Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Mock Apple Pie 2019





slappedham.com
Ever had a burger in a can, beef fudge, mock apple pie, clear potato chip, or bologna cake?

There are many adventurous foodies out there. Two that come to mind are Andrew Zimmern and Mark Wiens


Recently I came across a Youtuber known as emmymadeinjapan.  To say she’s adventurous is an understatement.  She will cook and eat just about anything under the sun. She has done the recipes I mentioned above AND MORE.  Over a million people follow her on YouTube. I happened up on the channel and found myself hooked.  It was fascinating  to see what her next edible concoction  would be. She always gives her honest opinion and a review about the food. She includes  her successes and disasters.


When I saw the video about mock apple pie, it rung a bell because I made this same recipe in 2009 long before I’d seen her station.


Below is the recipe I used for mock apple pie.10 servings
My finished pie


Ingredients

2 cupswater
¾ cupgranulated sugar
2 teaspoonscream of tartar
30 Ritz Crackers
1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (1/2 of 425-g pkg)
1 tablespoonlemon juice
1 teaspoonground cinnamon
25 Ritz Crackers (crushed, about 1 cup)
½ cupbrown sugar (packed)
½ teaspoonground cinnamon
⅓ cup
Directions
  • Heat oven to 400ºF.
Filling:
  • Mix water, granulated sugar and cream of tartar in large saucepan. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. 
  • Add crackers; simmer on medium-low heat 5 min., stirring occasionally.
  • Line 9-inch pie plate with crust as directed on package; fill with cracker mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cinnamon.
Topping:
  • Combine all remaining ingredients and sprinkle over Filling.
  • Bake 15 min. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake 20 min. or until golden brown. Cool.
non-hydrogenated margarine (melted)





(optional)  Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired

The Outcome
The pie turned out great. I would not have known that the apples were crackers. The texture was more of an applesauce consistency. It was the right amount of sweetness and spices.   

It is not diet friendly or carb friendly or any other kind of friendly that involves eating
 healthy. Recently I learned that there are 400 calories a slice.




This post is an update from an earlier post on August 12, 2009. To read the original post click the dated link. 

That's it ***







Wednesday, July 10, 2019

The Other White House

 It was stately, still standing and living life


NORWOOD  was the wealthy side of town during the late 19th century and well into the 20th century. 
copied from Flickr

 The economic boom at the turn of the century afforded the newly rich to build grand mansions and stately homes.  Many of the homes from that era are still standing. They range from well-maintained to neglected and demolished.

Recently I read of Lenell’s Beverage Boutique opening in historic Norwood. 
Street view of J.R. Copeland home on right with Lenell's Beverage Boutique on the left 
2019
Up close entrance to Lenell's Beverage Boutique (left). Back
of J.R. Copeland home (right) 2019 Yes, I suppose I did trespass to take these pictures.
No one was there. It was on a Sunday.


(Left) Outside going up the drive to Lenell's Beverage Boutique.
(right) According to the article, Lenell and her daughter live nearby
and plans are underway to restore the home. Perhaps the café & bar
are part of the restoration. 2019






My interest was raised when I saw the address.  It was The White House. That’s what my coworker T.P. and I called it.

At that time, it was occupied by either a mortgage company or an insurance company.  I don't remember which. We passed it daily going to and from work. T.P. and I wondered what it looked like on the inside. 


I said to her, “I wonder if they’d let us look inside?”


One day we stopped by after work and asked if we could look around.  The ladies who worked there allowed us to look around on our own.  I guess we didn’t look threatening. They couldn’t have been nicer. 


You could see remnants of its grandness. One of the odd things I noticed was a staircase that ended at the ceiling. As I was researching this piece, I found out why those stairs went to the ceiling. In the 1920’s after the family moved out the home was divided into six apartments.


Over the years the property was home to Banks Armored Car Company, and Changes Salon Spa and Wellness Center. In 2011 there were plans to turn it into a Musicians Cooperative, but those plans fell through. In 2012 the house was sold out of  foreclosure to Lenell Camacho Santa Ana.


The home was built in 1905 for J.R. Copeland, president of Copeland Brick Company later named Copeland-Inglis Shale Brick Company. 


There are people who collect bricks. One person was searching for a Copeland-Inglis brick. Many companies would have their name engraved on the bricks.
copied from: worthpoint antiques








An ebay site offered an envelope and stamp with the Copeland-Inglis letterhead for $7.64 or the best offer.
Copeland-Inglis letterhead on ebay



The Norwood community has efforted to revitalize itself and has had success with home sales to those who love old houses and are willing to put in the sweat equity to restore them.

copied from: http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/J._R._Copeland_residence
1910
That's it***
Next week: 

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Bottle Heads

As I've told you before I'm a recycler. I couldn't resist making one of these 
Credits : https://www.intimamex.com/paginas/blog;
https://mentootlet.blogspot.com/2018/04/flakonviragtartok.html
Aprenda com Edu ; unknown (seen on Pinterest)



when I saw them on Pinterest.
Plastic bottles/jugs are plentiful.

I found the vinegar bottle not to be very strong. The detergent bottle will be done later although it would make a great face.

I decided on an empty bleach bottle.
I cut off the bottom of the bottle as seen in the above vinegar bottle.

I painted it black then brown. There was some resistance in covering a white bottle with the acrylic paint when I tried to paint it brown on the first coat. In hindsight I should have roughed up the bottle with sandpaper or some other gritty substance before trying to paint it. However I still feel I would need to add more than one coat which I did.




After it dried I painted a face with eyes, orange eyeshadow, painted eyelashes and two commas(😉) as a nose.


I always have a stash of ribbons, pom poms and etc. because I'm a person who enjoys crafting.




This orange, embossed  wire ribbon  and orange pom poms fit the look I was  going for. I plan to hang it outside on my back porch indirectly from weather elements although it will incur some of it. 

I  didn't want to use E-6000 so I hot glued and stapled on the wire ribbon and pom poms. 
I KNOW this may not hold up but when I make the green one I'll know what NOT to do.
Besides, I brought the old throat killer out again,
that I warned about in a previous post. This time I wore a mask and gloves. It was better but the fumes were permeating the mask.  It's going in the trash 🗑️for sure.

Inside with makeshift wire loops and yarn cord. 
side view after being spray varnished showing earrings.

The finished product tied to a fence post. Later I will adjust the cording so that it will hang from a hook on my porch like other normal hanging plants.



I'm pleased with the results but the next bottle head will be more decorative/ gaudy. 


That's it***
Next week: The other White House.