#23 DZP: Bake an Apple Pie From Scratch

So I finally did it!!

I baked my own Apple Pie!!!

It turned out a little tart and I had too much lemon zest/juice in it, but the crust was fantastic! A little burnt crust on the one side, but for my first pie I'm pretty pleased.

I used the American Test Kitchen's Fool Proof Double Pie Crust & 2 different kinds of apples! I had cut/peeled the apples myself and actually didn't have much trouble with rolling out the crust.

I have some pictures! :)

If you would like the recipe I used, just let me know! I'll hook it up!

Word of the Day 11/30/2010

Cacophony (noun): harsh or discordant sound : dissonance; specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases

Examples: Feedback from the microphone produced an awful, shrieking cacophony equivalent to the sound of nails scratching on a blackboard.

"Imagine a tent full of celebrities, artists and art patrons dressed in their designer best -- Eli Broad, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Gwen Stefani and more -- submitting to a cacophony of farm auctioneers calling, cattle ranchers whipping and drummers drumming." -- From an article by Booth Moore, describing a gala fundraiser, in the Los Angeles Times, November 15, 2010

Did You Know?: Words that descend from the Greek word "phōnē" are making noise in English. Why? Because "phōnē" means "sound" or "voice." "Cacophony" comes from a joining of the Greek prefix "kak-," meaning "bad," with "phōnē", so it essentially means "bad sound." "Symphony," a word that indicates harmony or agreement in sound, traces to "phōnē" and the Greek prefix "syn-," which means "together." "Polyphony" refers to a style of musical composition in which two or more independent melodies are juxtaposed in harmony, and it comes from a combination of "phōnē" and the Greek prefix "poly-," meaning "many." And "euphony," a word for a pleasing or sweet sound, combines "phōnē" with "eu-," a prefix that means "good."

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

Word of the Day 11/23/2010

Venerate (verb)

1: to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference
2: to honor (as an icon or a relic) with a ritual act of devotion

Examples: Adoring fans venerated every item touched by the rock star's hands.

"In just two terms, he has become an important voice in the House, an institution that normally venerates seniority." -- From an editorial in The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), October 15, 2010

Did You Know?: "Venerate," "revere," "reverence," "worship," and "adore" all mean to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully. "Venerate" implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age. "Revere" stresses deference and tenderness of feeling ("a professor revered by students"). "Reverence" presupposes an intrinsic merit and inviolability in the one honored and a similar depth of feeling in the one honoring ("she reverenced the academy's code of honor"). "Worship" implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony ("he worships their memory"). "Adore" implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment ("we adored our doctor"). "Venerate," incidentally, traces back to the Latin verb "venerari," from "vener-," meaning "love" or "charm."

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

Half Way Done with DZP #82!!! 50 More Words to Go!

Working on #23 DZP

#23. Bake an apple pie from scratch

The plans are to make the pie crust tonight, and then bake the apple pie on Thanksgiving morning!

If I actually completely bake this pie from scratch I shall share the recipe... my Mom sent over a copy of the "Foolproof Pie Dough" (we'll see about that!) and I have a recipe for the apple filling too!

Let's hope for success people!

If I get this right, then there's no limit to the pies!!!!!

Word of the Day 11/22/2010

Chrestomathy (noun)

1: a selection of passages used to help learn a language
2: a volume of selected passages or stories of an author

Examples: The chrestomathy contains all of the author's short stories, along with a selection of essays on a wealth of subjects.

"Wearing his best poker face (and no doubt having just put down a George Orwell chrestomathy), Mr. Rendell accused the Republican Party of sabotaging President Obama's efforts to revive the American economy and for purely political reasons." -- From an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, August 17, 2010

Did You Know?: "Provided that nothing like useful knowledge could be gained from them, provided they were all story and no reflection, she had never any objection to books at all." Jane Austen’s Catherine in Northanger Abbey, whose aversion to learning is pretty well summed up in the preceding sentence, would likely object to a chrestomathy that turned out to be a compilation of excerpts from ancient philosophical writings. She would probably be oblivious of, and indifferent to, the fact that the Greeks had the usefulness of knowledge in mind when they created "chrestomathy" from their adjective "chrēstos," which means "useful," and the verb "manthanein," which means "to learn."

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

Word of the Day 11/17/2010

Banausic (adjective): relating to or concerned with earning a living -- used pejoratively; also : utilitarian, practical

Examples: The heiress dismissively declared that she would never have to worry about such banausic concerns as holding down a job.

"At the far end was a wooden board on which were hung saws, chisels, knives and other banausic instruments of the trade." -- From Sebastian Faulk's 2005 novel Human Traces

Did You Know?: The ancient Greeks held intellectual pursuits in the highest esteem, and they considered ideal a leisurely life of contemplation. A large population of slaves enabled many Greek citizens to adopt that preferred lifestyle. Those who had others to do the heavy lifting for them tended to regard professional labor with contempt. Their prejudice against the need to toil to earn a living is reflected in the Greek adjective "banausikos" (the root of “banausic”), which not only means “of an artisan” (from the word for artisan, "banausos") but “nonintellectual” as well.

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

150 To Go!



150 more days to go! and almost half way there!

woohoo!

*Peanut Update*

Sooo Alex and I went to the doctors yesterday for my monthly checkup and ultrasound. It was the first time Alex got to SEE the little one, besides just hearing the heartbeat. Pretty sure he didn't know what he was looking at, but I'm sure that's a guy thing! (haha)

So everything with the Little Peanut is normal: 9 ounces, heartbeat normal, growing normally, 2 arms, 2 legs, little fists for hands and little feet... just normal! (phew!) He still looks like a little alien baby, but he is much bigger.

