Life is Peachy…Pie

Anyone else remember that song, “Peaches” by The President’s of the United States of America? Every time I purchase peaches, this song runs through my head (“millions of peaches, peaches for me!”). Thanks a lot 90’s music.  I won’t lie though, my bestie and I  *might* have snuck into her older brother’s room to “borrow” this CD, along with “Bone Thugs N Harmony” in the 6th grade…don’t judge….and don’t act like you didn’t jam to “Crossroads” a time or two in your life.

After X-Bike today, I decided to put on my big girl pants, ignore the fact that I was a sweaty disaster, and check out the Farmers Market just down the street from my gym that just recently started.  Boy am I glad i packed my big girl pants (and had cash in the pockets!) because this market, although small, was off the hook with good stuff!  Plus, the weather was *perfecto* for a nice cool-down shopping spree after my workout!      

those kids playing were SO funny...

just gorgeous out!

I ended up with some pretty good loot!       

holla!

I picked up some sort of funny looking squash in the left corner (the man told me the name, but for the life of me I can’t remember), zucchini, pluots, asian pears (my FAVORITE! they are like a cross between an apple and pear…uber good!), nectarines and PEACHES!      

come see how good we look!

The sort of “blemished” asian pear was gifted to me by the nice lady at the booth.  She said that because it had the blemish, no one would buy it so I could have it…for free! Sweet!      

After my excellente farmers market haul, I arrived home.starving. I quickly chopped up and devoured one of the blemished asian pears (un-pictured), but also threw together a quick and dirty veggie burger sandwich (with laughing cow, pineapple and BBQ sauce), and a white peach!  I’m telling you, adding pineapple  a “burger” to ANYTHING is BOMB!      

LOVE white peaches!

also LOVE BBQ sauce, obviously!

It never fails that half my x-bike class I’m thinking about food (ok, who am i kidding…half my life i’m thinking about food).  Ever since Jenna @ Eat Live Run posted her “Peachy Keen” pie the other day, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.  I have no desire to EAT the pie, I just want to make it (is that weird, or what!?!???).  I’ve never made a pie from scratch (isn’t that sad???) and really want to attempt this.  After my major haul at farmers market (which featured many more un-pictured peaches), I knew that this weekend was officially going to be “Life is Peachy-Pie” weekend.      

As you’ve gathered from the last few weekends, I enjoy baking. I like having a recipe to follow, step by step (which is also how i like life…lists galore!).  I enjoy baking for others,  most of all.  Luckily, my family likes to test my recipes (and take most of the goods off my hands!).  My dad now looks forward to not having to purchase his nightly desserts, and I enjoy people enjoying my efforts.      

Although I followed Jenna’s recipe for the filling, I went with the tried and trusted crust recipe from my Mom’s cookbook.  She was gifted this cookbook from her Mom when she got married back in 1973.   When we perused the cookbook tonight, we noted that the copyright was 1947! I have no clue what cookbook this even was, since the Cover is clearly missing (and replaced with what I could put money on being *my* handwriting with the word “Cookbook” scribbled across the front!).       

you can't go wrong with the big green (burnt corner) cookbook! all kinds of awesome can be found in here!

Clearly excellent meals were produced from this cookbook, as the cover is burnt, the pages are stained with various liquids and some are even torn out…all signs of a well used and loved cookbook, in my opinion (or signs of a frustrated young mother, ripping out pages of failed recipes….it could really go either way).     

moving on…      

THE CRUST:      

The crust recipe called for the following ingredients:      

2c All Purpose Flour (plus a teeny extra for rolling the dough)      

1tsp Salt      

1/2 tbsp sugar      

1/3c shortening      

"The Big Green" and all the goods

  You will also need a good/funny movie to have playing in the background:     

  

our movie of choice. hilarious!

  Step 1: Whisk the flour, salt, and sugar  together in a medium size bowl.     

  

whisking away, like a pro.

Step 2: With a pastry blender(a fork will do), cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.    **please use your imagination, as I did not picture this.** 

Step 3: Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.     

  

ice cold water!

 **Please note the highlighter on the right…crucial to a nerdy accountant/step follower good baking.**     

  

Step 4: Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.      

we are gathered here today, to make a pie.

 Step 5: Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate.     

  

my mom's first (and only!) "rolling pin". pretty baller, if you ask me!

the ONLY time i'll ever be "rolling in the dough"

apparently I was doing it wrong, because before i knew it, the mom was grabbing the makeshift rolling pin from my hands to "show me how". "from the center OUT and NEVER back and forth"... my bad!

  Step 6: Gently scoop up the dough (using a spatula) and quickly place into the pie tin.     

  

easy does it!

  Step 7: Once dough is placed into the tin, gently shape the dough as desired      

i learned the "poke and pinch" technique. we're very technical.

