Pumpkin pie

Yesterday I made pumpkin pie. There's usually a sense of achievement that follows after I take my finished bake good out of the oven. But with this pie, it was a different story. Apprehension is the best word for this situation. I will not tell you why until the end of the post.For now, I will show you photos. This by far will be the best example of how every baked good does not always taste like what it looks like. I should know best. I have had successes and failures in the kitchen and it can get pretty disheartening at times. That's especially when you need to get that cake frosting right because you're baking a birthday cake.But yesterday was a different story. Part of me feels a little guilty but I am really glad I went ahead and did it anyway and ended up with some orange coloured pie:At least now I know what to do and what not to do. Look at the closeup of the pie, can you see the texture? Does it look like pumpkin to you? Well it has a colour similar to pumpkin yes? Let me fill you in on an extra bit of information - it might look like pumpkin but it didn't really taste much like pumpkin. I'm certain about that. I trust my tastebuds enough to know when they're taking a holiday. I might not have a palate as refined as a critic at The New York Times but I am sure I can tell the difference between a pumpkin pie and a pumpkin pie that's supposed to be a pumpkin pie but turns out to be more like a pumpkin pie-lookalike.You might have gotten it by now. And yes you guessed right. I was a bad baker yesterday. A very lazy one. Although I did make my own pie crust, I took the easy way out for my pumpkin pie filling. I did not think I could get away with it though, knowing the reputation of quick-fixes. I've never been one for the ready-made mixes and tricks but I just had to try it at least once. I had to pick up this conveniently labelled huge can of easy pumpkin promise:I just had to know if the shortcut alternative would taste as good as something freshly made. Libby's is a brand I've seen quite so often at the supermarket. Everytime I walk down that 'baking help' isle I can't help but be enticed by that sweet promise of the possibility of having a lovely warm comforting pumpkin pie with just the twist of a can opener. Prior to yesterday I was careful not to be wooed by such promise of course. I take pride in being someone who puts in the extra effort to bake from scratch.Oh but you know how hard it can be sometimes. Especially those times when you really crave for something and are too tired to go the extra mile - which in this case involves me lugging home some sugar pumpkins, skinning them, baking them, pureeing them, and measuring out all the spices like ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc. The entire picture seems pretty clear now. There is a reason why grannies make their pumpkin pies from scratch. I recently read on someone's food blog that a friend had baked two pumpkin pies for a taste test and the one that won hands down was naturally and predictably the one with a homemade pumpkin pie filling.Reading that and having experienced my personal canned pie filling fiasco. I would not say it was a complete failure. Perhaps I should also attribute it to the fact that I DID NOT use evaporated milk as instructed. I did not have any at home and I had just got out of bed and was in no mood to leave the house (see, again, laziness!) so I made do with the only possible substitute I had in my fridge - some low fat milk mum had bought the night before. I guess that could have been one of the reasons why the pie didn't taste that good. But I assure you that I did taste some of the pumpkin filling straight out of the can and was also unimpressed. Seriously, people who have used this pie mix, do they actually like it enough to give it a second shot? Maybe they do but I don't.I hate to sound harsh but I know a bad pie mix when I taste one. Even more so when my brother, after tasting some of the finished pie, starts to ask my mum if there were tomatoes in it. He honestly thought it could have been a tomato pie. I took another taste and found his observation to be quite right. It did taste a bit like tomato ketchup and I found that highly disturbing. I had also failed to check the ingredient list. Again, silly me. Maybe I was trying too hard to believe that I could simply rely on a canned pie mix to satisfy my pie craving. Turns out that my pumpkin pie craving does not include one that tasted like ketchup.I know that the next time I bake a pumpkin pie, I am going to use my own filling, made from scratch. I am sure then, that it will also look better than this sad coloured slice:Oh how I would kill for a slice of fresh pumpkin pie right now, one with pumpkin filling NOT out of a can. I wish I still had slices of my crostata di mele from last week. Now that's a perfect example of a pie we all ought endeavour to make once in a while, even if we're really busy. Canned stuff can only fulfill so much of your expectations. It will never replace the real and freshly made deal.