Everything with Baby was cool, but with Mommy Happa... not so much.

Now get this: after my 15th week came, I felt 100% better with everything! I could eat more things without feeling sick, I had more energy, etc. Well I must have over-did it. I was feeling some pain under my growing belly, and I was concerned it was something with Baby Peanut. The verdict: I gained 8 pounds (F'in 8 pounds!!!!) ... in 4 weeks! So because of my weight gain, that was NOT going to the baby, I put a lot of stress on my ligaments and my belly as a whole. So to help with the pain (since I can't starve myself or go on a strict pill-poppin' diet) I had to buy a Maternity Support Belt... a nice way of saying a big belly belt...

Ain't that some shit!

Gawd isn't it awful! I threatened Alex that I'd make him wear one for his belly because he was laughing at me!

So needless to say, I walked out of that office feeling like a fat-ass. It was an eye opener for sure, but I must have loved the mentality of "well I can eat damn there anything without worrying about a diet!" Oh well. I'm just happy Peanut is doing great!

OH! It's official too...

Word of the Day 11/16/2010

Crapulous (adjective)

1: marked by intemperance especially in eating or drinking
2: sick from excessive indulgence in liquor

Examples: Most of the guests were still crapulous from the previous night's bacchic revelry.

"They were crapulous and carrying blue cans of beer, one of them with a can in each hand." -- From Paul Theroux's 2008 book Ghost Train to the Eastern Star

Did You Know?: "Crapulous" may sound like a word that you shouldn't use in polite company, but it actually has a long and perfectly respectable history (although it's not a particularly kind way to describe someone). It is derived from the Late Latin adjective "crapulosus," which in turn traces back to the Latin word "crapula," meaning "intoxication." "Crapula" itself comes from a much older Greek word for the headache one gets from drinking. "Crapulous" first appeared in print in 1536. Approximately 200 years later, its close cousin "crapulence" arrived on the scene as a word for sickness caused by drinking. "Crapulence" later acquired the meaning "great intemperance especially in drinking," but it is not an especially common word.

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

Living Social Daily Deals

Hey ya'll, have you checked out LivingSocial's daily deals?

I'm already in and this is your invitation to join -- it's free, all you do is click on the link. You get 5 Deal Bucks when you sign up and I'll get 5 Deal Bucks when you buy your first deal. Win/Win right!?

They're in several cities around the US, and even in Europe! You can even get deals from select colleges too!

These types of 50% off deals..
Spas, Bars, Classes, Restaurants, Sporting Events, Health Clubs, Concerts, Museums, Salons, etc!
Check them out! I'm addicted to the everyday deals!
- the Happa




Start Deals Here!

Word of the Day 11-11-10

Armistice (noun): temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement between the opponents : truce

Examples: The Korean War ended with an armistice signed in July of 1953, though a permanent peace accord was never reached.

"Most of us learned in school that WWI ended either with the 1918 armistice agreement or the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. But the Telegraph points out that, technically, the war will not come to a formal conclusion until this Sunday, when Germany makes its final reparation payment." -- From an article by Max Fisher on The Atlantic Wire, September 29, 2010

Did You Know?: "Armistice" descends from Latin "sistere," meaning "to come to a stand" or "to cause to stand or stop," combined with "arma," meaning "weapons." An armistice, therefore, is literally a cessation of arms. Armistice Day is the name that was given to the holiday celebrated in the United States on November 11 before it was renamed Veterans Day by Congress in 1954. The original name refers to the agreement between the Allied Powers and Germany to end hostilities that constituted the first World War, designated to take effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Other armistices, involving Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Austria-Hungary, were effected on other dates before and after November 11.

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

Happy Veteran's Day!

"Life Goes On..."

-The Beatles

Photographer - Anna J

How to Handle Life Ladies...

Word of the Day 11/9/2010

Sylvan (adjective)

1a : living or located in the woods or forest b : of, relating to, or characteristic of the woods or forest
2a : made, shaped, or formed of woods or trees b : abounding in woods, groves, or trees : wooded

Examples: We walked along a sylvan path for several miles and then emerged into a clearing.

"Although the redwoods and natural light help a great deal with the ambiance, Steve Coleman's painted set conjures a lovely sylvan setting, with mossy-trunked cutout trees, a quaint little cottage in the foreground and a fairytale castle in the distance." -- From a review in the Marin Independent Journal (California), September 1, 2010

Did You Know?: In Latin, "sylva" means "wood" or "forest," and the related "Sylvanus" names the Roman god of the woods and fields -- a god sometimes identified with the Greek god Pan. These words gave rise to English "sylvan" in the 16th century. The English word was first used as a noun meaning "a mythological deity of the woods," eventually taking on the broader meaning "one who frequents the woods." The adjective "sylvan" followed soon after the noun and is now the more common word. Some other offspring of "sylva" (which can also be spelled "silva") include "silviculture" ("a branch of forestry dealing with the development and care of forests"), "sylvatic" (a synonym of "sylvan" that can also mean "occurring in or affecting wild animals"), and the first name "Sylvia."

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

Happy 17 Weeks!

Guess who I can hear now??!?

Love to be Here Right Now

Sounds about right. I'm ready to roll in the leaves!

Baby Ticker!