 **apparently, according to google, this is actually called “fluting”. i prefer “poke and pinch”, thanks.**    

Viola!

  Step 8:  Score the dough, in order to allow steam from the pie to escape (ok, so this is technically for the top, but i am not sure why you score the bottom…just do it)     

  

SCORE!

  Step 9: Cut strips of dough to use after the pie is filled.  You will notice the lack of strips i produced here…and you will see how this was remedied at the end! ;0)      

humor me and pretend these are even.

THE FILLING:     

  

For the filling, I followed Jenna’s recipe almost to a T. I accidentally skipped the fresh lemon juice (even though i made a special grocery store trip JUST for the darn lemons!)      

The filling called for the following items:      

3 peaches, sliced      

1/4 cup sugar      

1.5 tbsp cornstarch      

juice of one lemon      

dash of ground cinnamon      

Step 1: Pre-heat oven @ 400 degrees, and bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Drop in the peaches and simmer for ten seconds. Remove peaches with a slotted spoon and peel back the skin. Rinse each peach under cold running water and then pat dry.      

I put the peaches directly into cold water after the par boil...it didn't seem to mess things up though!

the peeling went just peachy!

Step 2: Slice each peach in half, remove the pit, and then slice.      

the inside of peaches gross me out.

Toby doodle offered his assistance. He even washed his paws.

 

 

sliced to....perfection?

Step 3: Toss in a bowl with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon and cinnamon. Stir to combine and set aside.      

sugar

cinnamon

goodness

 Step 4: Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork (I did this during the “crust” portion) and then pour the peach filling in the dough. Set aside.      

things finally starting to come together!

all up in that biz-ness!

Step 5: Grab your other hunk of dough from the freezer and roll out. Cut into long ribbons with a pastry cutter (or just a knife) and weave on top of the pie. Cut extra dough off the sides and mush together with your fingers. Weave previously cut strips on top of filling….      

good thing i'm not a professional pie crust weaver!

As you may have noted when I cut the strips, I was lacking….Well, friends, what else can you do in a situation like this besides pull out the dino cookie cutter!? and that’s exactly what we did…      

this pie is now DIN-O-MIIIITE!

Step 6: Make an egg wash with one yolk and a little warm water and gently brush all over the top of the pie.      

it's an art, really.

all egg glazed and shiny!

into the oven goes the dino-pie!

Step 7: Bake at 400 degrees for about 34 minutes or until golden.      

I kept checking because i was just certain I would overcook and ruin it!

nope, it turned out absolutely perfect (and adorable, i might add!)

so stinkin cute!

i would be lying if I said devouring the pie didn't cross my mind!

But alas, it remained intact when I left my mom’s, another dessert gift for mi padre when I see him mañana…

I MADE MY FIRST HOMEMADE PIE, and it wasn’t a disaster!!!! I don’t know what has come over me lately, and why I have felt the need (and enjoyed) this whole “being domestic” nonsense…perhaps it’s all part of my quarter life crisis? he he he      

What have you been baking lately!? Any *must try* recipes to share? 

I hope you enjoyed this most recent “Recipe by Photos” post! I am off to go dream of pies…and dinosaurs.    

Later!      

Janna

I need more X in my life….

So, I want to start off by telling you that I fed a steer an apple today.

Yes, you read that right. A steer…complete with horns and everything.  What? You don’t come close enough to a steer to feed them on a daily basis? Oh yes, I forgot. Not everyone lives in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE like me. All of my herbivore friends out there, please note:  this steer was purchased TO eventually be butchered (I know, I gasped when those words came out of the fellas mouth too) BUT sad story turned happy when the man told me that he became too attached, and the big guy is now basically a pet (thus the reason it didn’t want to go “running of the bulls” on me when I fed it).  Oh, did I mention, my life is totally random and unpredictable? This type of thing doesn’t even surprise me anymore.

Ok, moving on….

So, as my title states, I need more X in my life.  What is this “X” I speak of!?  X, or as it is more commonly referred to as “X-Bike”.  It is basically an indoor cycle class….to the max!  From my gym’s website: “Take your indoor cycling experience to the next level! X-Bike is the only indoor bike that gives you a total body workout. Burn twice as many calories in the same amount of time!.  Increases cardiovascular fitness, strengthens lower body, strengthens upper body, strengthens core. Increases coordination. Burn up to 1,000 calories/hour”.  Now, I will say this.  I disagree with the calories/hour quoted in this description (according to my Polar), but other than that, the description is spot on. 

This is what the bike looks like:

source

It is similar to a spin class, in that the bike is stationary, but it is honestly like a completely different experience.  X-bikes have handlebars that actually move, so that you can engage your upper body and core muscles along with your lower body and cardiovascular system.  It more closely mimics actual outdoor cycling.  Another difference between x-bike and a spin bike is that the gear shifting is much like a bicycle, and they have a free wheel rather than the typical fixed wheel which a spin bike has (in spin, if you stop the wheel stops, whereas on an x-bike the revolutions continue).