The Hospital showing

The HospitalThe Hospital, showing Tuesday April 21st on Channel 4 at 9:00pmToday's teenagers are drinking too much, having children too young and getting so fat that some commentators have predicted they will have a lower life expectancy than their parents' generation. This three-part series examines the relationship between teenagers and the NHS. Consultants, surgeons, nurses, midwives and other staff at every level speak with unprecedented candour about the problems they face. From young women who would like a gastric band operation as a quick fix to their obesity, to the steady stream of patients arriving at A&E requiring treatment as a result of alcohol-fuelled fights and drink-driving accidents, is the NHS being asked to pick up the pieces of an increasingly self-destructive society? And if young people don't take responsibility for their own health, can the NHS afford to maintain its founding principle: free healthcare at the point of delivery?The final episode in the series looks at the cost of Britain's increasingly obese teens. At Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, younger and younger patients are being referred for help in tackling their weight and, increasingly, they are asking for a gastric band.

Happy Friday

And a sunny one to boot! Such an awesome spring day here in Ottawa...looking forward to more days like this! This weekend looks like it's shaping up to be nice as well-now, don't get me wrong, it's not exactly beach weather, but certainly warm by Ottawa standards!My yearly meltdown has begun. I obsess over my lawn...I mean it, I obsess! I loose sleep thinking about the carnage that is waiting to appear once all of the snow is gone. One year I was greeting by a nasty case of grubs...ick. Another year, moles...cute little buggers, but can't they eat somewhere else. I've worked and worked to get our lawn to behave. Water and fertilize (organically of course) religiously, mow to a specified height, put weeds by hand, aerate, top dress, over seed, you name it. Then, I sit back an wonder how my neighbours get away with NEVER watering and barely even mowing their lawn, not to mention no fertilizers, etc. WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!? It's become a joke in our house (and probably many other houses as well). Maybe this will be the year I won't fret and stew...or maybe not. If my behaviour a few days ago is any indication of what will be this summer, I would say I am a long way away from curing this addiction I have for my lawn. I was actually jealous that my neighbour (one of the ones that never waters, etc...his lawn literally looks like a dust bowl,and his weird mutant weeds are ALWAYS on my lawn!!!) had his lawn aerated before us. I need help people.Onto a happier topic...I've completed a few projects, and I must say, I'm pretty happy with these snazzy, and easy, bags. The yarn for both was pretty decent to work with, although, the Lopi was picky. Here's a closeup of the weave on the trio bag...I ended up using 7mm needles, since it was virtually impossible to find 8 mm dpn's! These are such awkward things to knit with. I definitely like my petite addi's.And I've done a few more rows on the hubby's simple raglan as well.... This is a boring, no brainer knit and I'm not "into" the colour-I like it, but it's a fall-ish kind of knit. So, I decided to grab a few skeins of springy yarn for a few projects for me!This is for my Honeymoon cami...I'm too impatient to wait for my Rowan to come in from The Knitting Garden, so that lovely stuff will be destined for another summer project. I did receive a couple of Rowan books though...I love Rowan...simple as that!This is Baby Pima-80% pima cotton and 20% alpaca. I'm loving this shade of green lately...can you tell?Here's my selection for Tempting, what do you think? I loved these colours and thought, what the heck, lets try a stripey version...hopefully this will work out.A very Tempting tower....The new Spring Knitty is up! I love this, this, and this! Yikes! Good bye yarn budget!Startitis has hit with a vengeance...Noah was kind enough to share yet another cold with us, so I think I'll wrap up with a cozy blanket, a cup o' tea and my yarn...will I start Tempting, Honeymoon???

CDC Commits To Two Microfinance Funds

February 19, 2009 - FinAlternativesCDC Group, the U.K. government-backed private equity emerging markets fund of funds, is making new commitments totaling US$35 million to two funds investing in microfinance.The group has allocated US$20 million to the India Financial Inclusion Fund, managed by Caspian Capital Partners, which provides growth capital and strategic support to existing and start-up microfinance institutions, ranging from small non-profit organizations to large commercial banks. The fund invests solely in India, with an emphasis on towns in rural areas with low microfinance penetration. CDC also committed US$15 million to Catalyst Microfinance Investors, which will invest in a network of rapidly growing greenfield microfinance institutions in India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Ghana.“Around 400 million people do not have access to formal, affordable financial services in India,” said Hywel Rees-Jones, managing director at CDC. “The India Financial Inclusion Fund will improve funding to microfinance institutions, bringing improved credit opportunities in much needed regions. Caspian Capital Partners have proven their ability to increase microfinance penetration in India, contributing to the growth of the sector and making a lasting developmental impact in rural regions.”

