masc buds chillin'
First off I need some leads & advice on the following:
- A friend new in town is looking to rent on Capitol Hill / Eastern Market, he's trolling Craigslist and all that of course but any leads are appreciated;
- A rugby teammate in DC is interested in entering the International conflict mediation field and is looking for entry level positions directly related to that line of work;
- I need to kick this reused IKEA dresser out the door as it's barely survived 4 too many moves and is falling apart now that the blessed loss of humidity in the air no longer keeps the particleboard construction together. I'm on the lookout for a new dresser about chest high and torso wide. For this and the above issues, drop me an e-mail at Jimbo3DC@aol.com;
- I want to bake an apple pie again soon. My crusts are fine and it cooks well, but my apple filling is always runny. I use peeled, cored and chopped apples. What's the trick with corn starch to make it less gooey? Add your two cents in the comment area.
Oh Noooo! Mr. Hands left me to take care of his new pet giant katydid:
Today Orally Oriented Josh was nice enough to offer up some space in a car to take me and some masc chill buds out to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. It was a very nice mental health escape from the city.
We didn't hike for long, but were sure to take in the scenery and silence along the way.
Here's Rob, Josh, TJ and myself somewhere off of Skyline Drive:
On Saturday we played a friendly match against the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences rugby team and had a good time. I got to play more than I expected, as a slow wing and a more fun position called a flanker. Between that and all the hiking, sunshine and fresh air I got today, I'll sleep well tonight.
The trick to the "corn starch thing" is not to use corn starch. The secret thickening ingredient? Instant tapioca. When I make cherry pie, I use about 1/4 to 1/3 more tapioca than corn starch (e.g. 3 Tbsp corn starch would work out to 4 Tbsp tapioca).
Steve is right about tapioca in cherry pie filling. However, in an apple pie, you want to use two tablespoons of flour. It's just apples, sugar, cinnamon, flour, a quarter tsp of salt and a tablespoon of vinegar. Also, soak the apple slices in a little lemon juice before you put in the pie plate so they don't turn brown. I'm sure you know that tart apples work better than, say, Delicious. Just my two cents.
I suggest looking for an apple pie recipe where the filling is a combination of coursely mashed apples (requires some cooking before baking)and the traditional apple slices. This makes for a dense filling that is not runny. Also some of these recipes have a crumble style topping which I like...I always feel let down when I slice into an apple pie that has a large domed top crust that is about 2 inches taller than the filling!
I would look on the America's Test Kitchen website and Martha Stewart's for recipes. I have the Martha Stewart baking handbook and the things I have made from it have been very good.
Nice katydid picture. It's probably one of the bush katydids (genus Scudderia). I can't tell which species it is- you have to look at its naughty bits for that. Looks like you had a gorgeous hike.
Masc chill buds? Haven't we had this discussion before? Don't make me have to come over there.
Very nice pics Jimbo. All of you are such handsome fuckers. :) What was the temperature like? I see some of you in shorts... some are in pants? Was it cold up there?
Rick is right: apple pie fillings work best with added flour, not cornstarch. I'd suggest dipping the pieces in lemon juice instead of soaking them, though; the juice will still prevent oxidization, and you won't have as much extra juice to flow all over.
Another little trick for fruit pies is parbaking the bottom crust before adding the filling. This will reduce sogginess and improve structural integrity, especially on the first slice.
Steve's right about the instant tapioca. Works like a charm.
And surprisingly, Ikea's furniture has taken an upturn in quality. I would suggest checking them out again. I have a dresser from them that's been with me for seven years and survived five moves.
You cannot beat the prices of their stuff either. Unless you're considering an investment into a real, honest-to-goodness piece of constructed furniture, Ikea is the way to go.
The whole Hemnes line is snazzy, FYI. Happy shopping!
Oooooh so masc, talking about the finer points of pie-baking. :P
Looks like y'all had a fun time and - dammit! - does your wearing shorts mean it's actually still a bit WARM in DC? No fair!
I'm going to break from the crowd regarding the apple pie debate. I'd suggest going with arrowroot starch. It has greater thickening power than cornstarch or flour and doesn't make whatever it is thickening cloudly, so aethestically you have a better pie too.
Regarding housing on Capitol Hill - have him check out Yarmouth Realty/Management at www.yarmouthm.com as they specialize in hill properties and only rep and manage nice, well-maintained properties. I rented through them over 5 years ago and had a terrific experience.
Hiking is a great way to take your mind away for a little while. It can be very refreshing. Glad you guys had a good time.
Where are the shirtless pics? I feel robbed!