Iowa, not counting that time I blew through it on I-80 at 95 mph. We've got a lot of things on the agenda, but the one I'm looking forward to the most is consuming one of these:
With any luck, I'll be drinking one of these bad boys tomorrow around nowish. I can't hardly wait.
From Iowa City it's off to Madison Wisconsin for Bratfest (I'm told there are vegetarian brats...yes, I checked), and I'm equally excited for that. I'm also thrilled we won't be going to Minnesota, which I hear is kinda crappy.
The one big unanswered question for me, is "what sort of pie shake shall I order?"
The obvious answer is vanilla shake with blueberry pie, which is indeed the clear leader in the clubhouse now. But there are a lot of other interesting options -- chocolate-pecan? vanilla-pumpkin? chocolate-coconut cream? The mind boggles. Any recommendations you may have will be thoroughly considered.
There's no other way to say it, I've been porking out a bit lately. I think the expression is "fat and happy." I capped a several-month run of indiscriminate eating with a bachanalian holiday season starring my Grandmother's transcendent eggplant parmesean and more than a few trips to our local frozen custard shoppe, The Dairy Godmother. Suffice to say, my jeans are fitting a little snug these days.
The answer: Dabysan's Austerity Plan (TM). No sugar, no fried food, mouse-sized portions and double workouts until my Diesels go back to being comfortable. I started about a week ago, and am feeling better already. Nothing can break me from my purpose. Nothing, of course, except for my victory pie for the 52P52W challenge.
Keeping in the spirit of her most excellent post extolling my virtues, Jodi sought out one of the finest pie-eries in the greater Washington area to provide my edible trophy. Somewhere along the line, someone banged it up a little bit before it made it into my eager paws, but this did nothing to detract from the surpassing taste.
I'm particularly impressed that Jodi managed to find a fresh-baked pie in my favorite flavor (blackberry) in the middle of January. It was so lovely that I won't even mind the 100 extra situps tonight.
Unlike some people, I would never deny my opponent the opportunity to witness me enjoying the fruits of my victory, so Jodi, this one's for you.
As years go, I've done a lot worse than 2008. Global recession notwithstanding, aught-eight (as I expect to refer to it in my dotage) had a lot going for it. I moved, got promoted, got engaged, got a dog, visited the Middle East, survived, and not least, successfully completed the 52 Posts in 52 Weeks Challenge.
I'm happy to report that challenge issuer Jodi has already paid one portion of the prize -- this lovely post extolling my virtues -- in grand fashion. If her lovely extolling is any indication, I'm sure the victory pie will be a humdinger.
I enjoyed the challenge so much, that I haven't quite gotten my fill, so it is with great honor that propose the 104 Posts in 52 Weeks (104P52W) Challenge for 2009. As with the previous challenge this one will have clearly defined parameters for victory and defeat.
The rules:
- I must post to this blog at least twice a week throughout the 2009 calendar year. As in the 52P52W challenge, the "week" shall begin on Monday at 12:01 a.m. and end on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (all times Eastern).
- In any given week, two posts must be separated by 24 hours (this means that the de facto deadline for the first weekly post will be Saturday at 11:59 p.m.
- At least one post per week will be bound by the same parameters as the 52P52W challenge posts (100 word length, actual sentences, etc.)
- The other post will be a "free" post, with no length or content restrictions.
- In order for Jodi to win the challenge, I must fail on one of the above parameters, and she must successfully complete the 104P52W challenge - with all rules pertaining thereto - herself, which shouldn't be too tough for a professional blogger.
If I win, Jodi will provide me with two fresh pies of my choosing. If I lose I will provide Jodi with two batches of from-scratch brownies baked by me and sent overnight to ensure freshness. The loser will also write a lengthy original post extolling the winner's virtues. The loser shall also provide a second post including some form of multimedia extolling (video, audio, etc).
I think that's it. Provided Jodi doesn't wuss out we are on!
Excelsior!
I've tried to read Moby Dick at least three times, only to get bored, abandon the book halfway through and beat myself up over my lack of intellectual fortitude. At least I'm consistent.
I mention this only because the chapter in Moby Dick that invariably signals the beginning of my ending is called "The Whiteness of the Whale." It's about the whiteness of the whale and it hurts me right in my soul. So I figured I'd adapt the title that has signalled so much failure to discuss one of my greatest achievements: the successful completion of the 52 Posts in 52 Weeks Challenge.
Today is December 31, 2008, and after I click "save" on this post, I will have filed at least one post, of at least 100 words each week for the past year. Jodi was so sure I couldn't do it that she agreed to provide me a delicious pie, and write a post extolling my many virtues if I succeeded.
I frankly don't know which I'm more excited about. On the one hand, we have the promised pie. Pie is delicious under the worst of circumstances. Pie garnished with the thrill of victory promises to be that much sweeter. On the other hand we have a professional blogger and budding novelist Jodi turning all her writerly talents toward extolling my many virtues. They're both so great its practically impossible to choose. Thankfully, I don't have to.
I liked the 52P52W Challenge. I'm kind of hoping to top myself with a 104P52W Challenge in 2009. All that's needed is the right inducement. Jodi, after you get done extolling (and get my pie safely in the mail) you know who to talk to.
CarrieNation and I are visiting my mom this week in scenic Victoria, BC. I don't get up here as often as I should and to welcome me my mom rolled out the big guns, a homemade blackberry pie. Jodi, as you're disappointedly reading this, keep in mind that this is the sort of thing you should be striving for when I win my challenge pie.
I don't have extensive experience of Canada, but if the rest of it is like this, I gotta say these Cannucks might be onto something. There are deer and bunnies in the yard, sunshine during the day and cool northwest breezes in the evenings. Even though I had to spend the better part of yesterday working, I couldn't complain too much when I was staring out the window at this:
Not bad, not bad at all. Anyway, that's more than 100 words, and the lake is calling, so I'll smell y'all later. And Jodi, that's a blackberry pie. My all-time favorite. When you're extolling my many virtues, be sure to devote a few lines to my clarity and forthrightness.