The actual trixter x-bike  website has much more information, along with videos if you are interested in learning more, or finding a gym near you! I find this video to be a good visual, and enjoy the thermal imaging @ around 2min in!

Anyway, on with my story….

I started taking x-bike classes last fall, as a “cross training” activity when I started experiencing knee pain during my marathon training. After the initial “I hate my life, and WHY does my a$* hurt SO BAD?!?!” feelings I experienced during the first 3 or so classes, I quickly became addicted.  I was rapidly starting to take more and more classes, and actually started conversing with the instructors before/after class once they saw I was a “regular”.  I would sometimes blow friends off for dinner/fun if I knew my favorite instructor was teaching that night. I was quite addicted…

It’s the type of class where there are some days you are just in a funk, but you know that after some “x-ing” you will be bursting with energy…like your endorphins are having a little dance party in you or something.  The classes are seriously SO fun, and SO GOOD!!!  There were honestly times where I felt like I was going to puke and die, and that I was actually sweating from my elbows and knees….THAT good.

Then my world came crumbling down…When I made the move in with my brother, I had to cut back (I was seriously up to 5 days a week, some days even going twice. Ridiculous!).  On a good week, I’ll now make a weekday class, and then the Saturday morning classes.  On a not so good week, I’ll only make the weekend class.  This was a “not so good” week…that is until I got to the gym.

On Saturdays, I take back to back classes.  One of the classes is shorter (just ~33 minutes), but still a great workout.  When I wear my Polar heartrate monitor, I show ~300cal burned, so it is definitely comparable to running.  Well, between the shorty class, and the second/longer class, the instructor came up to my bike to “chat”.  We finish our casual “how are you’s” and “what have you been up to?”, and she then says “we’re having an x-bike certification coming up, you should take it!!! Even if you don’t want to teach right now, you could at least sub for us sometimes”.  Now, she has joked about me “becoming a pro” and “taking over the class” jokingly, but this was for real! 

I don’t know why, but I always tend to have a sort of “negative” look on myself when it comes to fitness.  I know I’ll never be the fastest or the best at any particular sport, and I’m ok with that…but I also am the one that ONLY sits in the back, and ONLY takes classes in which I won’t look like a fool or feel too “out of shape” in. It’s silly, really.  After things like this though, where an actual instructor says you should think about becoming certified, it sort of lights a different kind of spark in you and changes your perspective a bit.  Maybe I’m not as “lousy” at fitness as I make myself think? Needless to say, I’m still floating on cloud nine. 

Am I going to take the certification? Probably not this time around (there will be more, i think bi-yearly!), but I would eventually like to take it.  Unfortunately, it just does not make sense right now (from a logistics, as well as a financial standpoint) to take the certification.  I probably wouldn’t be able to sub, due to my current living situation (I’m approx 40min from the gym, it’s convenient when i’m at work, but not every single day) at the drop of a hat…so I would hate to front the money (it’s some big moohla to fork out) for something that I won’t even be able to benefit from for quite some time.

For now, I will just enjoy my little ego boost, and know that eventually, I might persue this activity! It’s not like it is going away anytime soon, and I will more than likely love it as much as I do now in a year…and if not, I probably shouldn’t’ be instructing it! I do know this though, I NEED more X in my life, and am going to try to make it twice a week more consistently. I miss it too much!

Soooo…I know I was supposed to start my food journal, but I’m having second thoughts.  I think I will for sure still recap on healthy choices/tasty recipes, and throw in a journal here and there…but I feel like I might be putting TOO much pressure on food/my food relationship at this point.  I already have a very watchful eye at work, and it hasn’t always been the most positive experience, and I’m afraid I’ll slowly turn this into the same feeling of resentment.  So for now, it is still going to be my healthy living blog, just not focused solely on my eats!  Understandable, no?

My HDOTD (healthy decision of the day):  Making my own lunch, rather than just picking something up.  Not only did I probably save calories, eat something more nutritious, but also money! Score!

I’m off to enjoy my sandwich on my FRESH Great Harvest bread!  I’ve been a long time follower of Kath over at Kath Eats Real Food, so you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon a Great Harvest in my new town!  Today was “buy one get one 50% off”, so I have TONS (two loafs!!) of yummy/healthy/natural sandwich bread to enjoy at a bargain! 

Tomorrow is my 2^nd to last long-ish run of this training schedule, and I hope to get in a solid 12mi before it gets TOO TOO hot out! Wish me luck (and possibly do a little rain dance…?)

Sayonara (that spelling looks weird, but according to Merriam-Webster, it is correct…word of the day)

Have you ever considered becoming certified in anything fitness related, or are you certified? If so, what? I would love to hear your experiences with this!