IrlConnect

IrlConnect, Visual Social Network IrlConnect.com - IrlConnect - In Real Life - Visual Social Network - Twitter - FaceBook - About About IrlConnect : "In Real Life (IRL) is evolving location-based social networking beyond simple mapping of events and places. We are the only presence-based social networking company that adds presence to all your social networks and social media – giving life to your digital relationships in the real world and expanding your connections online. The company’s first product IRL Connect allows you to take your friends from the real world and any social network and visualize them on Google Maps™ – see where they are and what they are saying...."(IrlConnect.com)IrlConnect is het eerste visuele sociale netwerk dat o.a. Twitter en Facebook samenbrengt. Het visuele aspect bestaat uit het kunnen laten zien waar je je bevindt door je positie op de kaart aan te geven. Je Twitter en FaceBookvrienden en contacten kunnen geimporteerd worden in IrlConnect. Momenteel zijn ze nog in de betafase en is een invitatie nog een vereiste om IrlConnect te kunnen uitproberen. Vermoedelijk in mei 2009 of nog eerder kan iedereen een account aanmaken. Bekijk hier het interview met Frank Schuil van IrlConnect. Beertjes Weblog by Peter Franken

Consumer psychology: From buy, buy to bye-bye

The recession will have a lasting impact on the way people shopWANT IT! screamed the words plastered on the walls, counters and shopping bags in the flagship emporium of Saks, a big American retailer, on Fifth Avenue in New York. The same exhortation was emblazoned in huge letters on a giant red and white ball that revolved slowly in the middle of the main sales floor. Sakss spring marketing campaign, which came to an end on April 1st, made its brazen appeal to greed in a bid to drum up sales in a dire market. But the exclamation mark in its Want It! tagline should perhaps have been a question mark instead.Asked whether they want more stuff, consumers in rich countries have responded with an emphatic No. The breathtaking speed with which retail sales have plummeted in both America and Europe (see chart) has caught retailers and manufacturers by surprise. In response, companies have tried desperately to prop up revenues using a variety of promotions, advertising and other marketing ploys, often to no avail. ...

Jim Shaw Fundraiser - Please Help the Nicest Guy in Detroit

Jim Shaw (above) and Sandy Kramer Shaw are two of the kindest people I know. No, they're not goodie two shoes types - they're ribald, funny, motorcycle riding, rock n roll good time people. Like all good rockers, they've put up scores of traveling bands in their Hamtramck home and they help their friends without a second thought. Now is the time for us to help them.Jim was recently diagnosed with cancer, and now is fighting to keep it from spreading. This kind of fight requires stamina and money for treatment. The Shaws have stamina - but who has that kind of money? Jim's brothers (more kind souls under their rock n roll bravado) have put together a benefit in Detroit to be held on February 7. Please read more and help if you can: myspace.com/jimshawfundraiserJim, Cookie and Sandy at Barberella

Funny fore star lover

Lee Hom Wang

Big basket

Emma

cuishiyuan

s.h.e

Furious speeds to US number one

Vin Diesel film Fast & Furious has raced to the top of the North American box office chart, early figures show.

Internationally, Fast & Furious earned an additional $30.1m (£20.2m) across 31 countries, opening at number one in most of them, taking its total tickets sales to $102.6m (£71.1m). Universal Pictures said the film cost about $85m (£56.9m) to make.

New Crichton books to be released

Two new novels by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton have been scheduled for posthumous release, his publisher has said.

Pirate Latitudes, an adventure set in 17th Century Jamaica, will be published in November. A second currently unfinished novel will come out in 2010.

Idol winner tops country awards

American singer-songwriter Carrie Underwood has taken the coveted entertainer of the year title at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Actress Fawcett reassures fans

US actress Farrah Fawcett has moved to reassure fans
she is not "at death's door" after being admitted to hospital.