Tuesday, May 21, 2013

5 weeks left!

I only have about 5.5 weeks left till my due date, which is, of course, making me feel like I need to make a pre-baby bucket list. Quick, time to go to the movies and eat at nice restaurants and go on spontaneous trips and... all that other stuff you don't have time for with a newborn. Of course, we're also bracing for the medical bills too, so that keeps our spending in check.

Just wanted to do a quick update with some more items from my "30 before 30" list.

#5 Read 30 books - So far I am on book #21 of 30, "Fever" by Mary Beth Keane, a fascinating historical fiction piece about Typhoid Mary. It is the next selection for our book club. Speaking of which..

#21 Host 5 book club meetings - I have my third one scheduled for June, a week before my due date. Assuming the baby doesn't come early, that should be fun!

#20 Invite 12 people/families over for dinner - We have done plenty of entertaining this year already and have had many people over! Even more are coming this weekend for Memorial Day.
#9 Participate in 3 service projects - Finished this one. I was able to participate in two drives for a local crisis shelter and a huge, amazing project beautifying a series of run down, neglected neighborhood parks in South Sacramento. This last one also qualified for...
 
#8 Beautify a public space. (Picture below of all the participants in one parking congregating for a project kick off.)


#26 Try 3 new types of food- Bet you thought this would be the first item I finished, but I've actually only tried 2 new types of food so far: Russian, and, more recently, Salvadorian. I enjoyed the pupusas and trying Salvadorian horchata, but the pineapple tamale (pictured below) was my favorite. I think Turkish may be my next (and last) one (although I admit that all Mediterranean foods seem very similar to me)!


Monday, May 13, 2013

Chocolate Oreo Pie





Chocolate? Store-bought cookies? This recipe is clearly not the norm for me, but sometimes you do what you gotta do for your mom on Mother's Day. And frankly, everyone in the family loved this pie, so I need to write down the recipe because it has a high likelihood of being requested again next year!

Note: This pie is a lot like those lazy pudding pies people used to make back in 90's, only in this version, everything is homemade... Except the Oreos, because I'm ambitious, but not THAT ambitious! 

Chocolate Oreo Pie

Crust:
24 Oreo cookies, finely crushed
1/4 c. butter, melted

Crush Oreos in food processor until finely ground. Add melted butter and press into a pie pan.

Filling:
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder (I used dark)
6 T. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/3 c. milk
4 T. butter, cut into cubes
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in a medium-large saucepan and gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a slow boil, and whisk constantly one minute. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter and vanilla until smooth. Pour filling into crust and chill at least 4 hours. When completely cool, top with:

Topping:
1 pint sweetened whipped cream
12 Oreo cookies, crushed but still a little chunky

Spread whipped cream over the top of the pie and sprinkle the chunky Oreo crumbs evenly over the top. Press down lightly on the crumbs to set them, then chill pie until ready to serve.